Grady Canyon 306 owner question re shore power

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

I am a new Grady Canyon 306 (21 blt) owner and was wondering if i need to plug into shore power all the time when not in use ? i like to keep on a mooring closer to home for weekends or even longer if possible. how long can it sit on a mooring with out power before i need to be concerned ?

many thanks in advance

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Well it depend on how much things are attached when battery switches are off.
Only bilge pump and no water leak than she can stay for months without shore power, but if bilge pump is constantly pumping out water then she will not las for that long and then probably sink the boat.

I had all my boats moored or slipped without shore power and they fired up after months of no use as long bilge pump was not working excessively and no other things connected.
However, going to the boat every now and then and start the engines will do no harm and you will find problems before they may become a big problem.

Chris

 

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

appreciate the feedback. seller mentioned the bow thruster needed to be plugged. we have kept lesser boats on mooring for seasons with no problem suspect all about battery draw how tight she is as u say.

much thanks

 

[seasick]

The bow thruster is probably powered by a battery or batteries that are not charged by the outboards.
So if you want to be sure it is usable, you would need to charge it using shore power. If it is charged and you don't use it, it will still be usable on the next outing. You will have to learn by experience how long the bow thruster batteries are good for after a full charge. If you could run the thruster for an hour ( which you shouldn't do) wit a full charge, you would probably be able to use it for 5 minutes 12 times.

 

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

much appreciated. that is what i was missing.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

The bow thruster is probably powered by a battery or batteries that are not charged by the outboards.

Well, in this case you will need somethings to charge the bow thruster batteries when moored, however if boat is moored only on weekends and you don't use the bow thruster then you need nothing as long you can charge Monday to Friday where she is then if there is shore power.

Solar panel/s, new charge cable from outboards to thruster batteries, i would suggest one solar panel on the T-Top and a quality Victron solar charger, thats probably the simplest way. I got two solar panels from ex owner to install and the 306 Canyon hardtop can fit 2 170w panels and that would me more than enough to charge boat and bow thruster batteries during the week, if enough sun is available.

Chris

 

[JJF]

Make sure you always close the seacocks (live well, raw water washdown, head intake/discharge) when not in use.

"seller mentioned the bow thruster needed to be plugged".... I would verify this with GW (if the BT was factory). On my 306, all three batteries are "wired together".

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

On my 306, all three batteries are "wired together".

On mine House battery and starboard engine are wired together, port side engine is wired to port engine battery.
As far i remember thats also what is written in the Canyon manual, but i have a 2011 model.
If you have two Off-1-2-All switches in the switch box on the transom then they should not be wired like you wrote, one Off-1-2-All switch would be enough.

GW has it's own mind about wiring the batteries and i am not happy with my house and starboard engine together one and will change that to the standard and also as my Garmin AP display beep and pop up a warning for low voltage if i drift for more than 30 minutes with engines off .

• Port engine to port battery
• starboard engine to starboard battery
• secondary charging wire to house battery

When changing the battery wiring i will pull the flooded type battery and install the biggest size LiFePo battery i can fit there.

Chris

 

[JJF]

Hmmmmm.... I will try to remember to take a picture of my batteries today.

 

[drbatts]

Your thruster should be wired to one of the battery banks directly. On my 305 which I assume is very similar, the thruster is wired to the second bank. Both battery banks are charged by the outboards.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Hmmmmm.... I will try to remember to take a picture of my batteries today.

Yep, that would be best.
And try to figure out how they are connected.

I have 2011 model and i have 3 batteries in the compartment under the flip up electronics box, but you may have the new redesigned console helm area so i don't know where they are located not how they are wired.
If the bow thruster is not charged by the outboards then there must be a 4th battery somewhere, however i don't see the need for a 4th battery for a device what is used for seconds and mostly twice a day when docking.

If the bow thruster was installed by GW then i simply would ask GW as they will know, ig ex owner had the bow thruster installed by others then everything is possible.

Chris

 

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

so we bought the 306 Canyon ran great until we left it on the hook last week only to find i had no steering when i went back to take i out yesterday. the joy stick is also not working either...i did not check the thruster. i presume this is because the boat was not plugged in and has not been since we took delivery 3 weeks ago.

i ran it in idle at at 1500 revs for awhile but did nothing for the steering

i have on a dock now but only have 15 amp house power- the question is : can i use a 15 to 50 amp adapter and just plug it in for a while to charge the batteries?

open for other ideas.

 

[JJF]

I have to believe the joystick should work with if the engines are running.

I am pretty sure you can not plug a 15 AMP cord into a 50 AMP outlet.

 

[seasick]

You can use a 15 amp to 30 amp. A 50 amp shore power outlet would be a 230 volt service. There are splitters that convert a 230 voly 50 amp to two 115 volt outlets but It can in some cases cause dangerous situations and I don't recommend them. Are you sure there is no 30 amp 115 volt outlet?

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

since we took delivery 3 weeks ago.

So it's a new boat?
Why you don't ask the dealer, answering questions and solving problems is/should be part of the after sales service.

As you could crank the engines then i don't think that the batteries are the problem with your electric steering problem.
A total blackout of the steering system seems another problem to me, probably a blow fuse.
am not sure if the electric steering is on the house battery or the engines batteries, as it is a integral part of the engine i would connect it with one of engine battery to make sure that both work or not. Basically, if the engines run then the steering should be operational as well.

Do you have (as me) two battery selector switches behind a door port side on the transom and set them to 1 and 2 when using the boat and after use setting both to Off?

Do you have 3 batteries or more in the battery compartment?

