Wiring kicker

K

KV1

Active Member
Hi all.
Read a few posts on here and there are a lot of opinions out there so I am looking for another one I guess. Currently have main engine wired in through battery switch (1,2,both). Added kicker with charging circuit. Can I just hook up kicker direct to house battery to keep it charged?

Where should battery switch be set to when starting and warming up kicker when main is still on. Have read a lot of opinions but wonder which is the correct answer. I can see having main on "starting" battery or lets call it #1 and kicker directly wired to# 2 or "house" while running. When ready to fish fire up the kicker and then after warming up shutting down the main and switching to #2 with kicker running. Does this make sense? Seems to be some discussion as to "frying" stators when having both running.

Would the best way to do it is have a separate battery switch for the few bucks its worth just for the kicker and in that case how would you start and run with this setup. Might be too complex of a question.

Great Forum by the way.
 
I wonder if they have heard of not running both engines at same time while warming up and if so what ideas they have to alleviate this problem. Have heard of this RCA they are talking about but dont want to rewire the whole system.
 
Lots of boats have two engines running at the same time. The alternators on each engine should have diodes that would prevent current from "backing up" and frying either alternator. Anyone here have twins? How are they wired through your battery switch?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Glad to see its "sparking" some interest. What position would you put your battery switch upon starting your main if starting is #1 battery? Then when you decide to start your kicker would you leave your battery switch on #1 or switch to #2 that being your house battery and the battery your kicker is hard wired to. I think these are valid questions. I would be curious to see if there is a diode on the charging circuit but I would assume there must be. I hooked it all up kicker to house battery #2 and left everything else as is and it seems to work have not fried anything but have read that it is possible. Now to add the riggers to the mix would you run those straight to house or to the bus? Seems better to the bus as the battery terminals are getting loaded up.
 
Blue Sea 'Add a Battery' system does all the thinking for you. You designate a starting battery and a house battery, it directs any charging input to both batteries but only permits accessory loads to be discharged from the house battery. All accessory circuits come from the house battery via their switch/relay system, riggers included. It's a lot cleaner to mount a fuse block at stern for riggers and auto bilge pump, then another at helm for electronics, lights, manual bilge, horn, wipers, pump etc. Saves a lot of wiring runs.
 
Third recommendation for the Add a Battery (aka Automatic Charge Relay). I'd not have a boat without it. No more fiddling with the MBSS and forgetting to switch it off the Both setting (ahem...). Since installing, no more dead batteries and charging issues.
 
Seems like everyone is going to the "BLUE SEA SYSTEM". For the money I suppose its not a bad idea. Thanks for the input. I already have a fuse block up front for all accessories and a master breaker and fuse block in the back with a battery switch. I am going to leave it for now until I get bored. Same question though scottys to aux battery direct? Kicker to aux battery direct?.......for now. I think it should all work as long as you remember to switch before and after you get started. I should mention I always top up the battery's before going out with a on board battery marine charger.
 
KV1 said:
Seems like everyone is going to the "BLUE SEA SYSTEM". For the money I suppose its not a bad idea. Thanks for the input. I already have a fuse block up front for all accessories and a master breaker and fuse block in the back with a battery switch. I am going to leave it for now until I get bored. Same question though scottys to aux battery direct? Kicker to aux battery direct?.......for now. I think it should all work as long as you remember to switch before and after you get started. I should mention I always top up the battery's before going out with a on board battery marine charger.
Click to expand...

I have a 21' Campion with 2 batteries and the 1-2-both switch. Have a 8HP Yamaha hooked up to the start battery. The Scotties are hooked up to the house battery.
I don't have much house load other than lights and electronics. We run on both all day long and then I turn the switch to 2 if docked or anchored for the night. We fish for 10 or 12 hours and the Yamaha keeps the batteries full up with lots of downrigger use and GPS/fish finder running. I also monitor battery voltage on my Chartplotter so I can see if the voltage is dropping . I have used a small invertor to run a laptop and that really drains batteries fast. This has worked great for 8 years. Changed both batteries after 5 years to 2 identical Interstate start batteries.

One thing with the switch though is many times I forget to switch back from 2 in the morning so running on 1 battery until I wake up and remember.
I think the new boat will have the Blue Sea System. Is only $150 and then you wont forget.
 
My kicker is wired to it's own battery independent of all other wiring except the down riggers. If one battery should go flat I can jump it to the other with cables. Simple, cheap and easy to wire.
 
For a minute I wondered why you would have the kicker hooked up to start battery but then I remembered I have a pull start so I am assuming yours is electric start so that would make sense. Run it on both, that's interesting as everything I have read says never to do that just in case one battery is discharged the full battery will try to "charge" the dead one and then your left with two dead ones if your running gear,electronics and such. But 8 years is a pretty good track record. I just start on 1 (main) run out then switch to 2 (house) pull the kicker to start and leave it there and shut down main. Just about to add riggers to house but all I have on "start" battery is main outboard. I guess the only reason you would be left with dead batteries was if your kicker was not putting out and you were resetting rods every few minutes from 200 feet and running the c d player.
 
I'm in the process of wiring in a mini add battery from Bluesea and there is an excellent wiring diagrams @ http://catalog.bluesea.com/#124 Pretty much explains everything that you need to know for a variety of installations. Just take your time and use good quality marine grade materiel during the install.
 
Before I installed the add a battery mini, I had my electric start kicker and all auxiliary stuff (incl downriggers) connected only to the kicker start battery. Main was on its own battery, no other loads. Worked fine whilst trolling, not as good for drifting or bottom fishing on the hook.
 
Running twins with a kicker. Port engine AGM 31 battery, Starboard the same setup AGM 31. Both port and starboard are wired to the house battery pair six volt deep cycle via a blue seas ACR. Anyone of the three engines charges the starts and house batteries. All three banks have their own on off both switches. Never had an issue with the electronics killing the start batteries or vice versa.
 
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