Dual battery set up in 1999 Adventure 205

[Sdfish]

Hi all, I just recently purchased a 1999 Adventure 208. The boat came with 2 batteries in the back and a battery selector switch. In my old boat I had battery selector switch and an ACR to control charging to both batteries when underway and isolating the battery when in use.

Just curious how many of you add ACRs to your boats.

If I don't add an ACR and I select both batteries on my switch, will the single outboard I have charge both batteries when running?

Thanks in advance!

 

[enfish]

Congrats on your purchase! In my boat, I do not have an ACR, just 2 Group 27 batteries and the selector switch. When the switch is set to both, both batteries charge. I do what most people do not recommend doing in that I leave the selector switch on Both unless I'm stopped with the motor off, then I switch to a single battery. I do constantly monitor the voltage, both on the Yamaha gauge and with a low voltage alarm on the fishfinder. I set the alarm to go off at 12.4 volts.

With the motor running, and the battery switch on Both, the voltage is usually 12.8 volts at idle, and 14.2 to 14.6 volts, depending on the state of the battery charge, when running at higher RPM's. I can also tell when it's close to time to replace the batteries because the voltage will never get above 14.2 volts. But, the motor is just barely charging the batteries at idle. That's the system that has worked for me. In the 19 years I've owned the boat, I just bought my 3rd set of wet cell batteries earlier this year.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Many of the Yamahas have an Aux charging circuit. In some cases the battery cable has three wires, two heavy gauge starter wires and a third thinner gauge(10gauge) positive Aux charge wire.
In other cases, the motor came with only the 2 wire cable but the circuit is still there and all you have to do is run a 10 gauge wire (or replace with a yamaha 3 wire cable)
Yamaha did this specifically for boats running a Start and a House battery. There is an isolator built into the regulator circuit. You connect the Aux wire to the House battery. Both batteries charge but a low battery won't drain the other.

 

[Sdfish]

ONO, I SEE you are out of Dana Point. I live in Carlsbad. I have not put the boat in yet. Just curious, what are your thoughts on the built in bait tank for our local fishing? Did you install another tank?

Skunk, thanks for the info on the Yamaha wiring, I'll need to look into that. That would be awesome!

 

[seasick]

Hi all, I just recently purchased a 1999 Adventure 208. The boat came with 2 batteries in the back and a battery selector switch. In my old boat I had battery selector switch and an ACR to control charging to both batteries when underway and isolating the battery when in use.

Just curious how many of you add ACRs to your boats.

If I don't add an ACR and I select both batteries on my switch, will the single outboard I have charge both batteries when running?

Thanks in advance!

I have had a 208 for 12 years. It has 2 batteries with a switch. I do not have a charger nor do I need one. When not at sea battery one's only potential load is the bilge pump. Mine has a mechanical float switch so unless it is running, it doesn't draw power. The bilge just about never gets water. In winter I remove the drain plug and disconnect the battery negative cables. I leave the batteries in the boat all winter but make sure they are charged up before laying up the boat for the winter. The batteries have never failed to crank over the motor in the spring. Yes, once every 6 years or so, I might have to use the BOTH setting and that is a sign that it may be time for new batteries. I have replaced the batteries twice in 12 seasons.

 

[trapper]

SDfish, Yes you will enjoy your 208. I installed a ACR in my 2006 208 two or three years ago. Apart from checking the battery levels it has been flawless. I also installed a Norco genius two battery charger below the deck ( fresh water tank hatch) which I leave plugged in when the boat is not being used, and we use it here here i year around. Cheers, trapper

 

[enfish]

ONO, I SEE you are out of Dana Point. I live in Carlsbad. I have not put the boat in yet. Just curious, what are your thoughts on the built in bait tank for our local fishing? Did you install another tank?

Skunk, thanks for the info on the Yamaha wiring, I'll need to look into that. That would be awesome!

Cool, nice to see local people on the board! I lived in Carlsbad for 12 years before moving 3 years ago.

The built-in bait tank is useless for anything but a few mackerel or as a place to bleed out fish before throwing them on ice. We've got a Kodiak Pro-Flow 32 gallon on the middle of the deck that works great for a scoop of sardines or anchovies. It takes up a bit of deck space, but it's pretty easy to fish around. It's mounted right over the top of the fuel tank inspection port, and if I were to do it again, I'd either move it forward so it's easier to walk behind, or move it aft against the splash well to make it easier to walk in front of it.
.

 

[Sdfish]

Ono, I have a Kodiak ready to go. Did you plumb it via the deck rear deck plate? Is it mounted to the deck?
Previous owner just plugged his to raw water wash down. Much simpler and removable. Thanks again

 

[enfish]

Ono, I have a Kodiak ready to go. Did you plumb it via the deck rear deck plate? Is it mounted to the deck?
Previous owner just plugged his to raw water wash down. Much simpler and removable. Thanks again

The previous owner did the install, and it is bolted to the deck. We’ve got 2 thru-hulls... one is shared with the under step livewell and wash down hose, and the other dedicated to the bait tank. The intake hose comes out through the rear bulkhead and lays along the deck for about 16 inches or so shown in the picture below, and the outflow you can see in the picture above. I’m sure there are cleaner ways to do it, but it’s worked well. I’ve always used the Rule 700 gph bait pumps. As long as I remember to backflow the pumps with fresh water and leave the thru-hull valve open when on the trailer, they last 3-4 years. If I close the valve and the line is filled with saltwater, the pump is toast within a few months.

 

[Sdfish]

Thanks Ono! Looks like you had or are still having a great season!
Nice to see zero water coming back in through scuppers with full bait tank. Hope mine sits the same!
With the 175 2 stroke, what range do you get and how MPG? I have a 150 yamaha 2 stroke. After having a 17 whaler for so long, I'll need to get used to a much higher fuel bill!

 

[enfish]

Sdfish, typical cruise in normal 2-3 foot chop with some wind is 4200 RPM, burning about 10 GPH, cruising at 24 knots. When we're heavy with bait and fuel, that may bump up closer to 11 GPH. If it's flat glassy, we can bump up to 4400 RPM and cruise at about 28 knots before fuel economy starts suffering. You'll probably have similar numbers or slightly better.

When the albacore used to show up around here, we'd do trips down to the San Clemente Basin buoy, about half way between the 43 and Butterfly. We also did a trip around the west end of San Clemente Island and down the back side chasing albacore. Both of those trips were about 60-65 nm to get there. Round trip with trolling put us close to 150 miles. That's pushing the range, especially if the afternoon wind picks up and we have to pound our way back home. So we'd also carry 30 extra gallons in 5 gallon jerry cans on those trips. I think the most fuel we ever burned on a trip was 71 gallons, so we never needed the extra fuel, but I would have been stressing out big time if we didn't have it (or more likely we wouldn't have pushed the trip so long). It's an 82 gallon tank, but I don't know how much is usable.

One thing I'd highly recommend is installing trim tabs, if you don't have them. Hands down the best upgrade we've done.

 

[Sdfish]

Thanks again Ono. Very helpful info. Looking to do a shake down trip in about 2 weeks. If everything checks out I'll be right there with you, still plenty of reports of tuna out there.