®
Winter 2022
F
ighting gale force winds and strong river current
depleted my 36-volt trolling motor batteries by
mid-day, and despite being on winning fish, my day was done. Instead of a winning payday, at tournament’s
end, I made enough cash to retrofit my boat with a new
charging system and bigger batteries with more reserve
capacity, so I would never fail again.
Boats built a decade ago are factory-wired for
profit margins, not designed to handle CIA-level modern
electronics.
We expect too much out of our
boat’s wiring, and worse yet we are too
scared to fix the problem. Whatever fear
is keeping you from getting the electrical
performance you need, maybe this
article will help you overcome.
I recently took the plunge and
retrofitted my 2008 Ranger Z20 wiring
and battery system after much study
and deliberation. My project may
not fit your specific needs but follow
my journey and learn how to get the
electrical performance you want and
need.
My demands on battery juice
include aerators, navigation and
courtesy lights, NMEA 2000 network,
multiple big screen fishfinders with quad
processors and ethernet network to
share waypoints, charts, and transducers, 3D Structure Scan transducer and software module, Active Target (live sonar) transducer and module, Point-1 Heading Sensor, four digital iCommand gauges, multiple fluid level and temperature sensors, 36v Ghost electric motor with autopilot, and even a YoloTEC power pole powering a GoPro camera all day. Add an underwater camera, phone charging and music, streaming football games on my HDS units, WIFI, Bluetooth, and more.
Size and ratings that should be considered
when choosing a starting battery
page 35