Second Battery in Utopia 205

[KlineS147]

Hello everyone,

I just bought a 2003 Utopia 205 w/ the 250 two weeks ago. First off I am so thankful for all of you, i was on this board and read almost everything i could find before i bought it. I knew exactly what i was looking for and at, and knew what to expect. I think i got a great boat and its all thanks to the wonderful people here, thanks for contributing!!!!

Anyway the reason i'm posting is because my last Bayliner boat i had a few years ago the battery died on the lake and i didn't have a jumper box (I will never do that again), but i am so scared to run the radio and/or lights on this boat when the engine isn't running. I actually turn the battery off every time we stop for more then 10-15 mins. How is everyone's experience with using these features and still being able to operate the boat after a period of time, say an hour or so.

I was thinking of installing a second battery, i saw there are some nice kits for this, it will get rather expensive but it might be something i would have to do just to have a piece of mind. Has anyone installed a second battery on the utopia? If so where did you locate it for weight distribution? Did you use the kits or do it yourself? What accessories did you move to the house battery, and was it hard to remove these accessories from the OEM wiring system?

I am pretty handy with mechanical and automotive type electrical work so i have no doubt i can tackle this project in the fall, but is it really worth it?

Thanks so much! Steve

 

[AirSniper]

I have the same boat, one good "car" battery i bought ~ 2 years ago ( ~$100) at autozone. Never have any issues, i run the radio & fish finder all day fishing or floating. Ive even dug the nose in, filled the boat with water & had the bilge pump run > an hour with no issues.
The radio and fish finder each probably draw ~ 1 amp each or so, the bilge pump ~ 3A. A typical car battery rates anywhere from 70 - 100 amp hours...so simple math...with just FF & radio, you should have 35-50 hours on the battery. Just make sure that you go for a 10 min ride to recharge (the alternator is rated - I think - at 50A. again, mathing this is easy to figure recharge rate.
If your only concern is getting stuck on a dead battery, an $80 charge pack is a good and convenient option.

I have a voltage reading, with low volt alarm on my fish finder, and i have a smartcraft display with voltage. Battery usage is not a worry or concern to me...ive left the radio on many times over the weekend by accident without issue as well.

 

[Dr Honda]

It's always a good idea to have a second battery in a boat. You will sit around, and run power... you will run the engine for short periods... and often restart. All of that puts stress on a battery.

With that said... don't worry about a kit. (unless it's a good price. Just get a 2 battery switch to replace the single... a battery box... and a couple more power cables. (one black, and one red)

There should be a second flat spot in the hull. It will have a block of wood under the fiberglass, and you can screw into it. Bolt the box down... replace the battery switch... and run the red cable to the switch on "Bat2" and the black to the engine block. DONE !!!

Now... make a habit of starting on one battery, and keeping it on one battery when you are sitting around, listening to music, or fishing. BUT... when you are going to be running the engine for a while... like getting to your favorite fishing spot... turn the switch to "Both" to make sure you charge both batteries.

I personally don't like to use an isolator because it's it's one more thing to fail, and there is a voltage drop through them.

 

[KlineS147]

@AirSniper - Thanks I have already ordered the battery jumper pack, it just didn’t get here yet! Thanks for the help, what is your low battery alarm set to? I read a few articles on here where some folks were having issues because their batteries weren’t quite strong enough to make the ecu happy. I appreciate your insight and experiences!

 

[KlineS147]

@Dr Honda thanks a lot! After reading your post I will definitely skip the kit, your advice seems so much easier and cost effective, both of which are my style haha. I think since the season is almost over I’ll save the second battery for an early spring project. I see some people talking about a deep cell battery for their second one, would you recommend that or just a normal marine battery? Thanks again for the help, very much appreciated!

 

[Dr Honda]

Right now... I have a Marine starting for my main battery.... and a Deep cycle with higher than normal CCA for my second. So it's really a Dual use type.

In a normal sport boat... I don't like a true deep cycle because they don't like the high amp draw of starting duties. The only reason I would go deep cycle is if you are going to put on a trolling motor, and going to do a bunch of fishing.

 

[AirSniper]

@AirSniper - Thanks I have already ordered the battery jumper pack, it just didn’t get here yet! Thanks for the help, what is your low battery alarm set to? I read a few articles on here where some folks were having issues because their batteries weren’t quite strong enough to make the ecu happy. I appreciate your insight and experiences!

The fish finder voltage alarm I have set to 11.7 V... an arbitrary value, not based on any experimentation. I do get the alarm during starting (this is expected).