Repowering 16' Angler, battery charging choices

[do dawdle]

I just bought an '85 16' Angler that I am taking to Sportcraft in Portland to have new 40 HP and 5 HP Hondas put on the boat. The 5 HP will be used as a trolling motor (anything bigger will go too fast for my style of fishing.)

On past boats I've had problems with the battery running down when I ran the kicker to troll all day for 8-10 hours or so using the sonar continuously.

My son suggested getting a dual battery system but I think weight and space considerations make two batteries not the best choice.

Of course the 40 HP motor has the standard Honda electrical system per their specs: 22 amp alternator, 17 amp charging power.

There is an optional dealer-installed 3 amp charging system that Honda advertises for the 5HP. I am thinking of getting this added to the 5 HP motor and connecting it to the battery along with the main motor's electrical leads. If I'm thinking correctly, the 3-amp system should keep the battery charged (or at least keep it from running down as fast) while I'm trolling for extended periods and using the sonar all the time, and perhaps a radio as well.

In the past I've ran my big motor several times every few hours to keep the battery charged, but I don't want to run my big motor if I can use the small one for that purpose while I'm fishing.

Would there be any problems associated with having both of these charging systems connected to the battery?

Am I on the right track?

[thataway]

No problems with the two systems on the battery. However, I would get a larger battery--pref: group 31. I would also buy a second battery forward, and put in a VSR (Voltage Sensative Relay). Also you can slow a boat down with an 8 hp and low pitch prop. The 8 hp with Electric start weight is about 30 lbs more, and the charging output is 12 amps.

The 3 amps, with a second battery will probably be adequate however. Run your electronics off the second battery. Lots of good reasons to do this.

[do dawdle]

I follow you about running your electronics off the second battery.

For me the 4 HP is a good trolling motor as it comes and it would do the job (where I fish) as a backup if the big motor should fail.

I like the idea of electric start on the 8HP but I have to consider if its worth an extra 30 lbs. I also really like the available power tilt on the 8.
Those two niceties might be worth the extra weight over the 4 and I'm sure they would be appreciated by my body as I get older.

One thing that is a must for me is a pull start capability on at least one of the two motors, and I see a very good reason for that. I guess I view a pull start to be at the same priority as you view a sophisticated two battery system with electronics running on only one of them. I'm not sure you can keep the pull start on the 8HP if you also get the electric start. If the 8HP electric start does not also allow pull start capability, I would have to stay with the 4.

I won't have the electronics that the bigger saltwater boats use. I'll have a GPS/fish finder/chart map unit, running lights for brief periods early and late, and maybe an AM/FM radio. No radar, no ship to shore radio and none of the other amazing things about which I am totally ignorant.

I must have a pull start capability and a 4HP will do fine as a backup to the 40. I only want to keep my main battery from running down during the long periods when I run my GPS/sonar.

It's worth mentioning that my son runs a 24' Defiance out of San Diego. He goes out quite a ways after dorado, tuna etc. For my new boat he recommended a dual battery system with the three (four?) position master switch. I'm sure the weight of an extra battery never entered his mind when he put that system on his boat but I feel that weight and especially space are somewhat at a premium on a 16' Angler. Maybe the perception of desirable and even necessary equipment depends on the type of water you frequent and how far you get from land.

[thataway]

No problem with the weight of the extra battery (look at photos of C pup in S. Calif!). With the weight forward, the boat will handle it fine.

All of the 8, 9, 15, 25 and up to 40 motors (plus) are easily pull started. There were years where I pulled started 35 to 40 hp outboards with no electric start. I have owned a number of 8 to 25 hp dinghy motors which were electric and pull start--no loss of pull start! Yes the tilt and trim would be nice also. I believe you were looking at a 5 hp Honda, not a 4 hp.

[Sunbeam]

One thing to check out on the Honda: I don't know about that motor specifically, but some small motors that have alternators don't actually give you much charging output unless you are up near the top of the RPM range. If that were the case, and you plan to troll a lot, you might not get the amps you expected.

