Transom mount trolling motor question

[tcroz]

Make a long story short. I had my MinKota Vantage trolling (Hydraulic) motor stolen off my boat. It was a 24 volt system. I have acquired a 55 lb. thrust Minkota 3x. That is a 12 volt system. I have ordered the 3 prong plug to plug into the receptacle which my Vantage had on it. Will this connect to my new troller unit? I assume I need to disconnect one of the batteries or install a Perko dual battery switch. If I run 24 volts through it I would fry it...correct? Is a Perko pretty easy to install? LEt me know. Thank you in advance.

TCroz

[tcroz]

ttt

[marine_man]

That's dependent on what your connection is like at the batteries, and what your trolling motor on the front of the boat (if any) requires for voltage.

The quick answer here is to plug the new plug into the socket WITHOUT connecting the trolling motor and use a multimeter to see what you're getting for voltage out of the plug.

The long answer isn't much more difficult, but please describe your current battery setup.

marine_man

[tcroz]

I do not have a front mount trolling motor. The batteries are used solely for the transom trolling motor. Would you recommend installing a Perko?

Thanks

[marine_man]

Ok, how are the two batteries connected then to make 24 volts? Is there a jumper wire between the positive on one battery to the negative on the other, or are they not interconnected at all?

If nothing else is connected to the batteries you don't need the switch. I just need to understand your current battery connections.

marine_man

[tcroz]

Yes, there is a jumper cable between them.

[marine_man]

Ok, disconnect the jumper cable between them and you'll be in good shape.

If you want to take advantadge of both batteries, connect them in parallel by connecting the jumper cable between the positive posts on both batteries and buy / make another jumper cable and connect the negative posts and you'll have twice the run time.

marine_man

[tcroz]

Sounds like a good plan thanks much. TC