H23 Battery Charging from Outboard

[carboman]

The previous owner had run a two wire cable from the battery compartment to the area under the cockpit and would plug the outboard's charging circuit into that cable.

What I am asking is did Hunter do anything like this at the factory? I think the owner just wired it straight to the battery. I am pretty sure I have it hooked up right, but can't read 12vdc at the cable's connector running from what I think is the battery, when the main battery switch is on. May need to trace it out.

 

[MrUnix]

AFAIK, the 5hp 2-stroke engines that came with the H23 did not have a charging circuit, so I doubt it's factory installed.. no telling what the P.O. did, so I guess it's time to grab your meter and start tracing!

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Jon Bastien]

Wires in cockpit

Carboman,

Many moons ago, I had an H23 and I used a trolling motor to get it from the launch ramp or slip to open water. The wires running to the engine mount area could be a previous owner's attempt to power a trolling motor from the house battery, rather than have wires running over the transom.

I agree with MrUnix- small outboards (like those used to power the H23) generally won't have a battery charging circuit.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Many 5 hp offer a small charging accessory what I call a lighting kit as it can run the running lights but really does not charge the motor up. When you get into the larger engines for example the 8, 9 or 9.9 hp engines with electric start, then you can push the button to start the engine and once it is running, it will then recharge the battery or batteries. In the event of a two battery with battery selector, never change the setting on the battery selector or you can destroy the alternator in the engine.

Most wiring is color coded black and red with black being ground or negative while red is postive/hot. Please do not confuse this with shore power as that is a different animal all together. Some wires are black an black/white strip color. The black and white wire is the postive/hot wire coming off the engine. That at least should tell you what you are looking at.

When wiring to the battery or batteries it is most important to wire up correctly. You can simply look at the battery to determine the ground and hot./positive terminals. Then you can trace them back to the transom area to see how they were connected to the engine. If unsure what they were for, then for safety, remove the wires.

The easiest connection I have found for connecting wires from the battery to the engine wires is using the two prong or the three prong trolling motor connectors as they are readibly accessible. They can carry the current when starting the motor for example 20-22 amps thru the connector and while the motor is charging the battery which of course is less anywhere from 4 to 8 amps depending on the engine.

As for cable size from the battery to the connector, I always used black and red cabling to keep consistency in color using either # 8 or #6 battery cable. Small wires will eventually burn up as much current draw is going thru the smaller wires when starting the engine; thus, the safety in larger cabling is highly suggested.

Appx. 10-15 years ago, the marine industy went to yellow wiring for DC ground as many were confused by the black wire for shore power which is the hot lead. So if you see yellow, it should be DC ground but to be safe, always check what it is coming from and going to. Hope this helps.

crazy dave condon

 

[carboman]

I keep saying it's a wonder the PO didn't kill himself on this boat either by sinking or drowning, but now I will add electrical/boat fire. Did some tracing and have found where he spiced 14awg into some 8 awg then ran the 8awg up in to the switch panel. Butt splices I'm sure. 12 or 14awg from the battery to the 8awg spice then to the switch panel. Could not make much sense of why my meter was pegging out but looks like the switches have been seriously farged with. I am rewiring from the battery to the switch panel, then to the outboard for charging.

I can keep the original panel, but would like to hear what others have done to replace theirs. Blue Sea maybe?

 

[MrUnix]

My vote is still with Kermits panel.. here is a thread discussing the H23 electrical panel: http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=135075

Cheers,
Brad

 

[carboman]

Got most of it figured out. Bought some 8 awg marine wire, ancor. I am wondering if it is better to connect the outboard charging circuit directly to the battery, or run it through the main switch. I only have one battery and a single blue sea 0744 switch.

I am pretty sure I am going to fuse the circuits separately, being one 10 amp for the house and running lights and one 10 amp for the outboard charging circuit. I have converted all of the lights to LED so power is reduced big time.

Thanks!

 

[isaksp00]

My H23 with Honda 8HP has the charging cable routed through a stainless fitting in the transom. Wires go directly to battery, not through the panel. There's an inline fuse holder (I upgraded to a rubber waterproof type) fairly near the positive terminal of the battery, say 4 or 5 inches of wire length.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

For quick disconnects for the larger wires on the 8, 9.9 and 10 hp, an easy connector is the stlye used for trolling motors. I did this for years and it will carry the current for charging from the battery to motor just fine. Get the two prong vs. three prong. Make sure you use either # 6 or 8 battery cable from plug to battery.

As for the charging unit in a 5 hp only as the wires are much smaller, I used the mast light deck connection for quick release but did install a small retaining chain with a hook so if it came off, it would not fall into the water and destroy the charging unit in the motor.

 

[Hugh Straub]

Outboard charging kit installation

Perhaps someone reading this thread will want to try installing a charging system in their small outboard. I just added one to my 2006 Honda 5 hp. Because the kit comes from Honda with no instructions, I posted the following on the Honda Outboard forum which describes the process I figured out. Here's a link:

http://www.hondapartsus.com/forum4/2006-5hp-charging-kit-installation-th2190.html


Kind Regards

Hugh

 

[Kermit]

PO added a charging system to the 2000 Johnson 6HP engine. I hated messing with the wires so I bought a $99 solar panel from West Marine. I keep it on top of the sliding hatch cover when we're not sailing and stow it under a cushion while we're sailing. Keeps my batter nicely-charged. Sorry, but I don't know the specs on the panel. It was the least-expensive panel West Marine had that would charge the battery and not just keep it topped off.

 

[twodzusfittings]

I installed a solar panel and charging kit on to one of the two batteries as a trickle charger. It keeps the battery well maintained and gives me peace of mind. Cost ended up being about $100. At the Annapolis boat show I looked into some neat solar powers panels from GANZe. Really thin, and very powerful. Cost will end up at about $150 for the panel. Thinking of doing it. Here is a picture of my current set up off the back of the stern railing, using two BBQ grill holders an d a peice of Azeek board.