Boat battery set-up

[Pulleye16]

I've been running three batteries in my boat: 1)main motor 2)House (radio, depth finder, electronics) 3) trolling motor.

Going to two batteries, should I go:
option 1: 1) main motor 2) house and trolling motor

or

option 2: 1) main motor and house 2) trolling motor

Thinking option two as I've been told to leave trolling motor and depth finder off different batteries but maybe that was old school thinking...but option one would save my main motor from dying quicker running radio and depth finder off my trolling motor. 

and no, I don't think I'm keeping three batteries as my boat really is not set-up for it and it's a pain...and expensive

[glenn57]

i run 2 batteries also........but really no rhyme or reason how i hook them up.  i have a trolling motor but its seldom used. dont have a radio...i usually sing myself!!!! i always put chargers on it every night when i use it!!!!!!!

usually hook up my locator with the accesories battery along with the live well, and bilge pump. i have an achor mate also hooked to that. i hook the trolling motor to the motor battery. 

guess it depends in your case how often the trolling motor gets used??? 

[LPS]

Trolling motors suck so much juice I think I would keep that separate.  Your alternator may keep up with the locator.  Mine does.

[Gunner55]

Trolling motors can often cause interference with your electronics, so most people run those off the starting battery. We have a 2002 Yamaha 115 4 stroke & the owner's manual says that has a 30-amp alternator on it which easily keeps that battery charged up. We have 2 of the biggest 12-volt deep cycle, 27 series(?), that will fit up front hooked up in series for our 24-volt trolling motor along with an onboard charger & that is all. We do have a graph on the bow but that doesn't get used a lot & another on the dash. I just looked a week or so ago & our starting battery is almost 6 years old. When the boat goes on the lift a charger is always put on the TM batteries & they are normally about 3/4 of the way charge up before I put the charger on them.

[Bobberineyes]

As does the main battery, maybe it's just our set up but everytime we fire up the motor to move the dash graph goes blank, comes back on right away but just doesn't seem right. The front battery runs nothing but the trolling motor with the in board charger.

[glenn57]

As does the main battery, maybe it's just our set up but everytime we fire up the motor to move the dash graph goes blank, comes back on right away but just doesn't seem right. The front battery runs nothing but the trolling motor with the in board charger.

probably to much sheepie slime? 

[mike89]

 

[LPS]

As does the main battery, maybe it's just our set up but everytime we fire up the motor to move the dash graph goes blank, comes back on right away but just doesn't seem right. The front battery runs nothing but the trolling motor with the in board charger.

That shouldn't happen.  It is like the power is cut to your locator when you turn the key to your ignition.  Your power to the locator is coming from the power running to the key.  Find another straight run to the battery for the locator.  With a fuse of course. 

[Gunner55]

  Might just be a bad or corroded ground. We always clean the connections & use some of the dielectric grease when we hook our boat batteries back up.  I always keep a small tube in the boat's toolbox too.