Blue Sea - Add a Battery

[DaBanker]

Hello everyone!

My wife and I purchased a 2012 Yamaha 212SS late last year. The few times we had the boat out I was paranoid that we would run the battery down and end up stranded. I decided then that I'd really like to add a second battery for peace of mind. After a ton of research I think I've settled on the Blue Sea - Add a Battery kit. It sounds like we can go with the 65 amp version even with twin engines but to be safe ill probably just go with the 120 amp version.

I have a few specific questions that I wasnt able to find answers to by searching the forum. I'm hoping someone or someones could help us out. As a side note my boat is currently in winter storage as it is 7 degrees in Ohio today! So I'm trying to be as prepared as possible for the start of the season.

1. I'd like to add a positive bus bar for the house battery (dont think I need one for the engine battery) and a negative bus bar. Do I need to run seperate cables from each battery to the negative bus bar? Or can i "pigtail?" The two negative terminals together and run one negative cable to the negative bus bar? Is there an amperage issue in doing this?
2. Does anyone know if the mounting pattern is the same between the stock battery switch (BEP?) and the Blue Sea - Add a Battery switch? Im hoping to put as few holes as possible in the boat.
3. It appears that most people aren't concerned with the starter isolation wire which I completely understand. However, if I decide to connect this wire where is the best place to splice in? Do I need to run from the ACR to under the dash? Or is there an easier area in the engine compartment?
4. Does the Blue Sea - Add a Battery ACR detect a charge from both sides (house and engine) or just one side (engine)? I'm still trying to determine if I will connect the ACR to the line or load side. If I wire the ACR to the line side I'd like to wire my battery charger to the house battery to cut down on the ACR cycling. My current plan is to leave the wires long enough that I can change the side in the future if needed. I dont yet own a nice dual bank charger so connecting to the load side wont do me much good from the start.

If anyone would like to post pictures of their installs I'd love to see as many as possible! Im still trying to figure out exactly the best place to mount the batteries in the compartment. And where to mount the bus bars.

Thanks for any assistance!

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Hello everyone!

My wife and I purchased a 2012 Yamaha 212SS late last year. The few times we had the boat out I was paranoid that we would run the battery down and end up stranded. I decided then that I'd really like to add a second battery for peace of mind. After a ton of research I think I've settled on the Blue Sea - Add a Battery kit. It sounds like we can go with the 65 amp version even with twin engines but to be safe ill probably just go with the 120 amp version.

I have a few specific questions that I wasnt able to find answers to by searching the forum. I'm hoping someone or someones could help us out. As a side note my boat is currently in winter storage as it is 7 degrees in Ohio today! So I'm trying to be as prepared as possible for the start of the season.

1. I'd like to add a positive bus bar for the house battery (dont think I need one for the engine battery) and a negative bus bar. Do I need to run seperate cables from each battery to the negative bus bar? Or can i "pigtail?" The two negative terminals together and run one negative cable to the negative bus bar? Is there an amperage issue in doing this?
2. Does anyone know if the mounting pattern is the same between the stock battery switch (BEP?) and the Blue Sea - Add a Battery switch? Im hoping to put as few holes as possible in the boat.
3. It appears that most people aren't concerned with the starter isolation wire which I completely understand. However, if I decide to connect this wire where is the best place to splice in? Do I need to run from the ACR to under the dash? Or is there an easier area in the engine compartment?
4. Does the Blue Sea - Add a Battery ACR detect a charge from both sides (house and engine) or just one side (engine)? I'm still trying to determine if I will connect the ACR to the line or load side. If I wire the ACR to the line side I'd like to wire my battery charger to the house battery to cut down on the ACR cycling. My current plan is to leave the wires long enough that I can change the side in the future if needed. I dont yet own a nice dual bank charger so connecting to the load side wont do me much good from the start.

If anyone would like to post pictures of their installs I'd love to see as many as possible! Im still trying to figure out exactly the best place to mount the batteries in the compartment. And where to mount the bus bars.

Thanks for any assistance!