Chris

 

[JJF]

BTW.... per a Yamaha Master Tech who I know... the joysticks are known to have an issue at the "engine side" of the system




'

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

My autopilot and some other electronic stuff has issues as well when i use the stereo and MFD's for a while with engines off as house battery is tied together with the stbd engine battery.
That's a problem how GW cabled/still cables the batteries with stbd engine and house battery tied together and i am in the believe that the 3 or 4 batteries should be separated circuits to avoid voltage drop when cranking. This voltage drop may be the reason that the Yamaha tech may be right that the electric steering tied to the engine battery can/will make some problems due voltage drop but connecting the electric steering and/or joystick to a separated house battery can lead to same problems if house battery is low. And house batteries are usually the ones who are low, not the engine batteries as the engines batteries are needed only for a few seconds to crank and usually once or a few times per boating day.

As you wrote, when the engines are running then electric steering should work, or better it has to work and as afaik GW rig the Yamahas in factory by them self i would expect they cabled all the correct way as Yamaha tells to cable.

The biggest problem of electric steering either in the outboard and/or joystick is that what happened to CJ/BJ/SJ, a total loss of steering for a in this moment unknown reason.
If the electric steering system is tied to the engine battery then engine will most likely not crank
If the electric steering system is tied to the house battery then electronics will not work
If engine crank normally and electronics work normally then the problem is most likely not the (low) batteries

Thats why i asked if there are 3 batteries and how they are cabled and if the battery switch box has only two OFF-1-2-ALL switches then one engines battery is in parallel with the house battery as mine is.

As i interpret "since we took delivery 3 weeks ago." as it's a brand new Canyon what has a different console than mine the battery system may be different than mine.

It would be important to know exactly what's the setup CJ/BJ/SJ has on his boat to narrow down his problem and the first thing i would do in such case is to contact the dealer and ask to fix that problem.

Regarding the battery charger question:
Why not use the 15A shore power to charge the batteries on the dock? Does it trip the 15A breaker?


Chris

 

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

really appreciate the feed back. she is a 2021 blt canyon 306 but has always been plugged in before we bought it. you are definitely on to it ref "3 batteries and how they are cabled and if the battery switch box has only two OFF-1-2-ALL switches then one engines battery is in parallel with the house battery as mine is."

my buddy who captained super yachts for last 15 years told me to "parallel the house and start the batts" ....once i figure out what he was talking about it....the steering came back.

i will still discuss thoroughly with my local Grady dealer/Yamaha mechanic to really understand what is going on.

 

[RobboNJ]

I have a 2020 Feedom 307 which i purchased earlier this year. It is the same hull as the Canyon, is equipped with the bow thruster and has 4 batteries. The first month I had the boat I did not have a power cord for it. And had no issues with the power sterring or the bow thruster, they worked every time i fired up the engines. I did finally buy a new 30amp power cord, mainly to make sure the batterries would not get run down if the bilge pumps kicked in for too long.

Your issue sounds like you have some kind of unexpected draw on your batteries. Do you use the battery selector to turn off the batteries when the boat is moored? I've learned that is the best way to keep the batteries healthy.

i also have no idea why you need to keep the batteries on just for the bow thruster. I respect Seasicks comment "The bow thruster is probably powered by a battery or batteries that are not charged by the outboards." However, I can't imagine GW would wire the batteries in this manner, as it would seem to be sure to fail for many GW owners. You may want to check with GW or get hold of a wiring diagram for your boat.

 

[CJ/BJ/SJ]

I have a 2020 Feedom 307 which i purchased earlier this year. It is the same hull as the Canyon, is equipped with the bow thruster and has 4 batteries. The first month I had the boat I did not have a power cord for it. And had no issues with the power sterring or the bow thruster, they worked every time i fired up the engines. I did finally buy a new 30amp power cord, mainly to make sure the batterries would not get run down if the bilge pumps kicked in for too long.

Your issue sounds like you have some kind of unexpected draw on your batteries. Do you use the battery selector to turn off the batteries when the boat is moored? I've learned that is the best way to keep the batteries healthy.

i also have no idea why you need to keep the batteries on just for the bow thruster. I respect Seasicks comment "The bow thruster is probably powered by a battery or batteries that are not charged by the outboards." However, I can't imagine GW would wire the batteries in this manner, as it would seem to be sure to fail for many GW owners. You may want to check with GW or get hold of a wiring diagram for your boat.

I have a 2020 Feedom 307 which i purchased earlier this year. It is the same hull as the Canyon, is equipped with the bow thruster and has 4 batteries. The first month I had the boat I did not have a power cord for it. And had no issues with the power sterring or the bow thruster, they worked every time i fired up the engines. I did finally buy a new 30amp power cord, mainly to make sure the batterries would not get run down if the bilge pumps kicked in for too long.

Your issue sounds like you have some kind of unexpected draw on your batteries. Do you use the battery selector to turn off the batteries when the boat is moored? I've learned that is the best way to keep the batteries healthy.

i also have no idea why you need to keep the batteries on just for the bow thruster. I respect Seasicks comment "The bow thruster is probably powered by a battery or batteries that are not charged by the outboards." However, I can't imagine GW would wire the batteries in this manner, as it would seem to be sure to fail for many GW owners. You may want to check with GW or get hold of a wiring diagram for your boat.

thanks yrs. We definitely turn the batteries off after each use and putt one on one in the other one on two. I only tested the bow thruster out late during the issue and it was fine. It was just the steering and the joystick (which is all tied to steering) that had no power but as soon as we paralleled the house, everything worked. Still trying to figure it out, but definitely appreciate your reply.