Rigging Question

I’m making a change to the dash wiring for my Graph and GPS (I run two 5″ units side by side, one sonar only and one GPS only).
I’ve been running them off a smaller dedicated battery up front, but now want to run them off the starting battery in back.

My question is, do any of you run a single red/black lead to the back of the boat and then connect up front to both of the leads off the 2 graph/gps’s? Or do you run a lead to the back of the boat for each unit? If you run only one to the back, what size wire did you use?

I’m running an old Lowrance 5300 GPS unit, and a Gen 1 H-bird Helix 5 combo for sonar, if that matters.
Thanks for any advice.

The best way to do it would be to run heavier power wires to a distribution block under your dash. Allows separate fuses for each unit and cleans up the wires a ton versus running power wires for each item with inline fuses. I’ve gotten flack on this forum for recommending fuses on the smaller units, but it’s always a smart idea.

As for wire gauge, I would go 10ga for a distribution block, pending any other accessories you want to hook up to it. Never hurts to over-do wire gauge.

Thanks, I’ll check out a distribution block. FWIW I have always run a 3 amp fuse inline on every unit I’ve had, and on my VHF radio as well. Cheap insurance.

Isn’t there a terminal/fuse block under the dash already on that boat?

Or are you out of spaces on that block?

If yes check the feed wire gauge before adding your units. This is almost always undersized on todays freshwater boats.

Grouse

I ran separate power wires for each graph in my boat. 12 gauge wires to a Blue Sea marine fuse block. I have a 10 gauge wire supplying that from the battery.