Same temperature and storage problem. I have a 2021 195S, so a single engine rather than dual but the wiring theory should be the same. I have not installed mine yet but like you I am gearing up this winter to get everything ready ASAP.

i am not an electrician but after reading these forums, calling Blue Sea, ordering a shop manual for the 2021 195S, and thinking about all of the information for the past two months I feel confident that I can install mine without starting a fire.

I went with the 120 amp switch because it was a few dollars more and I like to over engineer everything.

I am installing everything on a piece of 3/4 inch HDPE to minimize the number of holes I poke in a new boat. The HDPE will be mounted with 4 bolts to the boat. I am going with the following:
The two batteries will be tied to the negative bus by marine 1/0 Awg cable. I am installing two pos bus bars, one from each side of the switch with 1/0 Awg so I have no crowded connections on the switch and I have the “right size lugs and posts for anything” . The switch posts will be tied to the batteries by 1/0 Awg. I also bought a small fused bus bar with six standard fuses that will be wired to the house side for future use (another usb charger, courtesy lights, unknown?).

no starter isolation wire for me at the moment, and no remote LED for the status, just the small ground.

The support person I spoke with at BS said as long as the switch was in the “on” position, you could charge or maintain both batteries from one charger and one connection. My plan is to wire one onboard charger to the bus bars and test it.

the ACR will be wired from each pos battery post with 1/0 Awg.

I bit the bullet and ordered a hydraulic crimping tool, lugs, shrink wrap, and bulk wire so I could make my own custom cables.

I was in IT most of my career as well as being a mechanic and auto restorer. I need the wiring to be clean and modular because plans always change.... a few dollars more for a few more connection points lends itself to being more flexible to changes.

I don’t have pictures other than the ones in my head and believe me, you do t want to crawl around in there...

Keep in touch and we will walk this path together. You

 

[DaBanker]

Same temperature and storage problem. I have a 2021 195S, so a single engine rather than dual but the wiring theory should be the same. I have not installed mine yet but like you I am gearing up this winter to get everything ready ASAP.

i am not an electrician but after reading these forums, calling Blue Sea, ordering a shop manual for the 2021 195S, and thinking about all of the information for the past two months I feel confident that I can install mine without starting a fire.

I went with the 120 amp switch because it was a few dollars more and I like to over engineer everything.

I am installing everything on a piece of 3/4 inch HDPE to minimize the number of holes I poke in a new boat. The HDPE will be mounted with 4 bolts to the boat. I am going with the following:
The two batteries will be tied to the negative bus by marine 1/0 Awg cable. I am installing two pos bus bars, one from each side of the switch with 1/0 Awg so I have no crowded connections on the switch and I have the “right size lugs and posts for anything” . The switch posts will be tied to the batteries by 1/0 Awg. I also bought a small fused bus bar with six standard fuses that will be wired to the house side for future use (another usb charger, courtesy lights, unknown?).

no starter isolation wire for me at the moment, and no remote LED for the status, just the small ground.

The support person I spoke with at BS said as long as the switch was in the “on” position, you could charge or maintain both batteries from one charger and one connection. My plan is to wire one onboard charger to the bus bars and test it.

the ACR will be wired from each pos battery post with 1/0 Awg.

I bit the bullet and ordered a hydraulic crimping tool, lugs, shrink wrap, and bulk wire so I could make my own custom cables.

I was in IT most of my career as well as being a mechanic and auto restorer. I need the wiring to be clean and modular because plans always change.... a few dollars more for a few more connection points lends itself to being more flexible to changes.

I don’t have pictures other than the ones in my head and believe me, you do t want to crawl around in there...

Keep in touch and we will walk this path together. You

Thanks for the reply! Please post on here when your boat thaws out and you start working on your project. Sounds like you're working on a very similar build to mine.

I also ordered the crimping tool. I wanted to order precut & crimped wires but i dont know the sizes and i want to have everything ordered before spring. Where are you ordering your wires & connectors from? And what bus bars did you go with? Im also on the over enginering side but i think you might be a step above me!

I like the idea of the HDPE board. I may have to go with something similar to minimize holes in the boat.

