Boat Problem

[DaveMason]

When I start my engine it knocks the plotter off on voltage drop . It has a dual battery system and does this on 1 and 2 positions but not on both . Whats best fix option ?????

[Norman]

Dave,
You need to have instruments on seperate battery from main engine, the voltage drop when turning starter is too much for the GPS etc to cope.
I have engine and associated instruments from panel (fuel gauge etc) on battery one and all GPS/sounder/CD etc on battery two.

I mean to get a more sophisticated diode controlled charging system sometime but for now I got the same as you describe so I usually cruise to wrecks etc on both, (or battery two to keep systems charged) then switch over to battery one for rest of the day. The hour or so at high charge getting to wreck in the morning is more than enough to keep the systems charged up, then the rest of the day starting and stopping engine whilst on battery one does not interfere with GPS.
Often forget and leave on battery one for weeks but you soon find out when finder turns itself off, simply turn to battery two or both for a short while and systems are back up in minutes.

[DaveMason]

Thanks norman , we\'ll discuss it over a pint :P

[boblydon]

Dave...fitting a blocking diode should do the trick, it only allows current to flow in one direction,therefore all toys off one battery,leaving the other for the engine only,also this means you could not flatten the engine battery if you went home and left the toys on by mistake

[DaveMason]

Any brassy person would have the bare - faced cheek to ask you to take a look Bob , but not me , oh no . :P

[boblydon]

lol lol lol !!!!...see you tommorow Dave...ive been polishing my boat allday,make sure you have your sunglasses on when you go down the potoon,unless you will get dazzled when the sun shines off it,also been loading waypoints..YUK !!! my eyes hurt with looking at the screen

[Norman]

Yeah Dave zetland tomorrow sounds good
It seems as both bob and myself say that you have toys on the same circuit as engine, they need to be seperate. I was faced with this when fitting second battery because engine system feeds the fuse panel, I just over rid this and put seperate fuses in for toys and linked them all to second battery. As bob says you can then leave toys on by mistake and not flatten engine battery (so long as you dont leave switch on \"both\" then go away on holiday or something ........ ) Or better still as bob pointed out have a diode that stops engine battery voltage flow back into secondary.

LOL roll on fishing trip .................

[boblydon]

could not have put it better myself Norman..the zetland that is !!

[DaveMason]

Oh Nooo , not the Zetland again - oh well , go on then

[jason]

bob
looking at your toys through yer window it seems that you need a small nuclear power station to provide the wigglies for them.
LOL

Have a great weekend lads.

[Ell]

Anyone tried fishing of the Zetland? I know Andy Winter fishes of the Shields ferry. and Marc fishes next to them.

[boblydon]

yeah something like that Jason...the voltage gauge drops when there all on though

[Norman]

Just noticed on bobs boat today, the welding rods he used to uprate the fuses were still not heavy enough, he`s now had to go to using M12 studding :P

[boblydon]

stianless steel studding at that, thats only for the gps, had to use M16 for the transducer ha ha ha.....will have to fit a standby generator soon just to keep the batterys topped up