On board charger wiring and battery location

[EricU]

I just purchased (and haven't brought home yet!) an '08 RZ4 which currently has 2 batteries behind the rear port locker, and an On/Off/1/2 switch
The boat currently has no ballast, no sub and a weak stereo.

My other boat (an older Moomba) I had wired in a ProSport 20 according to the following diagram (With chpthril's help I believe)



Should I;

• Move the batteries up under the storage area under the windshield? I would like to make room for some larger ballast bags
• I would like to run three batteries, 2 Stereo & 1 House
• Wire in a ProSport 20 according to the diagram
• Remove the current On/Off/1/2 switch

I am not sure what amps I will be running in the RZ4, as I need to redo the stereo and I will be replacing the existing Sony inboats with either JL Audios or Kickers and adding a 12" W6 sub and probably changing out the head unit. The boat's current tower speakers are dbot5s which I haven't heard before and I didn't really get a chance to listen to as I was more concerned with the boat's mechanicals during the test run.

Thanks for any help, Eric.

[Ewok]

I have the Tige factory dual battery setup which is similar and I have a Quest dual bank charger similar to yours. My house side runs the stereo and all the accessories on the boat including the ballast pumps and the lights. My starting battery runs only the engine, ECU and other essential engine components so if I accidentally leave a light on or run the house battery down I can start the engine. On the Tige setup, the starting battery had an on/off switch and there was not an off switch for the house side. I must have left an accessory running when I first got the boat and ran the house side all the way down, so I added a second blue sea on/off switch for the house side too. When I put the boat in the garage I turn both battery switches off, which has the effect of disconnecting the batteries, and I plug the on board charger in and the batteries are good to go.

For your setup make sure the charger is strong enough (amps) to charge both batteries on your stereo bank. I'm guessing the 20A charger splits into two 10A banks like mine. Make sure chpthrill agrees that 10A is enough of a charge for two depleted deep cycle stereo batteries, you may need a bigger charger for that bank.

[EricU]

I have the Tige factory dual battery setup which is similar and I have a Quest dual bank charger similar to yours. My house side runs the stereo and all the accessories on the boat including the ballast pumps and the lights. My starting battery runs only the engine, ECU and other essential engine components so if I accidentally leave a light on or run the house battery down I can start the engine. On the Tige setup, the starting battery had an on/off switch and there was not an off switch for the house side...

• Ewok, Did you keep your batteries in the stock location?

The RZ4 seems huge compared to my little Moomba and even compared to my '03 Natique 21'er but the storage lockers seem small and I want to put in some bags larger than the 600s that seem to fit (haven't bought any ballast yet). I am trying to maximize the ballast at the rear without going to an L shaped bag.

Thanks, Eric.

[Ewok]

My batteries are behind the aft access panel behind the port locker. I think in the 2008 the batteries were in a box in the actual locker. If I were you I would move the batteries behind the rear locker access panel.

[Ewok]

This is my port locker looking aft, my batteries and charger are behind the door. The black switch is what I added to turn off the house battery.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1368262374.989996.jpg

[chpthril]

Eric,

Congrats and welcome to the site.

Electrically, if you duplicate the same schematic you have there, you will have a great system with the ACR/Dual-circuit plus switch and on--board charger. I do not see any reason why you could not ad a 2nd house battery, but if you do, I would consider one modification to the plan if you plan to spend a fair amount of time playing while anchored. I would place an ON/OFF switch between the 2 house batteries. This will lessen the load on the alternator after a long session at the sandbar/party cove. 2 dead batteries (below 12V) is a hefty load on the alt and will most likely cause the ACR to cycle in and out until the house bank comes up some. This will be slow. Isolating one of those depleted house batteries cuts the load in half, allowing the one to recover faster, then the 2nd can be brought back on line. This will not prevent the stereo from running with the engine running or off, juts makes it easier on the alt and ACR.

Sounds like that boat was ordered with the base stereo package, then the OEM speakers removed. it would have come from the factory with 2 pair of Wet Sounds XS-650 at least.

No reason you cant relocate all the batteries and switch to the port locker. Its gonna be a chore, but not much more then relocating them into the engine bay as others have done. Just a lot of rewiring in order to get everything rerouted to the locker: Main starter, GND, helm BUSS B+ feed and GND, auto bilge, etc.

[shawndoggy]

All I know about the Kicker IX amps is what I see at sonicelectronix, so take this with a grain of salt...

They don't appear to be internally fused? If so, then your diagram doesn't protect the amps individually from overload. I think I'd want the added safety of a fused distro block.

