Charging System on 86 BlackMax
 

I have an 86 Mercury BlackMax 150 O/B... I'm wondering if it has some sort of generator or alternator on it for battery recharging? I want to run dual batteries for an audio/video system, but unsure if I should if it doesnt have any sort of recharging capability.

yes it has one, i would use a deep cycle battery for that system.

Thanks, I'll be doing a dual battery setup... Would I still be best with deep cycle batteries? Also, what size (amperage) is the generator/alternator on it?

In 86 I believe the factory system was a 16 amp charging system, but it could still be a 9 amp system in 86. They can be converted over to the later 40 amp system with some grinding to the upper bearing retainer, stator, flywheel, and modify it to accept the dual regulators. Not an easy upgrade, but is doable.

Damn, that kinda sucks... I was hopiong it would be enough for some LED lighting and an A/V system.
I'm looking at a double din stereo that has a dvd player with external video output that will be run to a 20" flat panel in the cuddy for my kids. I was aslo gonna run an amp, maybe a 200w to power a small sub and 6 6 1/2" speakers.

So, how much power do you figure you'll need, and for how long? If you want to know how many watts are in a single amp, you need to know the voltage. As an example, if you use a standard 12 volt circuit for your voltage the equation for determining how many watts are in an ampere is Watts = Volts x Amps. So it would be 12 volts x 16 amps = 192 watts. Not enough for a 200w system to recharge, but it would slow the drain to almost nothing. Maybe a 100w system would be better? Do you really need that much power? Don't forget that essentially you're going to be in an 18' x 7' room. 100w is still enough power to crank the volume to the threshold of pain. (and less volume would probably be appreciated by your fellow boaters that don't want to hear blasting music as they fish.). LED lights need next to nothing, so don't even think about them. How much power does the LED screen take? If it were me I'd get one of those self-contained 12" or 15" battery operated units anyways. Unless it's marine grade, I don't think that 20" tv screens were really made for the harsh marine environment. All that being said, would a dual battery system work for you? Run the A/V off of one battery and only the engine off the other. Charge them up at home.

Yea I thought about the LED's drawing almost 0 amps... Ohms law has been drilled into my head for the past 15 years in my field, so yea I factored the current draw... My concern was over working the motor's generator. A dual battery setup would be perfect, I just worry about recharging and overworking the system. 100w would definitly be enough, I havent bought anything yet. I would also like to have the extra power and just never take it to its threshold, sounds better that way. As for the screen, I thought a small tv in the cuddy would be safe from the elements, thus not concerning myself with that... Should I?

if you put it in a boat expect the unexpected as far as getting wet, or at least getting banged around!
As far as battery power i would get a big deep cycle and recharge at home at the end of the day. I just have a am/fm cd player on my boat and it is plenty loud enough!
I have a 2003 Yamaha 200 HDPI no idea what the charging system puts out, but i run a 2 battery system with out any problems. Radio, GPS all day long on one battery. If ever needed to just switch on the 2nd battery and go home.

ALSO keep in mind that the output listed will be peak output at a given rpm.... likely at near max rpm and of course it will only charge while running... 30 minutes of run time followed by 5 hours at anchor and 30 minutes back and you would be far better off with a good battery charger and plenty of batt power (IE one or even TWO deep cycles) to last you all day.

I have a late 80s or early 90s Black Max. 2 battery set up under console.
I have 4, 6" JL speakers.
I wired up 2 speakers directly to the stereo. The other 2 I have run through a 100w amp. I have the amp wired to turn on by a switch. When I am running slow, or beached, I turn the amp off to save the batteries. When I am fast trolling to cruising, the amp is on and I get GREAT sound at all speeds.

I had my Mako wired up this way also....in probably 5 or 6 years and 2 boats, it has worked great for me