Dave Mulder wrote:

My boat came pre-rigged with the 3-prong round but still needs a bit of a twist to completely engage. Male end was included.
Not sure of the guage of wire but will attach some pics
All breakers were in place and located near the batteries in the storage area below the rod locker
Just recently I modified my battery set up and was able to turn a blue top Optima starting battery sideways and push all the way to the back of the compartment. This allowed me to get a group 31 with 210 min reserve capacity to run all accesories-pumps & 3 Helix 9’s I am running genious single chargers for the 2 house baterries (AGM and Wet like to be charged at different rates) And also have a 3 bank Genious charger for trolling batteries

In the photo showing your TM batteries, did you have to remove the battery charger to gain access to the batteries, or was this photo taken before the charger was installed? Or maybe I’m just confused about which side of the photo is toward the bow.
You mentioned 2 house batteries. Did you mean that you’ve actually been able to fit 3 batteries (1 starting, 2 house) in the battery compartment at the stern? Or did you find a way to get more than 3 batteries in the bow compartment (with the TM batteries)?
I’ve ordered a Noco Gen3 charger for the TM batteries, because I like the way you set yours up.
Thanks for this information. Getting info from the mfr or dealer is surprisingly difficult.

My 205 is on order. I would like to be prepared with as much oif the rigging materials as possible before the boat arrives. I hope you will help by answering questions about battery space and TM plug & wiring.
What type of TM plug comes with the boat (e.g., twistlock or round 3-prong, etc.). Do you know the mfr/model of the plug? Was a matching male plug furnished? If not, what did you have to buy?
Do you know the TM wire gauge that was pre-installed by Alumacraft (e.g., 6 AWG)?
Did Alumacraft install a 60A breaker? If so, is it the switchable type, or does it just have a reset button, and where is the breaker located?
Would you mind posting a photo of your TM batteries and starting/house batteries arrangements? Were you able to fit 2 group 31 batteries in the starting battery compartment?
Did you install a separate 2-bank charger for starting & house batteries? What fit?

gregl2017 wrote:

You got lots of room for 31 series TM batteries, 3 under front deck. I think you might be able to get 2 27s in the starting battery compartment but it would be tight and have no room for a fuse panel etc.. I have a main shut off and fuse panel with a 31 series as as starting battery in mine. I put my hub in the compartment in the storage box beside the livewell.
I put my charger under the floor storage box.
I have a 205 tiller.

I thought that might be the case with the starting batteries. A ridiculously small battery compartment, on a boat of this size, but I’ll make do. I was thinking of using that adjacent storage compartment, too.
I plan to install a new fuse block under the console, powered from my house battery. The Suzuki engine has an option for isolating and charging 2 batteries, so no separate ACR or isolator is necessary, but I want to find space for a “dual circuit plus” battery switch, a 60A circuit breaker for the new 6AWG fuse block feed wiring, and even a 600A negative busbar, if possible. I would like a dual bank charger there, too, but that looks impossible.
What charger did you end up going with in the trolling motor compartment? I’m considering Noco Gen 3 or Minn Kota PC 3-bank, if there is room.

Getting a boat configured exactly as you want it, for a reasonable price, is not easy. I’ve looked at hundreds of boats from dozens of manufacturers, but mostly online. Only a few of this deep vee type (not this particular boat) are in stock at dealers within reasonable driving distance, and they all had their shortcomings. Getting details from dealers or manufacturers is far more difficult than I ever imagined when I started this boat search. Finding out that I couldn’t use group size 31M batteries wouldn’t be a deal breaker, as this boat has other features that are more important to me, which I couldn’t find on any other boat in this price range.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

I would start with asking who you ordered it from.

I have asked the dealer about the battery space, but they just don’t sell this model boat in the south, where I’m from, so they have no first-hand knowledge, and it seems that they’re having a slow time of it getting answers from Alumacraft.
I also submitted an information request to Alumacraft, using their website form, but they just turned around and sent the inquiry (including the fact that I had already ordered the boat) to another dealer, and I’m not buying the boat from him. I don’t expect that dealer to respond