Part 17a: Trolling motor install (electrical system)
Now for the big one: Not long after going to all that effort to replace cleats for a nice, smooth profile… I decided to mess it all up again. The more I heard about the new generation of GPS enabled, spot-lock trolling motors, the more jealous I got. Both in the Chesapeake and up in Indian River, much of the fishing is over tight spots of structure, bridge pilings, against rock piles, etc. Having the ability to simply hover right over any given spot seemed like an ability that was too good to pass up.
On a whim, I called Motortech in Suffolk, VA. I knew from internet scuttlebutt that these motors were pretty hard to come by, so I was wondering what kind of wait time I was looking at. Imagine my surprise when I was told they had 3 Minn Kota Riptide iPilot Terrova, 24V 80lb 60” shaft motors coming in by the end of the week, and one was still unspoken for. Taking that as a sign, I pulled the trigger and started planning.
The first debate was of course, where to put the batteries. My options, as I saw them, were: 1) in the console, forward under the hatch to the bench seat in front. Advantages: Easy access through bench seat; easy installation; more weight up forward. Disadvantages: more possibility of getting wet through the not-perfect bench seat lid seal; complete loss of space under the bench seat, which is the easiest to access storage on the boat. 2) In the console, as far aft as I can, butted up against the existing cranking/house batteries. Advantages: more protected; occupies less desirable storage space; leaves bench seat storage intact. Disadvantages: weight further aft (not by much); much more limited access; more difficult install. These were really my only two choices; the anchor locker was too small to fit the batteries, and there’s no room on deck for a portable battery box of some type. In the end, I chose option two, primarily due to storage space. The space towards the center/rear of the console is the tallest space, and I rarely need to store tall items. Therefore, by putting the batteries there, I would utilize space that wasn’t really super useful for anything else anyway. And, by building a platform of sorts over the batteries, I could protect them from damage and incidental terminal contact while at the same time regaining some useful space above the batteries.
Much like the original battery relocation to the console, I first installed a sheet of ½” Starboard in order to minimize the number of holes in the deck. The battery trays mount into the starboard. This is how I mounted my start and house batteries, and after a season of use they’re still rock solid. I just wish I had made the original Starboard deck mounting plate a LITTLE bit bigger. Oh well.
I chose the West Marine style battery trays for a couple reasons. One, I’ve used them in the past and they hold the batteries very securely. The upper frame, as opposed to just a cross member, provides a much more secure hold down surface. Two, I wanted the threaded metal rods that stick up on each end of each battery tray, to which the knobs that tighten down the top frame are attached More on why later. For batteries, I decided on GP27 AGM deep cycle batteries from Lifeline. Made in the USA, tested to MilSpec durability, very good reputation… and expensive to match. Oh well, this whole project is expensive, so why not.
When it came to the battery charger, I faced a conundrum. I have a total of 4 batteries to charge. Ideally, I wanted to use just one 4-bank charger. Well, the only reasonably affordable four-bank charger is made by NOCO. While I know they’re popular on here, I’ve had enough people warn me against using NOCO and have read enough poor reviews to want to shy away.
The next choice was Promariner, which I have used in the past and have great results with. However, they only have a three-bank charger in their Prosport line. It was suggested that I could use two banks for the trolling motor batteries and the remaining for the house battery, being that the start battery would be maintained in a charged state by my BEP switch ACR. I didn’t like this plan either: due to being away at work for long periods of time, the boat has a tendency to sit unused for awhile periodically. One of the main reasons I installed a battery charger was to keep the batteries on a trickle charge so as not to kill them. So, not having the ability to keep the cranking battery charged wasn’t going to work either.
