Wiring / Voltage

Don S/V ILLusion · Feb 4, 2015

Only if you want to buy all new electronics. Everything you mention cannot tolerate higher voltages. You could install a step-down transformer to feed all your 12v devices but unless you have the expertise to build one to avoid the expense of purchasing all the apertanent switching system, doing what you propose is impractical.

ALNims · Feb 4, 2015

Re: Wiring / Voltage question

Your best bet would be to buy a new set of batteries whose sole purpose is for the trolling motor. Don S/V ILLusion is 100% correct in his assessment.

Benny17441 · Feb 4, 2015

There is one solution by utilizing just a single battery for the 12V circuits and then connecting on the two batteries in series for a separate 24V circuit. Connect the batteries as follow;

Positive (+) of battery#1 to negative (-) of battery #2

Connect 12V circuit (+) lead to positive of battery #1 and Negative lead of 12V circuit to (-) terminal of same battery #1

Then connect the 24V circuit positive lead (+) to positive of battery #1 and the negative lead to negative of battery #2.

The end result is that you will have two separate circuits; one will be your existing to handle all the 12V instruments and fixtures from battery #1 and a second separate circuit dedicated to the motor using both battery 1 and 2 in series for 24 V. You must understand that your house 12V circuit will now only have half of the storage capacity it had previously plus will be asked to provide additional power to combine with battery #2 to supply the 24V power to the motor. You will have to perform an energy budget on how long you will have to run the motor and for how long you would need to run lights and electronics. If you wanted to retain your original storage capacity you could add a third battery #3 connected in parallel with battery #1.

LloydB · Feb 4, 2015

Although it would be possible to connect the batteries in series to make 24V for the motor and then tap off only one of the batteries for the 12V circuit it would cause unbalanced load on both batteries during use and recharge and cause early demise. ALNims suggestion looks best to me. A step down transformer not so much.

weinie · Feb 4, 2015

why does one need a trolling motor on a sailboat?
If you're fishing, just roll out a touch of jib.
Otherwise, I'd say a small outboard would be much more reliable.

Sumner · Feb 4, 2015

nickamudd said:
Lloyd- Probably not the best set up in terms of longevity, no. Thanks everyone!

You also are going to need to come up with a solution to charge both of those batteries and there are some but also one more expense,

Sumner

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Sumner · Feb 4, 2015

nickamudd said:
I'm just planning on using it to get in and out of the slip. Don't have much use for an expensive outboard as we pretty much always have nice wind here, but I'm tired of sailing out of my slip - just too much work trying to to drift back into the dock/other boats.

A 12 volt 55 # motor won't have as much thrust as a 24 volt one will but it would sure make your life easier as far as the wiring and charging. I'm doing the final wiring on a 24 volt trolling motor for the Mac but also have another solar array charging it and want to do much more than just in and out of the slip, but if that was the case I'd go for a 12 volt one,

Sumner

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caguy · Feb 4, 2015

Weenie +1. I drag a lure all over Santa Monica Bay when I'm out and catch Bonito all of the time (when they are biting) under sail at 4-5 knots.
Where are you in MDR?

Stu Jackson · Feb 4, 2015

You might want to buy Charlie Wing's book about electrical systems on boats.

Benny17441 · Feb 4, 2015

Everything is a tradeoff, you get the dual availability of a 12V and a 24V circuits but will reduce the longevity of the dual circuit battery doing the heavy lifting. We were just discussing in another posting the fact that manufacturers do not know and cannot guarantee with any degree of certainty what the useful life will be for an individual battery. As long as the battery serving both circuits is not deeply discharged below 50% of capacity and is charged back to 100% after every use I would say that its chances of providing a long useful life could be as good as any.

rgranger · Feb 5, 2015

I've used a 55# 12V trolling motor on a Coronado 25 for exactly the purposes you mentioned. No problems at all.

jepomer · Feb 7, 2015

For casual use you might get away with tapping 12 volts off the 24 volt set. If your charger attaches to each individual battery, it should keep the charge balanced. I have done this in the past when the 12 volt loads were low.

But the trolling motor will at some point draw the 24 volt system down so low, none of the 12 volt devices will get enough energy to function.

I have a separate 12 volt true deep-cycle battery sized for the electronics in addition to the set of four GC2 batteries providing 24 volts to a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 electric outboard.

Since the boat is on a mooring, all batteries are recharged using solar panels. I go out once or twice a week and this works for me.

Wiring / Voltage

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