Sunbeam

[Saxe Point]

If all you are running while trolling is a GPS/Sonar/Plotter, AM/FM radio and lights occasionally, the 3 amps going into your single battery from your kicker may be enough to keep it topped up. I'm no expert, but I troll with a Yamaha T8, which admittedly generates more amps (6 at full throttle, but less at lower speeds), and run a fishfinder, a separate GPS/chartplotter, a VHF radio and an AIS receiver. Never had the battery fail to start my main motor, even after a full day of trolling. There are calculators on the internet that will calculate your total electrical draw, but unless you have a powerful sound system for a radio, your current draw is likely very low. For instance, my fishfinder draws 170 mA (milliamps) lights off and 240 mA lights on. My GPS/Plotter uses 1 amp or less, I think. My VHF uses 0.4 amp on standby; 1.5 when receiving and more (1.5-5.5 amps) when transmitting, which is not often. The AIS receiver draws 90 mA. Rather than wiring in a second battery, I just carry a "power pack" (20 lbs or less) to boost my battery if it runs down so much I can't start my main motor. Haven't had to use it yet.

If you are a day fisherman like me, you might not need a second battery. If I were making multi-day trips far from the marinas and other boats, I'd seriously consider a second battery.

[16Pounder]

I am currently using a 50hp Honda and 5hp Suzuki for my 16' Angler. I originally had an 8hp Honda as a kicker but I didn't like the additional weight at the transom and it wouldn't push the boat any faster than a 5 hp Suzuki. I also use two batteries and a battery switch. I installed a deep cycle battery in the cuddy (see storage rack photo album for 16Pounder) and don't have any problems with weight. I typically fish the San Juans and once a year on the west side of Vancouver Island out of Winter Harbour where it can get a little "sporty". My concern was getting too much weight at the transom with two guys (brother is 6-5, 280#) in the back, downriggers out, full fuel tanks, and taking a wave over the transom. Placing the second battery ahead of the steering wheel and the fish in the cuddy helps to keep everything well balanced. So in my exerience, the 16' C-Dory can take a lot of weight but it needs to be positioned properly.

Al

[do dawdle]

[dotnmarty]

I too have asked questions about batteries on a 16 angler. I got good answers but much of it I still don't understand. So, for what it's worth, here's what we have. We have two batteries located in the stern, on the starboard side. A Perko switch (All off, battery 1, both, battery 2) is within easy reach, where the starboard side meets the rear shelf. We use one battery on the outward bound trip and the other battery heading back to the ramp, never both. Each battery has it's own waterproof charger which we use only when the boat is stored on the trailer for a long time. When the chargers are being used the Perko switch is turned to "All off". The bilge pump float is wired directly to a battery. If we had one of those computerized bilge pumps it would have an inline fuse which we would remove when the boat is stored on the trailer.
Again, I certainly don't know anything about the technical stuff, but this set up works well for us.

[do dawdle]

[do dawdle]

[thataway]

Always power the bilge pump off the larger battery. If you go with an U 1 battery the pump could run it down and then you are in a pickle.

There is not that much weight difference between a U1 or a Group 31 battery--that would make any difference in the way your boat handles.

I have used a U1 or PWC battery as a primary battery on inflatable tenders with 9.9 to 25 hp--and they are adequate to start these engines and run simple electronics like sonar. However, I used an AGM small battery because of size, and where the battery had to be located. If given a choice, I always would go with the larger battery. If you run a battery down to less than 12.2 volts you will shorten its life span. (Although I moniter my batteries, it is not necessary in a 16 with simple uses. on the other hand a simple volt meter will tell a lot of informaton.

[nuipukawai]

just a comment/clarification do dawd- if your total electrical draw is 2 amps, and your charging system output is 3 amps, your net battery charging ability is 1 amp. Your charging system doesn't care whether you're sticking that 1 amp in an 8D (huge) battery or a U1 (lawnmower) battery, or your current (probably Group 24) battery. I'm big on keeping boating simple, though do-dads a gee-gaws are fun to play with. And I believe redundancy is worth pursuing as long as you don't go nuts with it. Do you have a hand crank on your vehicle if the battery dies? A voltmeter- reading volts, not those percentage meters- is a wonderful thing if you know how to read it, which is pretty simple. Aloha, Steve.

[jerry97230]

You might think about a small solar panel on the roof.
It probably would not handle the entire load, but would slow the discharge down.
Depending on the size of the panel, it could handle all of the load.

Jerry

[do dawdle]