The final choice: use two chargers. Some of you may remember that I installed a two-bank Prosport 20HD to charge the house and cranking batteries earlier in this project. As it turns out, the BEP switch does such a good job of battery management that a 20A charger is way overkill. However, 20A to recharge the TM batteries… that’s about exactly what I’d want. So, my solution was: leave the Prosport 20HD mounted where it was and rewire it to charge the TM batteries, and install a separate Prosport12HD to charge the house/cranking batteries. This also allows me to charge just the TM batteries, in the frequent case where the house/cranking batteries are fully charged by the outboard and don’t need it. Plus, the 12HD has Distributed On-Demand capability, which means that the total output of the charger is divided among the two batteries based on how much charge is needed, as opposed to other multi-bank chargers (including the NOCOs) where the total output is simply divided equally amongst the banks, regardless of charge state. This way, if there’s a situation where I have a discharged house battery and not enough of a transit home to charge it, most of the 12A will go to the house battery rather than the charged cranking battery.
Old battery charger, reworked to charge the TM batteries. Also the circuit breaker can be seen on the right:
New charger:
I used 2AWG wiring between the batteries and the circuit breaker, and 4AWG to and from the plug in the bow. For the breaker, I elected to use a Blue Sea 285 surface mount breaker, as opposed to the Minn Kota model. The primary reason for this is that the 285 is “switchable”, or has the ability to be opened manually. By pushing the little red button, the breaker will open, securing power to the circuit. This eliminates the need for an additional cut-off switch, streamlining the installation while also maintaining safety. The MK breakers do not have this ability, and therefore need a switch. The additional cost is minimal. I mounted the breaker on the panel at the back of the console, along with the other electrical components from the 12V system.
For the plug, I followed Warthog’s advice and used a Battery Tender trolling motor plug. The BT model has a few distinct advantages over the other plugs on the market. First, it uses an open lug cable attachment on the socket side, which means that larger 4AWG and 6AWG cables can be attached. Many of the other plugs have compression fittings that will not fit these cables. Second, the plug is secured into the socket via a screw knob, which makes it impossible for it to inadvertently come loose. It locks in tight and makes very good contact. I installed the plug in the forward bulkhead, up under the stbd side covering board. In this location it will be protected from spray and water splashes, and is out of sight when not in use. By being under the covering board, there’s also enough room to get a drill in there to use a hole saw to cut the mounting holes. Exposed wood was sealed with epoxy, screw holes filled and re-drilled, as per the usual.
Holes cut and sealed:
Plug installed:
Rear side of plug, showing cable attachment lugs:
By far the most aggravating part of this project was running the two 4AWG cables from the console up forward to the fuel tank access, then up the port side fuel chase and forward to the bow. Console to fuel tank wasn’t bad, but getting through that port side stringer and up the fuel fill chase was very difficult. I really don’t have any advice on this one; neither profanity nor prayer seemed to work any better in this situation. Best I can say is have a good strong wire fish tape, lots of patience, and a little alcohol probably wouldn’t hurt either. Lubricating the cables with dish soap seemed to help a little, and I used Gorilla tape to attach the wires to the fish tape so the connection was extra strong so I could pull on it pretty aggressively. If others have a better way, I’d be all ears. But it eventually got done. Cables were secured up under the covering boards with Weld Mount fasteners all the way to the plug on the forward bulkhead. Where the cables run over the top of the tank and up through the chase, spiral wrap was installed to prevent chafing.
Back into the console: remember the metal posts I wanted sticking out of the battery trays? Rather than building a box or a supported shelf over the batteries, I decided to simply cut a sheet of PVC lumber of the correct footprint. Then, I could use the threaded rods as support posts, and simply drop the PVC sheet down on top of them through holes in the PVC, and fasten it down with nuts and washers, creating a protective cover and a storage shelf over the batteries. I made a cutout for the electrical wiring and control cables going into the deck, and gave the edge a roundover using a router. It’s a bit tighter than I would like, as the boots that cover the electrical terminals stick up a bit further than anticipated and press on the board, so that it looks a bit warped. But, it works and restores a lot of the storage footprint that the batteries eat up.
