designs to reduce engine fuel / electricity issues

[ktm_2000]

Hi All,

Most of you all have twins and with that some redundancy on the water, I'm headed down the path of a single motor and am interested in what items I can design into the boat to minimize fuel and electricity issues.

Here's some thoughts I was thinking about, please let me know if they are valid solutions or if there are better ways to do things.

Fuel - I will have a single tank, obviously I could get a slug of bad gas with a lot of water in it an stop me in a heartbeat. Single tank could have the fuel pickup get clogged.

My thoughts where to have a tank built with 2 pickups, both pickups setup to go to y valve which would then y off again to 2 different racor fuel filters then a y again back to the motor, this way I could run off either pickup or either fuel filter. probably overkill but???? other thoughts would be to have a small 2-3 gallon empty tank on board in which bad gas can be put into. Also carrying multiple extra fuel filters as well as tooling to change it out.

Electricity - threats would be house load running down batteries and not being able to start the engine.

Possible solution - Single grp 27 or 31 starting battery, pair of grp 31 or larger house batteries. Use battery combiner to charge all when running engine and separate when not. Ensure that I use large enough cabling between house batteries and engine to be able to start the engine. Build in a 110v battery charger which can charge all 3 when at home.

[CamB25]

I had my tank made with dual pickups (and fills) in case I went with twins. Incremental cost is negligible.

With the Suzuki I think you are limited to a single charging circuit. My Evinrude has an auxiliary charging circuit for a house battery. Consider installing an ACR circuit to charge the house battery from the start battery when the engine is charging. I have an new Blue Seas ACR that I'm not going to use if you want it. Your house loads should be completely isolated from the start battery. I'm not sure how your house loads would affect the state of charge on your start battery. If your start battery is dead, you shunt the house batteries to the start battery via the battery switch ("combine", or "All" ) position. Why do you need such a are large house bank?

Sea Tow, epirb, all the usual insurance items.

I'm in Virginia...it's snowing right now...March 8...

[ktm_2000]

Cam,

I have an area of my basement filling up with boat parts which has a corresponding suction sound of $$$ flowing out of the wallet. I've purchased one of the Blue seas battery switches and the relay that combines the starting bank with the house bank when there is voltage coming from the engine.

I want a large house bank because I do a lot of live bait fishing and want to keep the livewell running. I got into boating sailing with my parents as a kid, the best part was after leaving the harbor was putting up the sails and shutting down the motor and enjoying the quiet, so it is incredibly appealing to me to be able to shut down the engine while drift fishing and I don't want to worry about starting back up again.

We are getting more snow sunday, I doubt it will be the last, winter can't end soon enough for me this year.

[Carl]

I have a single tank with dual pickups.
One is a little longer then the other...or is it one is a little shorter?, I forget.
Anyway, if one has a problem and sucks up water...runs out of gas I have some time before the second motor is effected...hopefully anyway.

Even with two tanks...unless you run of one and fill the other chances are your going to get bad fuel in both tanks when you fill up.


Batteries...I am a firm believer in One starting battery for each motor.
Plus a good deep cycle house battery for juice eating electronics and accessories that gets charged when underway.
I have the house battery charged by one of the motors through an isolator.
It allows me to charge both batteries but not pull juice from the starting battery when motor is off.

Also a battery charger in the boat that provides a trickle charge to all three when connected to shore power.

I run the radar, radio and autopilot off the house battery.
The autopilot almost got me in trouble a couple times as I use mostly for trolling slow...at low rpm's the alternator is not always kicking in.
In a bit of a slop that thing is working alot, pulling a good amount of juice.

[Tony Meola]

Mine is original with a single pick up and it is 42 years later with a ffas to diesel conversion and no issues.

Probably just cursed myself.