[chpthril]

Shawn,

You are correct, the IX series do not have internal fusing, but IIRC, those are from the last plan on the old boat, so the nomenclature in this diagram would not be 100% representative of the new plan thats in the beginning stages. But, in terms of the switch, ACR, charger and electrical flow, the diagram is accurate. Once the speakers and amps are chosen, then details like trunk-line fusing, fused or non-fused distribution blocks, cable size for the amps, etc, can then be polished up.

[EricU]

Thanks guys,

I don't have the boat in front of me as it is still in NV, waiting to be transported to its new home in NorCal.

But the port side rear storage locker looks like the photo that Ewok posted minus the extra black switch.

My idea of moving the batteries was to allow for more ballast bag room, but for now I think I may just get the pumps in and put in whatever bags fit in the space as is configured now. I need to get out on the boat and run it and learn its quirks and see if it even needs more ballast than what fits. Luckily I have some fat friends that I can move around!! After this season if I feel I need more ballast, switching out bags is much simpler than the pumps I need to get in NOW.

Mike, I like your idea of adding a disconnect for the second stereo battery and leaving the batteries where they are now is probably the best idea to speed things up.

I need to figure out if I want to reuse my old Kicker IX amps or leave them on the Moomba. I am leaning on yanking them and using them on the RZ4 as I really liked the way I had the Moomba's sound system going. It looks like a 12" W6 will fit pretty easy up under the driver's feet by cutting a hole in the (helm support?) and building a box that fits behind, I may even just use the box that I made for my Moomba for this season as the RZ4 is huge on interior space!! And I am already pretty much set on changing out the HU to another Kenwood like I had in the Moomba.

• Any suggestions on where to mount the ProMariner 20?

I am assuming that I will be putting the amps in the helm storage locker. (This would be easier if Mike had a NorCal shop!!!!)

Thanks again for the help.

[chpthril]

Eric,

If you plan to surf, you WILL want to add some ballast. For a surf sac in the RZ4, we have found the Fly High W712 Enzo is the best bang for the buck. It will net our about 1300 lbs in each rear corner. A pair of the Fly High 400 lb sacs up front will give you some weight to lengthen the pocket.

The Kicker IX amps are great amps, we use a lot of them. The IX1000.5 will easily power 6 in-boats and offers 500W rms for a sub. The IX500.2 is a solid amp for a pair or two of 6.5" or 8" coaxial surf speakers. So depending on what you have in mind for the RZ4, they may be worth pulling.

The RZ boats have a ton of room, so a sub install is fairly wide open to options. The helm wall is solid and pretty thick.

I think your 08 RZ would have come with a Clarion CMD5. If you've got the helm and transom remotes, dont ditch that setup till you give it a try. The Clarion is decent gear.

[EricU]

Eric,

If you plan to surf, you WILL want to add some ballast. For a surf sac in the RZ4, we have found the Fly High W712 Enzo is the best bang for the buck. It will net our about 1300 lbs in each rear corner. A pair of the Fly High 400 lb sacs up front will give you some weight to lengthen the pocket.

I have heard that the RZ4 wont give a good boarding wake with the L-shaped bags, if that is true I guess I could fold the legs under (????)

The Kicker IX amps are great amps, we use a lot of them. The IX1000.5 will easily power 6 in-boats and offers 500W rms for a sub. The IX500.2 is a solid amp for a pair or two of 6.5" or 8" coaxial surf speakers. So depending on what you have in mind for the RZ4, they may be worth pulling.

That is the setup that I had in the old boat, 6 inboat Kicker K65s, 4 tower K65s in the DIY tower cans and the 12" JL W6 - I know it isn't the HLCDs that are all the rage right now, but we don't really crank it up while boarding, more while sitting in the cove. I was thinking of yanking the tower speakers also and trying to find two more of the cans to match as he has changed his design a bit. I would just need one more amp. The RZ4 currently only has 4 inboats, but I will probably carve a couple of more holes and go with 6 inboats.

The RZ boats have a ton of room, so a sub install is fairly wide open to options. The helm wall is solid and pretty thick.

I think your 08 RZ would have come with a Clarion CMD5. If you've got the helm and transom remotes, dont ditch that setup till you give it a try. The Clarion is decent gear.

The RZ4 currently has an older Alpine with a wireless remote, I have an updated version of the HU in one of my trucks and don't really like it. Changing the HU isn't that big a deal.

Tige RZ4 (23).JPGTige RZ4 (25).JPG

[Ewok]

I mounted my on-board charger on the inside of the battery access door. You can see the mounting screws in my picture above, they are brass I think.

[EricU]

Ewok,

Thanks,

And where is the plug for your on-board charger?

Eric.

[Ewok]

The plug is tucked into the little opening on the aft wall above the battery switches. I can reach it from outside the boat and plug in the extension cord. The placement on the wall was tricky since the batteries are on the other side too, that's why it's offset a little.