Running without a Battery Switch

[bradford]

If I decide to rig my skiff without a battery switch am I commiting some kind of huge sin in the boating world? I can see the need if running two batteries, or a bunch of house loads, but my electrical is pretty simple. Gonna have a single 1000 mca starting battery mounted in the stern next to the 90 etec with a jack plate, Got a 3 switch panel for nav lights, bilge pump, and a chartplotter.

[Destroyer]

No, not really any reason you can't. BUT, if one of the items connected to your battery is left on (like a radio or chartplotter of whatever), and you're gone for a long time (like over the winter).. you could return to find your battery is completely drained. A battery switch is more than just an on/off device. It's really an isolater. preventing your battery from running down and your electronics from getting fried.

[spareparts]

no need for a dual battery switch, just run a single on/off switch. If youre limited to space, I've flush mounted them inside a group 27 battery box with a group 24 battery. Cut a 2X4 to keep the batteyr to one sideof the box and off the switch

[phatdaddy]

bradford, one of the biggest reasons is your trim relays on your outboard. if the two way switch on the binnacle control were to go bad and give a constant up or down , possibly burn out a relay or trim motor before running battery down. was more of a problem when the trim switch was a seperate rocker swwitch on the dash.
that being said, i still haven't put an isolater switch on my v, so , what do i know...

[GregV20]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

bradford, one of the biggest reasons is your trim relays on your outboard. if the two way switch on the binnacle control were to go bad and give a constant up or down , possibly burn out a relay or trim motor before running battery down. was more of a problem when the trim switch was a seperate rocker swwitch on the dash.
that being said, i still haven't put an isolater switch on my v, so , what do i know...

This exact thing happened to me a couple of years ago. Trim switch stuck on my bowrider. Somehow I missed it. By the time I got back to the boat, I had a dead battery and a burned out trim pump.

Care to guess how much the new pump was? $890 from a Volvo-Penta dealer (just found the invoice). That's the part only, without labor.

Guess what? I installed a battery switch - cheap insurance. And a second battery later.

[bradford]

Originally Posted by spareparts

no need for a dual battery switch, just run a single on/off switch. If youre limited to space, I've flush mounted them inside a group 27 battery box with a group 24 battery. Cut a 2X4 to keep the batteyr to one sideof the box and off the switch

Already got the 2x4 in the group 27 box with a group 24 battery plus the electrical for the jack plate.

Think I'm gonna run without a switch. I never turn off the ones in the v. If I had 2 batteries like the v I would have one. I never charge the batteries, just run the engine at least once a week. A few other boats I've had in the past didn't have battery switches either. Trying to simplify the rigging as much as possible, less b.s. is better

[THEFERMANATOR]

Mine don't have one, and I have no plans of adding one either. I just don't see a need for it myself.

[smokeonthewater]

thousands of watercraft run fine without a battery switch and if you want you can wire it so the power trim and electronics only works with the ignition switch in accy or on... my boats that do have them, I pretty much never turn em off.... That said, I like to have em so I at least have the option of killing power without pulling batt cables.

[garbubba]

I have a switch on my V for the above reasons plus I moor it at a marina every now & then, so I have it rigged to turn off everything but one bilge pump.

My runabout has no switch, keeping it simple, but it has very little wiring & is never moored.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by bradford

If I decide to rig my skiff without a battery switch am I commiting some kind of huge sin in the boating world? I can see the need if running two batteries, or a bunch of house loads, but my electrical is pretty simple. Gonna have a single 1000 mca starting battery mounted in the stern next to the 90 etec with a jack plate, Got a 3 switch panel for nav lights, bilge pump, and a chartplotter.

Isn't there a computer on etec motors?...aren't you gonna charge the battery from time to time?...like mentioned above, the switch acts as an isolator and for those two reasons, might be a good idea...