www.iFourWinns.com

I am adding a second battery to my 1998 Horizon Sunsport RS. I am going to use the Blue Sea add a battery system with ACR. I bought 2 new batteries.

I am looking for some bus terminals big enough to handle the lugs for 2 gauge wire. Need to have space for 4 lugs. Anyone have any suggestions?

This is all in preparation for adding a subwoofer and some amps, speakers, head unit. I am thinking of cutting a hole in the large flat space under the passenger glove box/cooler to mount a 12" sub which would fire back in towards the back of the boat.

Does anyone have any input here?

Anyone see any problems with that location or can recommend a better location?

I would not use the ARC system. For many reasons and I can go into it if you want.

Just buy a dual battery switch and alternate between the 2 batterys when you use the boat. I would also add a combiner. The combiner will charge both batteries, no matter which battery the switch is set to.

The cost vs the ARC system would be lees with out the combiner and a little more with it.
Link to combiner === http://www.yandina.com/c100InfoR3.htm

As to buss connection, this may help. http://www.defender.com/category.jsp?pa ... &id=299259 AND THIS http://www.defender.com/category.jsp?pa ... &id=299258

This. Cheap battery switch and combiner. Always keeps the 2nd battery charged and ready when you need to make the switch if you ran your primary dead from blasting the radio all day while the engine is off. That add a battery system won't accomplish any of that, it's a poor mans isolator for old boats.

_________________
1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

I already bought the ACR system, and I intend to use it. Given this was already purchased on lots of good feedback from other owners, I am curious why you are against it.

My understanding is it lets you keep your house battery separate from your starting battery. All of your accessories will be hooked into your house and only your starter will be serviced by the starting battery. My understanding is both batteries will be charged. You only want to set the switch to combine if your starting battery dies ( should not happen from normal use or from running accessories since they are on the house battery). So you can tap the house for starting purposes in an emergency. There is a ton of positive feedback about this setup, which is why I purchased over a year ago. Just getting around to setting it up.

Regardless, it's much better than what I have now, which is a single small battery to handle everything. Now I'll have a starting marine battery and a group 29 deep cycle marine battery for everything except starting.

Thanks for the info!

The add-a-battery either goes to battery A, or Battery A+B combined. In a bowrider situation where if you have a battery dead or short circuit you need the ability to switch to just A or just B or A+B if both are weak to start. Like this http://bluesea.com/products/9001e with this to charge both when under power but keeps them separate when engine is off so even though you have battery A selected it doesn't drain B through the charging circuit. http://www.yandina.com/c100InfoR3.htm

The yandina equipment keeps the need from switching to A+B as on most OEM dual battery setups to charge both. It makes it error proof. You always have two charged batteries so if your main one fails, you have another ready to go.

_________________
1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

OK. Thanks for explaining. For my understanding... does the ACR system not charge both batteries when set to "A" (ON)? If A dies, then I can just switch to combine to tap the house battery for starting. I am just trying to understand the differences in setup. Seems like the option you are talking about just allows you to switch to either A or B as well as both. Unless I am not seeing something, if they both charge both batteries all of the time....

I think I see what you are saying... if battery A dies completely and is not just weak... using the combine setting with the ACR setup will not work for starting even if the house battery is fresh? Is this correct?

Thank you!

In that situation it will work. Most people don't like it because they don't like running power draw on their A (starting) battery. If you plan on drawing lots of power for hours (radio, lights) while engine off you can put a large deep cycle on B and switch the boat to use that. You can drain that sucker dead if you wish cause your starting battery is fully charged untouched. With that Add-A-Battery you only get the choice of A (starting) or A+B. Meaning you still need to watch your power draw cause no matter what you do you're draining power needed to start the boat. Might as well not even add in a switch and just strap a 2nd battery to the 1st and wire em in parallel with 1ft wires (with a fuse of course).

If all you're looking for is battery power for stating in emergency, just buy a jump start box.

_________________
1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread