Should I put in a 2nd battery

[a70eliminator]

Re: Should I put in a 2nd battery

I also have never had the need for a second battery, I rotate batteries between boats and my I/O always gets the new one, the one thing that weighs heavy on my mind is that you can't pull start an I/O so even 2 batteries won't help if the starter goes out. Don't get me wrong I'm all in for having 2 batteries but having only 1 good one works too, along with a little common sense (and some oars)

 

[sebber83]

Re: Should I put in a 2nd battery

If you already have a deep cycle and plan on buying a starting battery, then why not cough up an extra 40-50$ for the switch and cables and wire it up. I did just that yesterday in my bow rider. I run several speakers including tower speakers and also have a few lights on there for kicks. We tend to hit the beach and play v-ball for a few hours, so now I can park backwards on the beach, blast tunes all afternoon then when it's time to head home I can switch back to my starting and get on my way. Honnestly, for the money involved, why not get a 2 battery set-up going. The weight is insignificant, the money is minimal yet the benefits are plentiful. I got a Blue Sea systems switch for 30$ at my local boat shop!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Should I put in a 2nd battery

I use a pair of dual purpose marine batteries. Both are large capacity. While underway, I have the battery switch in "Both," so that both batteries receive charging voltage.

My main use of the boat is for photography and I use a trolling motor extensively, while shooting scenic and wildlife work. Yesterday, for example, I covered several miles over a period of a few hours, all on the trolling motor. I also charge batteries and run a laptop through an inverter ocassionally. When doing these things, I may run off of both batteries for a short period, but usually switch to either the A or B battery, just to insure that I have starting power.

BTW, since you are new to this, just a tip on proper use of a battery switch - do not change switch positions while the engine is running. Doing so can cause damage to alternator/chaging systems.



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[Mike Robinson]

Re: Should I put in a 2nd battery

In our case we have 2 batteries. One is hooked up to the big outboard and it supplies power to the nav lights, vhf radio, gps, sounder, and bilge pump. The second is independant of the first and is hooked up to the kicker and supplies power to the downriggers. We use the kicker while trolling.

If we should have battery problems we carry jumper cables to jump from one battery to the other.

In your case it sounds like a booster pack would suffice unless you find you are having to jump the battery with any frequency.