Next up: Motor installation.
Now for the big one: Not long after going to all that effort to replace cleats for a nice, smooth profile… I decided to mess it all up again. The more I heard about the new generation of GPS enabled, spot-lock trolling motors, the more jealous I got. Both in the Chesapeake and up in Indian River, much of the fishing is over tight spots of structure, bridge pilings, against rock piles, etc. Having the ability to simply hover right over any given spot seemed like an ability that was too good to pass up.
On a whim, I called Motortech in Suffolk, VA. I knew from internet scuttlebutt that these motors were pretty hard to come by, so I was wondering what kind of wait time I was looking at. Imagine my surprise when I was told they had 3 Minn Kota Riptide iPilot Terrova, 24V 80lb 60” shaft motors coming in by the end of the week, and one was still unspoken for. Taking that as a sign, I pulled the trigger and started planning.
The first debate was of course, where to put the batteries. My options, as I saw them, were: 1) in the console, forward under the hatch to the bench seat in front. Advantages: Easy access through bench seat; easy installation; more weight up forward. Disadvantages: more possibility of getting wet through the not-perfect bench seat lid seal; complete loss of space under the bench seat, which is the easiest to access storage on the boat. 2) In the console, as far aft as I can, butted up against the existing cranking/house batteries. Advantages: more protected; occupies less desirable storage space; leaves bench seat storage intact. Disadvantages: weight further aft (not by much); much more limited access; more difficult install. These were really my only two choices; the anchor locker was too small to fit the batteries, and there’s no room on deck for a portable battery box of some type. In the end, I chose option two, primarily due to storage space. The space towards the center/rear of the console is the tallest space, and I rarely need to store tall items. Therefore, by putting the batteries there, I would utilize space that wasn’t really super useful for anything else anyway. And, by building a platform of sorts over the batteries, I could protect them from damage and incidental terminal contact while at the same time regaining some useful space above the batteries.
Much like the original battery relocation to the console, I first installed a sheet of ½” Starboard in order to minimize the number of holes in the deck. The battery trays mount into the starboard. This is how I mounted my start and house batteries, and after a season of use they’re still rock solid. I just wish I had made the original Starboard deck mounting plate a LITTLE bit bigger. Oh well.
I chose the West Marine style battery trays for a couple reasons. One, I’ve used them in the past and they hold the batteries very securely. The upper frame, as opposed to just a cross member, provides a much more secure hold down surface. Two, I wanted the threaded metal rods that stick up on each end of each battery tray, to which the knobs that tighten down the top frame are attached More on why later. For batteries, I decided on GP27 AGM deep cycle batteries from Lifeline. Made in the USA, tested to MilSpec durability, very good reputation… and expensive to match. Oh well, this whole project is expensive, so why not.
When it came to the battery charger, I faced a conundrum. I have a total of 4 batteries to charge. Ideally, I wanted to use just one 4-bank charger. Well, the only reasonably affordable four-bank charger is made by NOCO. While I know they’re popular on here, I’ve had enough people warn me against using NOCO and have read enough poor reviews to want to shy away.
The next choice was Promariner, which I have used in the past and have great results with. However, they only have a three-bank charger in their Prosport line. It was suggested that I could use two banks for the trolling motor batteries and the remaining for the house battery, being that the start battery would be maintained in a charged state by my BEP switch ACR. I didn’t like this plan either: due to being away at work for long periods of time, the boat has a tendency to sit unused for awhile periodically. One of the main reasons I installed a battery charger was to keep the batteries on a trickle charge so as not to kill them. So, not having the ability to keep the cranking battery charged wasn’t going to work either.
