2 New Batteries

[SkunkBoat]

I ran the V20 with one 27DP Dual Purpose marine wet cell.
They generally lasted 5 years. You would notice the tilt getting slow when you got to the boat after a few days. At the first sign of that I replaced it.
I fished at night often with lights and electronics with motor off.
I had a 4 stroke zuke that started on the first click of the key.
If you have an old carbeurated 2 stroke Mercury that won't start for 10 minutes then get two batteries...if you have an Optimax or Verado..my condolensces...


If you run 2 batteries you could get away 24DP. Dual Purpose give you plenty of start power and lots of backup run time. I'm a fan of dual purpose batteries...I know some people are not..but I run 4 of them on my 26 Grady (2 for start and 2 parallel for House 12V) I overnight in the canyon with UW LEDs, VHF, 2 sonars, and Spreader LEDs motors off from dusk to dawn.

I am not a fan of the 1/both/2/off switch and the standard method of alternating batteries on the way out and way in. You have to remember to switch them. I CANT REMEMBER SHI...
In this setup, your 12V House is running on the same battery as your starter and only that battery is charging.

I prefer a dedictaed House 12v isolated from the starter (with a switch to allow combining with start battery in emergencies.) Many outboards have (or can add) an Auxillary charging cable. Or you can use an Isolator. In this way, you only use your start battery to start and everything else runs on the House battery. ALL batteries are always charging.

Blue Seas has some diagrams on their site for various setups.