I dont like the idea of having to keep the switch in the "on" position for charging. I do feel that somewhat defeats the purpose of the switch. If the switch is "on" and you have any accessories plugged in it may drain the battery faster than you can trickle charge them. Just my thought.

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Thanks for the reply! Please post on here when your boat thaws out and you start working on your project. Sounds like you're working on a very similar build to mine.

I also ordered the crimping tool. I wanted to order precut & crimped wires but i dont know the sizes and i want to have everything ordered before spring. Where are you ordering your wires & connectors from? And what bus bars did you go with? Im also on the over enginering side but i think you might be a step above me!

I like the idea of the HDPE board. I may have to go with something similar to minimize holes in the boat.

I dont like the idea of having to keep the switch in the "on" position for charging. I do feel that somewhat defeats the purpose of the switch. If the switch is "on" and you have any accessories plugged in it may drain the battery faster than you can trickle charge them. Just my thought.

I think I told a lie... I looked over my notes from the call and the ACR “sees” the charge no matter what the switch position is in. I shouldn’t try to do things from memory on a Sunday morning or more likely any day before noon or past one o’clock ?

I found the best marine grade wire (tinned copper stranded) for the price at Pacer Group. They will sell you rolls or by the foot, minimum buy on 1/0 is three feet I think. They are in FLA and will ship orders over 100 bucks for free.

I purchased the ends and shrink sleeve there as well. You can get bags of 10, 25, etc and choose the wire size along with the connection size. Basically one stop shopping.

The bus bars were Amazon 600v with three 1/4 inch connections, 10 #8 connections, and snap on covers. They came in a set of two units, one red and one black for about $12. I ordered two sets. They are about 6 inches long by 1.5 wide by 1.5 tall with the covers on.

I have to get the boat out of its winter nap, although I don’t know why it is tired, it has 2.5 hours on it. My over engineering is a symptom of my cabin fever or at least a byproduct of it. It would have been easier to slap another battery in parallel and be done.

I know the water will be cold this spring but I would at least like to catch a couple of days in the 50’s so I could install this along with some other minor upgrades without having the overwhelming desire to put the boat in the water.

What part of Ohio? Eastern panhandle of WV here. Family in Huntington and Parkersburg.

 

[DaBanker]

I think I told a lie... I looked over my notes from the call and the ACR “sees” the charge no matter what the switch position is in. I shouldn’t try to do things from memory on a Sunday morning or more likely any day before noon or past one o’clock ?

I found the best marine grade wire (tinned copper stranded) for the price at Pacer Group. They will sell you rolls or by the foot, minimum buy on 1/0 is three feet I think. They are in FLA and will ship orders over 100 bucks for free.

I purchased the ends and shrink sleeve there as well. You can get bags of 10, 25, etc and choose the wire size along with the connection size. Basically one stop shopping.

The bus bars were Amazon 600v with three 1/4 inch connections, 10 #8 connections, and snap on covers. They came in a set of two units, one red and one black for about $12. I ordered two sets. They are about 6 inches long by 1.5 wide by 1.5 tall with the covers on.

I have to get the boat out of its winter nap, although I don’t know why it is tired, it has 2.5 hours on it. My over engineering is a symptom of my cabin fever or at least a byproduct of it. It would have been easier to slap another battery in parallel and be done.

I know the water will be cold this spring but I would at least like to catch a couple of days in the 50’s so I could install this along with some other minor upgrades without having the overwhelming desire to put the boat in the water.

What part of Ohio? Eastern panhandle of WV here. Family in Huntington and Parkersburg.

We live in central Ohio (Columbus area). I completely understand your cabin fever.

How do you plan to connect the HDPE to your boat? I found some .5" PVC sheet at Home Depot that may work fine for my needs. Going to check it out today. Looks like some people are using glue on studs.

 

[WV Hillbilly]

We live in central Ohio (Columbus area). I completely understand your cabin fever.

How do you plan to connect the HDPE to your boat? I found some .5" PVC sheet at Home Depot that may work fine for my needs. Going to check it out today. Looks like some people are using glue on studs.

