Boat Electric Issues

My father in law has an ’07 Alumacraft Dominator 175 that I use most of the time up on Leech. Over the years, I’ve realized that the way the boat is rigged up results in a few quirks. As he’s retiring this winter, I want to try to iron out 2 issues and I was wondering if anybody would have any insight.

Quirk 1: If the boat is left with the battery connected (even on dry land), with all switches in the off position, the battery drains. I think this has to do with the radio unit – which is connected directly to the battery. She seems to drain the battery even when the radio deck isn’t installed. My proposed solution to this is to run the radio through the Accessory switch on the dash. Any thoughts/difficulties with this?

Quirk 2: We run a Humminbird 958c DI depthfinder on the boat. When I go to crank the engine over, the depthfinder shuts off. I’m not sure what could be causing this. Suggestions?

Sean Solberg wrote:

Quirk 2: We run a Humminbird 958c DI depthfinder on the boat. When I go to crank the engine over, the depthfinder shuts off. I’m not sure what could be causing this. Suggestions?

Too small of wire.

Quirk 1: I run everything to a kill switch. Should help the drain.

Sean Solberg wrote:

My father in law has an ’07 Alumacraft Dominator 175 that I use most of the time up on Leech. Over the years, I’ve realized that the way the boat is rigged up results in a few quirks. As he’s retiring this winter, I want to try to iron out 2 issues and I was wondering if anybody would have any insight.

Quirk 1: If the boat is left with the battery connected (even on dry land), with all switches in the off position, the battery drains. I think this has to do with the radio unit – which is connected directly to the battery. She seems to drain the battery even when the radio deck isn’t installed. My proposed solution to this is to run the radio through the Accessory switch on the dash. Any thoughts/difficulties with this?

Quirk 2: We run a Humminbird 958c DI depthfinder on the boat. When I go to crank the engine over, the depthfinder shuts off. I’m not sure what could be causing this. Suggestions?

I had similar issues on a 2005 Lund.

Quirk 1: I bet the radio antenna is your drain. There are some folding telescoping radio antenna that are constantly powered. It wasn’t run through the master power either so it didn’t matter if that was on or not. I’d disconnect the antenna and see if that makes a difference. At least use an Ohm meter and see if there is a draw. I never used my radio so I pulled the fuse.

Quirk 2: You need a larger or new starting battery. My Merc Optimax needs a lot of power to crank over. When my original battery was getting weak the outboard would pull so much power it shut off the depth finder.

Any of the newer outboards also draw power when off. The motors electronics do system checks every few minutes. Newer Atv also do this requiring you to keep a battery tender on the starting battery. Newer Locators and music devices like lowrance sonic hubs also draw power when off. Install a master kill switch at the battery. Also check to see what cold cranking amps the battery has. Newer style motors like Etec and Optimax require batteries with 800 CCA if you are also using it to power electronics.

Mwal

1.) a lot of stuff can still drain the battery, including the motor. A master shut off at the battery should fix it.

2.) With all the stuff we run these days, you need more current carrying capacity at the dash. I ended up running a second fuse block from the battery to my dash. Then split the load between the two blocks.
Another option is to rewire your current fuse block with a thicker wire. If rewiring, I just found it easier to add a second setup.

A good test for this is to measure the voltage at the battery versus the voltage at the dash with your normal stuff running. Bet there is a voltage drop. I had almost a 1 volt difference between the two readings before adding more wire to the dash.

For quirk 2: this is not a fix but I have run into this on my boat. If you are able to put the sonar unit in standby mode and then start the boat it may not power off. that’s what has worked for me.

Thanks for the responses!

Kill switch is installed… but that doesn’t solve the problem that occurs between the captains seat and the wheel! Most of the time we remember to shut it off, but there have been 2 times this summer where that got forgotten.

For quirk 2, those are great suggestions. I’ll look into how much real estate we have under the dash to consider a 2nd fuse block and also look at wiring options. I can also get the battery tested (and also re-evaluate if a bigger unit is required).

Much appreciated.

1. If the radio is wired directly to the battery, then the master kill switch won’t help if the radio is what’s causing the drain. The master is between the battery and all terminal blocks/breaker blocks. If you have wires directly on the battery posts, the kill switch won’t cut off those circuits.

Rewire the radio to the main terminal block or breaker block if there are terminals available.

2. Your main starting battery is dying. That is the most likely cause. Have it tested and replace if needed.

Suggest you consider an on-board charging system. If you don’t have power where the boat is stored, there are some quality solar units available.

Grouse

First off how old are the batteries in the boat? They could be so old that they just no longer hold a charge overtime. Being a 2007 I doubt they are original and even if they were replaced they could still be getting old. Also if they’ve never been maintained if possible like checking the water levels annually or biannually is a large premature failure Factor for batteries. In my honest opinion maintenance-free is not the best path either.

If you graphs are ran through your master power switch on the dash it means your power for your graphs is running through your fuse block. One of two things is happening. You’re starting battery which I’m guessing is tied to your fuse block is starting to fail, how old is it and what size, deep cycle or starting and how many cranking amps are all things to look at. The second mistake many make is running their graph through their fuse block this can cause many problems such as interference and drop a voltage upon a motor start. The truth behind it is it was wired a lazy way if it’s through the fuse block the best way is to run a separate fused line straight to your battery.
As far as your issue with power draw when not in use the only way to truly figure out what the draw is is to use an OHM meter that has amp draw. I would YouTube finding parasitic draws for more information on how this is performed. Not any voltmeter will work it needs to have an amp draw which tend to be a little more expensive. Otherwise you’re just spitballing to find a cure.

In addition the kill switch that you’re talking on the dash is not a master power switch like others are talking about this is a separate unit hooked directly to the battery first then everything else is hooked to that switch. It is a large switch generally about the size of your fist. Link attached.
http://www.amazon.com/Perko-8501DP-Marine-Battery-Selector/dp/B00144B6AE/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534352714&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=marine+power+switch