The final choice: use two chargers. Some of you may remember that I installed a two-bank Prosport 20HD to charge the house and cranking batteries earlier in this project. As it turns out, the BEP switch does such a good job of battery management that a 20A charger is way overkill. However, 20A to recharge the TM batteries… that’s about exactly what I’d want. So, my solution was: leave the Prosport 20HD mounted where it was and rewire it to charge the TM batteries, and install a separate Prosport12HD to charge the house/cranking batteries. This also allows me to charge just the TM batteries, in the frequent case where the house/cranking batteries are fully charged by the outboard and don’t need it. Plus, the 12HD has Distributed On-Demand capability, which means that the total output of the charger is divided among the two batteries based on how much charge is needed, as opposed to other multi-bank chargers (including the NOCOs) where the total output is simply divided equally amongst the banks, regardless of charge state. This way, if there’s a situation where I have a discharged house battery and not enough of a transit home to charge it, most of the 12A will go to the house battery rather than the charged cranking battery.
Old battery charger, reworked to charge the TM batteries. Also the circuit breaker can be seen on the right:
New charger:
I used 2AWG wiring between the batteries and the circuit breaker, and 4AWG to and from the plug in the bow. For the breaker, I elected to use a Blue Sea 285 surface mount breaker, as opposed to the Minn Kota model. The primary reason for this is that the 285 is “switchable”, or has the ability to be opened manually. By pushing the little red button, the breaker will open, securing power to the circuit. This eliminates the need for an additional cut-off switch, streamlining the installation while also maintaining safety. The MK breakers do not have this ability, and therefore need a switch. The additional cost is minimal. I mounted the breaker on the panel at the back of the console, along with the other electrical components from the 12V system.
For the plug, I followed Warthog’s advice and used a Battery Tender trolling motor plug. The BT model has a few distinct advantages over the other plugs on the market. First, it uses an open lug cable attachment on the socket side, which means that larger 4AWG and 6AWG cables can be attached. Many of the other plugs have compression fittings that will not fit these cables. Second, the plug is secured into the socket via a screw knob, which makes it impossible for it to inadvertently come loose. It locks in tight and makes very good contact. I installed the plug in the forward bulkhead, up under the stbd side covering board. In this location it will be protected from spray and water splashes, and is out of sight when not in use. By being under the covering board, there’s also enough room to get a drill in there to use a hole saw to cut the mounting holes. Exposed wood was sealed with epoxy, screw holes filled and re-drilled, as per the usual.
Holes cut and sealed:
Plug installed:
Rear side of plug, showing cable attachment lugs:
By far the most aggravating part of this project was running the two 4AWG cables from the console up forward to the fuel tank access, then up the port side fuel chase and forward to the bow. Console to fuel tank wasn’t bad, but getting through that port side stringer and up the fuel fill chase was very difficult. I really don’t have any advice on this one; neither profanity nor prayer seemed to work any better in this situation. Best I can say is have a good strong wire fish tape, lots of patience, and a little alcohol probably wouldn’t hurt either. Lubricating the cables with dish soap seemed to help a little, and I used Gorilla tape to attach the wires to the fish tape so the connection was extra strong so I could pull on it pretty aggressively. If others have a better way, I’d be all ears. But it eventually got done. Cables were secured up under the covering boards with Weld Mount fasteners all the way to the plug on the forward bulkhead. Where the cables run over the top of the tank and up through the chase, spiral wrap was installed to prevent chafing.
Back into the console: remember the metal posts I wanted sticking out of the battery trays? Rather than building a box or a supported shelf over the batteries, I decided to simply cut a sheet of PVC lumber of the correct footprint. Then, I could use the threaded rods as support posts, and simply drop the PVC sheet down on top of them through holes in the PVC, and fasten it down with nuts and washers, creating a protective cover and a storage shelf over the batteries. I made a cutout for the electrical wiring and control cables going into the deck, and gave the edge a roundover using a router. It’s a bit tighter than I would like, as the boots that cover the electrical terminals stick up a bit further than anticipated and press on the board, so that it looks a bit warped. But, it works and restores a lot of the storage footprint that the batteries eat up.
Next up: Motor installation.
Install post here: 
