To go to two batteries or not...

Hillzy_Aus said:

I second the blue seas ACR system if you don’t mind spending the extra over a simple 1-2-both-off switch. No needing to worry about which battery you are running, hands down they are awesome.

here is my setup in my 175 which has a decent stereo (2 amps/sub + 6 speakers), iv got a dedicated house circuit run up front for the amps/gps&fishfonder/12v outlets and anchor/nav lights. Don’t even notice the weight and run 2x 75ah dual purpose marine batteries

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Hillzy_Aus said:

I second the blue seas ACR system if you don’t mind spending the extra over a simple 1-2-both-off switch. No needing to worry about which battery you are running, hands down they are awesome.

here is my setup in my 175 which has a decent stereo (2 amps/sub + 6 speakers), iv got a dedicated house circuit run up front for the amps/gps&fishfonder/12v outlets and anchor/nav lights. Don’t even notice the weight and run 2x 75ah dual purpose marine batteries

Click to expand...

SantaCruzin said:

Thanks all for the additional insights and sorry for just seeing this! I got our boat in the water for the first time Monday was in a joyous haze ever since!

Question if I do go with two batteries: I have many Battery Tender trickle chargers around (two solar ones for my RV, one for my motorcycles, and one which has two separate charging cables that I used on my two old cars) so would plan to leave them on the charger. Can I do so while they're both hooked up? Can they both be charged at the same time? I couldn't find documentation from Blue Water on this.

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BillK2632 said:

Another thing - if you put in a another battery/switch, make sure things like your stereo are wired to the switch and not directly to a battery. This way the switch position determines which battery is taking the load. The exception is your bilge pumps - they should remain directly wired to one of the batteries so they always have power.

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