I am going to screw all the equipment to the 3/4 HDPE with nothing protruding from the back. And hopefully, fingers crossed, take that whole assembly and mount it to the boat with four through bolts with either big washers or some small strips of HDPE. My plans for the backer board is to leave enough room on it to mount a Wet Sounds HTX-6 amp for the sound system. Again, trying to minimize new holes in the boat. I may think better of it when I actually get a chance to open that stern port locker, right now I am going off of other pictures of that space in other boats and videos and the two or three times I have seen mine.

Glue on studs are a good idea. I didn’t think of that. Thanks! You gave me a new item to research, endlessly.

Nice area, probably close to the same weather all the time. Used to spend time there for the Quarter Horse Congress. Great places to play golf too! May March bring green grass and warmer weather to all of us.

 

[DaBanker]

Does anyone recall what the battery cable lengths are for the yamaha add a battery kit? Or what lengths they used when they added a second battery?

I still have not removed my winter cover but would like to get some cables cut and crimped.

I decided to go with blue seas add a battery and 1/0 gauge wire from the batteries to the switch just to be safe. I also found great pricing on marine AGM batteries at Costco. I've been searching the forum for all the installation pics I can find. If anyone else would like to share pics please feel free to do so!

 

[ABL8R]

Just did this today -
I used 1ft 2AWG wire to connect the SI-ACR to the load side of the switch, since I use a dual trickle charger. This avoids the need to place an inline switch on the ACR’s ground line AND remember to flip it every time I plug in the charger.
I also used 3ft 2AWG wire from the new battery (+) to the switch and from both battery (-)’s to a negative bus bar.
I kinda ran out of real estate when replacing the 3 inline fuses. Had to mount these horizontal which I think makes them more susceptible to getting wet.
shouldn’t be wet storage anyway.

FYI, I picked up the battery from BatteriesPlus but it had 2 different size posts but they only gave me one correct size nut.... so had to make an impromptu trip to the parts store. Something to be aware of when you pick up the battery.

 

[DaBanker]

Thanks for the post! I opened my boat today and started planning where things will be located. Looks like it will take some planning to get everything in there.

Just like you I have wired 1 foot lengths to the ACR on the load side. I purchase the same or similar charger but in 5 amp.

It looks like your boat comes with those plastic dividers. Mine are wood I believe. I hate the idea of drilling into the boat but I dont think it can be avoided!

 

[DaBanker]

In case anyone is interested in this useless information. I first attempted to connect my ACR to my battery switch with 1 foot of 1/0 AWG cable on each side. Given the limited space in the area I cut the cables down to approximately 7 inches of 1/0 AWG per side. I think this looks better and saves on space. As others have stated I will be connecting my battery cables to the top side of the switch so the ACR is only activated with the batteries "ON".

Let me know if anyone has questions.

 

[DaBanker]

Hey everyone. I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out how to fit the battery switch, ACR, negative bus bar, and positive bus bar on the 11" x 11" ish bulkhead wall. Plus have enough room for two engine wires. Any suggestions on how others have done this? No matter how I move the wires around I cant figure out how to get everything to fit with 1/0 AWG wire. Obviously I've tried to find every picture on the forum but most of them seem to have more room in their boat. Or they are using smaller gauge wire.

Im almost consider installing the ACR upside down. Then it's a straight shot from the switch to the ACR. Then the bus bar wire and engine wires can be wired from the lower side terminal exits.

 

[DaBanker]

As an alternative has anyone connected engine or house wires to the ACR terminals? Im including a picture for reference. I plan to connect the positive battery wires to the top of the switch. The ACR house and engine wires are to be connected to the bottom. Instead can the ACR be wired to the bottom of the switch and the house/engine wires attached to the respective ACR terminals? Will this be too much current flowing through the swith? Or will it be the same current through the switch regardless?

 

[DaBanker]

Another option?

 

[HangOutdoors]

Here is how I did it. The inline breaker on the right is the starter coming from the battery and the one on the left is the house.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/wiring-and-battery-addition.32539/