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Questionable Wiring on a used (newly purchased) 2011 212x

Soapstop

Jet Boat Lover
Messages
12
Reaction score
2
Points
72
Location
Camrose, Alberta
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2011
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
So, bought a 212x (yahoowee!) that had 9 hours on it. Love the boat. Can finally belong to this forum with actual street cred now, lol. However, after the first couple of runs, battery was dead. Chalked it up to old battery, but when I was hooking the new battery up, missed hooking up one of the cables that lead o the capacitor that was installed aftermarket on this boat. So, stereo wasn't working, but new battery had no issues with the next number of runs we took her on. Then I started digging into why the stereo had stopped working noticed the cable not connected, connected it, stereo worked. But in following the cable routing, noticed the capacitor was hooked directly to the starter battery ( the only battery this boat has, it didn't come with a two battery system) , and was not wired through the master boat disconnect switch or starter switch.
So, first off, would the capacitor drain a battery fairly quickly, or weaken an older battery?
Is this a very good idea at all, having the capacitor go direct to the battery?
FYI, the boat has a couple of modest tower speakers, and a sub, and has 3 alpine amps.
Next, I've read on this forum that it is better to forgo the capacitor idea and just add more batteries. Would this be good in my case? Next ( and this is where it gets really stupid), I assume there is some sort of alternator style charging system on boats, yes? Can I also assume a separate battery for stereo can be charged through this while underway, or can the alternator like unit not handle more than one battery usually.

Sorry for so many questions, my brain has been hurting with all the stored up confusion this new hobby of mine has created :) .
Thanks in advance,
Soapy
 
They probably wired the capacitor on the battery side of the switch to keep the presets on the stereo alive....just a guess.

I'd add a battery and install a battery switch with an ACR (automatic charging relay), and then, depending on your stereo usage, also add an onboard dual bank charger. The ACR allows the stators (think alternator) on the engines to charge the start battery first, then charge the house battery.

And congratulations and WELCOME!
 
Thanks for the welcome and quick reply Julian. A follow up question to your response is, what is a dual bank charger, and is this for shore power charging or....? My boat has no access to shore power. Not likely ever. Dock is 160' long and is only half way out to our boat lift. Yup, we of the "shallow for longer than we would like" variety of boaters.

Soapy
 
In high peak power car systems capcitors or caps absorb energy over a period of time and then release it very quickly when needed. Cars have alternators that are able to deliver power in excess of what the batterries will absorb. On Yamaha jet boats we have stators which are very weak compared to alternators. The cap just does not have any benefit in our boats but does have down sides.

I would recommend ditching the cap and going with a dual battery setup. An agm type for the second battery given your use case would be best.

I have seen at least one slick solar charging setup on this site using a large battery tender brand that has a built in charge controller. It was mounted to a piece of seaboard and just hung on the tow point of the tower when the boat was not in use to charge the batteries.
 
Thanks Mainah. I am leaning that way, going with what Julian was saying about an ACR and special battery switch. Blue Sea Systems has an "add-a-battery kit" that looks like it is designed for what I need. Anybody know what kind of amps the rotors put out on the 160 hp motors in 2011? As for the solar battery charging system, sounds interesting. Maybe when the boat is on the hard, that would be a project looking into so that next season is a bit more fun. :)

Soapy
 
Yes, ditch the capacitor ASAP. It's okay for a daily driver but bad for a boat in consideration of long term storage. The capacitor will eventually be a liability to your charging system on a boat specifically. And in the meantime it adds nothing of value in this case.
Typically Yamahas have a 28 amp charging capacity and about half that is required to run the boat operations, ignition, etc.
Having more battery capacity than you can recharge is a waste and can be especially problematic as battery degradation occurs. Not having AC power for shore charging doesn't give you much restoration ability because it is hard to burn enough gas to restore batteries on the return trip from a long stay at rest playing the stereo.
Based on the size and access to sunlight, a solar panel can be a great maintainer but usually isn't much of a recharger.
The place to begin is with a battery in good condition. Next, establish what your usage habits will be. Then, measure voltage when a) you head out for the day, b) leave the 'at rest' location, and c) as you return the boat to the trailer. From there, based on your voltage readings, you will form a profile and establish what your limitations are.
 
D.A.:
Thanks for the advice, very helpful. Now, regarding the "forming a profile" part, if you were talking to a person of reasonable intellect or hard won experience, this would be good stuff. Sadly , I erred in providing full disclosure of my capabilities. To be precise: nada, zilch, none, zero. :) Measure voltage? Umm, with a multimeter? And if so, what would the numbers tell me? What would "normal" be, and "heavy draw" be?
In regards to heavy recharging, I'm pretty much resigned to pulling batteries in off the boat, and hooking them up to the battery tender (Noco Genius 20 amp dual bank) located in my shed. I have three batteries for this purpose, but will be buying one more and getting it wired in the way it was suggested in Julian's post. Just not sure how to tell from a multimeter what is charged and what is discharged.

Soapy
 
I do have a buddy that is handy with this stuff. He may even be able to help wire in the second battery and ACR and Switch too! :)

Soapy
 
D.A.:
Thanks for the advice, very helpful. Now, regarding the "forming a profile" part, if you were talking to a person of reasonable intellect or hard won experience, this would be good stuff. Sadly , I erred in providing full disclosure of my capabilities. To be precise: nada, zilch, none, zero. :) Measure voltage? Umm, with a multimeter? And if so, what would the numbers tell me? What would "normal" be, and "heavy draw" be?
In regards to heavy recharging, I'm pretty much resigned to pulling batteries in off the boat, and hooking them up to the battery tender (Noco Genius 20 amp dual bank) located in my shed. I have three batteries for this purpose, but will be buying one more and getting it wired in the way it was suggested in Julian's post. Just not sure how to tell from a multimeter what is charged and what is discharged.

Soapy

I hate to read that you will have to go to the extra trouble of transporting your batteries for charging, however, that solves most of your problem.
Yes, a $15 multimeter will do. So here are your numbers.
A new and fully charged battery, once the artificial and elevated charging voltage has dissipated, will have a voltage reading of 12.7 volts. Just a touch more on an AGM battery. And a bit less (12.5V) on an aging but still good battery. You want to start the day with no less than this voltage. And after you have returned home and the charging voltage has dissipated, you want to be at the same level, which would indicate how well the boat charging system is doing its job. However, in this second scenario, if you have a means of immediate shore charging, then a full charge isn't so crucial. After a long stay at rest, playing the stereo or using instrumentation, a deep cycle battery should never be discharged below 50% or 12.0 volts. Less of a charge means you do not have enough battery capacity.
As mentioned previously, having more battery capacity than you can service is counterproductive and invites more problems. But having a shore charging option pretty much resolves this.


Let me know if you don't like the above numbers and I can make up some different ones for you.
 
D.A.:
Wow, thanks so much for the trouble taken for the specific numbers. Very much appreciated. This, yes this even I can follow. Lol, yeah, those numbers will be just fine. :) Will be heading out in a couple of days for a week on the lake to do some testing. Thanks all. Fortified with likely misplaced confidence in my abilities, but a steely resolve and great forum guidance, oh, and a multimeter, I shall stride........or wade, in this case, in to the shallow blue/green waters, and ply my craft......literally. Will let everyone know how it goes.

Soapy
 
Also turn off your battery when not using the boat. My 2012 212x the depth sounder is constantly pinging when the battery switch is on.
 
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