Hi guys,

I am working on my 14' jon boat my uncle gave me and am in the process of wiring the electronics in which I have never done before. In the stern I have a Mercury 20 HP electric start, a Lowrance Elite 4 and the stern light. Could I (should I) wire these all directly to the battery in the rear? The Lowrance has an inline fuse, should I also add one for the stern light? If so, what amp fuse would be best? In the bow, I have a 30lb thrust Minn Kota and the bow light with a separate battery. Also wire these direct? Any help would be appreciated!

I would connect everything except your TM to the rear battery, your TM could cause interference if you connect to it. All circuits on a boat boat should be protected with a fuse or breaker. Always install the fuse/breaker as close to the power source (battery) as possible. I would think a 5 AMP fuse would be adequate for your stern and bow light but not sure. Check the manufacturer amp rating on the lights. Also recommend using marine tinned copper wire to prevent corrosion. There's really no need to go larger than 14-16 AWG for the sonar and lights.

^^^^^^GREAT ADVICE!^^^^^

Thanks guys I will be working on it this weekend!

Having recently blown this fuse on my boat because I had the switch on when I was working on the stern light plug (and hence grounded it), I can tell you my fuse for the bow/stern lights was 5 amps.

The fuse protects the wire. You can put a 15 amp fuse on a 14 wire and so on.