# Powering fish finder ?



## Dhark (Oct 18, 2013)

Hey guys almost done with my tracker 15/42 build, all I have to do is hook up the fish finder. I have the Minnkota battery box and was wondering as it has a cigarette/ac adapter built in to it can I splice a male cigarette end onto the power cord of the fish finders power cable and use that to power it up? It would be a nice quick and easy connections for powering the unit.


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## 2sac (Oct 18, 2013)

You can do whatever you want. The proper way to do it is to power direct from the battery and add a 3 amp fuse on the +.


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## Scott1298 (Oct 18, 2013)

Don't those battery boxes have a fuse built in?


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## Dhark (Oct 18, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=332378#p332378 said:


> Scott1298 » 18 Oct 2013, 18:26[/url]"]Don't those battery boxes have a fuse built in?


Yes but it's a 10amp fuse and fish finder calls for a 3 amp. But the old car phone charger I am thinking of using has a fuse holder built into it so I can just put a 3amp in that I'm hoping


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## redbug (Oct 18, 2013)

I find that the cig lighter tend to vibrate and lose contact this will cause issues with the finder


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## Scott1298 (Oct 18, 2013)

What else will be connected to the battery? Sometimes a trolling motor will cause interference with a ff... but don't let it stop you from trying!


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## Dhark (Oct 18, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=332383#p332383 said:


> Scott1298 » 18 Oct 2013, 19:52[/url]"]What else will be connected to the battery? Sometimes a trolling motor will cause interference with a ff... but don't let it stop you from trying!


Yes just the TM on the terminals though


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## Scott1298 (Oct 18, 2013)

The wires all meet back at the battery posts, so that doesn't isolate the ff. If you have any trouble with your ff hook it to a different battery for a trip and you'll know if that was the problem. I have the same boat and made the decision to run the tm separate from everything else; the tm battery is done way before the ff/stereo/light/bilge battery (that could cause interference too, but on those days I prefer to keep my boat afloat :shock: ).


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## TNtroller (Oct 19, 2013)

You can try it on the same battery with the TM but you might/could/will get interference sooner or later. If you don't have another battery on board, then use a 12v deer feeder battery to power the FF. Kayakers use this set up all the time, to save weight, etc., and will power a gps/ff unit all day long. You can build a waterproof box for $10 with quick disconnects for $10.


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## Dhark (Oct 19, 2013)

Thanks guys sounds like a small 12v lawn mower type battery is the way to go


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## fool4fish1226 (Oct 30, 2013)

You could also use 8 AA batteries in a battery pack/holder, this is what I use on my yaks. Just a thought. :beer:


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## elkhornsun (Nov 15, 2013)

The pulse type trolling motors will interfere with the electronics of fish finders if they share the same battery. With the tiny amount of current draw from the finder it can be used safely on the starting battery.


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## bcbouy (Nov 19, 2013)

sits in any seatbase and it swivels


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## nlester (Nov 20, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=334838#p334838 said:


> bcbouy » Yesterday, 14:03[/url]"]sits in any seatbase and it swivels



Nice and simple. I have had good luck with the 7 amp batteries but I second having the fuse as close as possible to the fish finder.

I think a lawn mower battery is over kill unless you are going to use it for several days without charging it


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## 23mako (Nov 20, 2013)

Just got a 7 amp battery on amazon with charger for around 30 bucks. PM me if you would like the link.


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## Nohasslekindaguy (Jan 2, 2014)

I have the minn kota box and I hooked my depthfinder to the cig lighter socket. The plug I used has an inline fuse so I could use the correct 3 amp. I've never had any interference with the motor.


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## thill (Feb 24, 2014)

I just discovered that my trolling motor "blanks" my FF screen when it's on.

I'm leaning toward the lawnmower battery, too!

Also, I'm adding a Stator to my motor, to add 6 amps of charging, so the mower battery seems the way to go, rather than a smaller battery.

-TH


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## acwd (Mar 12, 2014)

Anybody got a link to that battery and charger?

Thanks
Steve


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## Randy281 (Mar 13, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=334886#p334886 said:


> 23mako » 20 Nov 2013, 10:03[/url]"]Just got a 7 amp battery on amazon with charger for around 30 bucks. PM me if you would like the link.





[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=344772#p344772 said:


> acwd » 12 Mar 2014, 21:54[/url]"]Anybody got a link to that battery and charger?
> 
> Thanks
> Steve



I bought this same battery and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/Sealed-Lead-...394708585&sr=8-1&keywords=fish+finder+battery


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## acwd (Mar 13, 2014)

About how long does it last before you need to recharge it? I am looking at doing this in my new boat for a electric only lakes.

Steve


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## redbug (Mar 13, 2014)

remember that you want to recharge your battery after every trip 
if you leave it un charged it will lose capacity and never reach a full charge again


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## thill (Mar 22, 2014)

Guys,
I was just cleaning out the back of my truck, and a GREAT thought occurred to me...

Why not use a "jump box" to power the fishfinder? I have a small one that would be PERFECT for this. It has a cigarette-lighter type built in, and it has it's own charger. I see ZERO down-sides to this idea, and it really simplifies the installation. Add cigarette lighter adapter to the end of the power lead, and you are done.

-TH


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