Dead Battery On The Water Solutions?

So I drained my cranking battery out on the water today and had to take out a trolling battery and replace the cranking battery with it to get back home.

I tried to use my jumper cables to go across from trolling to cranking and jump it, but after 30min it still wouldn't turn over. With the battery directly wired in it was able to start though.

Does anyone here use any type of A/B battery switch? Or should I look into portable jump packs? They seem expensive!

Thanks for any tips

My cranking battery and one of my trolling batteries are wired through a permo switch. I can turn the switch to 1 and it uses my cranking battery. Turning it to 2 will use the cranking battery and the one trolling battery for backup.

https://www.amazon.com/Perko-8501DP-Marine-Battery-Selector/dp/B00144B6AE
This is what I use. Make sure cranked is still a good battery. Fully charge it then load test.

I have one of the jump packs. Work great. I never had to use it on my boat but have used it on other peoples boat. Easy solution.
Johnny

Plus 1 for jump pack.

Pull cord around the fly wheel works and will give you a nice workout.

On my boat the engine battery cables are long enough to move them over to my trolling batteries on the other side, just have to remove a couple of wing nuts and put on different battery.

You had an open circuit in the battery and no amount of jumping will get accross a break.

Thank you for the replies everyone.



Could you explain this a bit more? What would be the correct way to do it with jumper cables?

carry a Weego

CLUELESS!

You would have to connect a jump pack directly to the starter cables. If it were me, I would have you local boat dealer wire a perko switch, as was mentioned above...think of it this way...if you had an approaching storm to beat to the ramp, the Perko switch Is the fast way to handle the problem you encountered and help get you back to the ramp safely. Hope this information helps and please disregard a few of commenters snarky remarks.

I carry a small jump pack. Works every time.

Weego or install PERKO switch.

I keep one of my trolling motor batteries paralleled to the cranking battery,connect either the positive or negative all the time. Wire tie the other cable close to the terminal but don't connect it. If you drain the cranking battery all you have to do is loosen one battery connection, connect the wire tied cable to the terminal and go. Takes a minute (or less) and your back to fishing. No need for jumper cables or a jump box.

I like your simple idea!
Do you have 2 trolling batteries in series or only 1 trolling battery?
If 2, do you hook the cranking battery positive to positive on the trolling battery or positive to negative?

positive to positive. Thinking about doing this myself. Batteries in my CC are not an easy swap. On my Ranger I could leave batteries in place and just run motor cables to other battery.

I have one of these, not the same exact model, but same thing...
I carry it with me all the time in the truck or boat... YOu can use it to charge/recharge a phone and jump a battery if needed... small and hand held/portable..

https://www.amazon.com/Beatit-18000mAh-P...words=jump+boxs

Make a cable long enough to permanently connect to one of the trolling motor batteries and your cranking battery, positive to positive. Make the second cable attach to the negative terminal of the cranking battery, make it long enough to attach to the trolling motor battery negative terminal but just wire tie it to the cable that is already on the battery, you can wrap some electrical tape on the terminal end if your concerned about the cable touching something (although it won't do anything bad even if it did). Then if you ever need to, you can loosen the negative terminal connection on the trolling motor battery and attach the cable. No need to disconnect the trolling battery's existing cable connections. Connecting the cable will not effect the use of the trolling motor. No need to disconnect it after starting the big motor, just undo the cable after you get home.