# Questions regarding electronics



## lap202 (Mar 26, 2017)

So I am working out my plans for my boat and will get a diagram up tonight, but would like some help understanding the electrical side of my conversion.

Here is my current list.
•Electronics•
°Lights
-6-8 LED Deck Lights
-Navigation Lights
-Compartment Lights (Turn on when open)
-Spot Light?
-Headlights?
°Bilge Pump
°Power Outlet
°Speaker (Battery ran, can charge on boat)

I would like to be able to go fishing at night on the boat so Deck lights will be important along with the legal navigation lights. Since i wish to use the boat at night, would some kind of headlight be recommended?

The speaker is going to be a cheap portable bluetooth speaker I have that will be torn apart and put back together in a carpetted box that matches the boat and locks into the boat. This saves me money as i wont have to buy and power a marine audio system. The speaker will be able to be removed and charged at home, if battery gets low i want to be able to plug it into an outlet and charge it along with my phone or camera.

My last concern is will a single 12v battery be sufficient in handling all my electronics or will a second battery need to be added.

Thanks for your replies!




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## lap202 (Mar 26, 2017)

Does anyone know of a good switch to use on my compartment doors so when i open them the lights turn on?

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## edwonbass (Mar 26, 2017)

Except for spot lights, and headlights, I'm pretty much running that off a single battery. I hardly ever need nav lights except for an hour or so in the morning and have never had to run my bilge pump. My single battery also starts my 25 HP Mercury.
My two fish finders are on all the time and my trolling motors each get their own group 29 battery.

If you plan on doing a decent amount of night fishing I would look for LED nav lights.

Also I too am curious about compartment switches. I suppose the kind used for car alarm door switches could work.


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## lap202 (Mar 26, 2017)

Figure i could just have the compartment lights wired to a switch, but what will happen is ill leave them all on and drain more battery than neccesary. If i just had the lights turn on when i opened a compartment, it be useful in the day, work great at night, and be battery efficient

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## enginerd (Mar 26, 2017)

Does your outboard charge the battery when it's running? I think most engines with electric ignition will.

Either way, I think the load you plan to put on it should be light enough that one 12-V battery should be fine. LED navigation lights and deck lights shouldn't be much of a draw at all. You can add up the amperage draws for everything you'd be running and look at the Amp-hour rating on the battery to figure out how long it will run everything. For example, I have a marine starting and deep cycle battery, which is rated for 55-Ah. I would guess that running all your LED lights would be a 1-amp draw (assuming they're all LEDs), so you would be able to run them for 55-hours. Charging your electronics will draw more, but still probably not more that a few amps.

I would go with a spot light as opposed to headlights, but I don't run much at night and that would be up to how you're going to use the boat. I carry an old handheld spot light that runs off a 12-V outlet, but there are plenty of battery powered LED spotlights that would probably work better (some claiming several hours of continuous use on a single charge).


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## lap202 (Mar 26, 2017)

My motor is a pull to start 4hp so it doesnt charge the battery so will be charging the battery up at home. Was thinking about doing a 2 battery set ip with a switch to battery 1when switched to left, off in middle, and battery 2 on right so if the battery died i could switch over and make for home or stay out a bit longer.

Will use LEDs for all lighting to reduce draw.

Heres my layout as i see it.






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## enginerd (Mar 26, 2017)

Looks good to me, though you're missing the stern light in your diagram. I'd think one battery would be enough, but having the back-up isn't a bad thing and leaves room for expansion in the future.


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## lap202 (Mar 26, 2017)

Unfortunately im questioning just how much expansion i can do on this aluminum [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY] it is a smaller boat so need to see how deep in the water it sits with the motor, a battery and a couple people in it before i can start adding to it.

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