garfield28

Thanks for all the relies guys. I guess the general conciseness is I should have both batteries the same size and with the same amount of CCA's? I read somewhere else this morning that I should never start the motor with the switch selected to both. It should only be in emergencies?? Do you think by starting the boat on both that I have been drawing all of the juice out of my smaller battery and then when I switch to it to run the sounder and gear it has had most of its power drawn out of it? Thanks Geoff

Hi guys, I've been having problems with my dual batteries.... well one of them anyway I think. I have a battery selector that came with the boat, which has 1, 2 both and off. When I start my boat I put the selector onto both, leave it on this switch while I'm scooting to wherever I go, when I stop and I run the fishfinder I switch the switch it to battery 1. Yesterday at different times for some reason there wasn't even enough power in battery 1 to run the fish finder on its own, but at different times it did run and it ran for a while. Should add that when I select both on the battery selector to start the outboard I have had no problems starting the outboard at all. I'm not really an electronics guy and I am completely new to boating and especially dual battery setups and how they work - or how they best work. But I decided to pull the batteries out and have a look at the make etc so that I could describe them in the hope it would be easier for one of my fellow fishraider forumnites to maybe tell me what they think the problem may be. So below is a description of the batteries and they seem to be wired to each other and the battery selector. One of the batteries (which I'm pretty sure is battery 1) is a motogaurd battery which says on the label that it has 270 CCA RC 50 and nothing else I can see like how many AMPS etc. It's negative lead is connect straight to the other battery's negative terminal. It's positive lead goes into the battery selector. The other battery (which I believe is battery No 2) is a sea master says it has 580 CCA 130 minutes RC MAX recharge 14.8. I believe this battery might be from either 2004 - or 2005 as there is a plate on it which says 12 months warranty from the date of purchase which has a list of months from Jan through to Dec and the years 2003 - 2004 - 2005 as the years listed. I tested the batteries with a multimeter this morning to see what they read. Battery 1 (motoguard) had a reading of 12.4 volts. Battery 2 (sea master) had a reading of 12.7 volts. I should add that the connections looked a bit how ya going also, so I cleaned them up with some 600 grit sandpaper to give them a better connection. Any advice as to what the problem might be would be heaps appreciated. Thanks Geoff

Hi Paikea, I received the books yesterday mate. Got home late yesterday but can't wait to stick my head in them and learn more about fiber glassing. I'll let you know how I go :-) Thanks heaps again mate, really nice gesture and much appreciated. Geoff

Thanks very much again for the books Paikea, and for the reply to the question mate. I'll let ya know Paikea. Thanks Geoff

Thanks heaps Paikea, you're a gentleman and a scholar I plan to put them to good use mate. Could I ask you a question please. With the repair I'm trying to make on the keel of the baot in the pics above, how many coats would you think I'd need over it? If I was to have covered it with gelcoat now but not have is sanded smooth and looking finished, would it be possible to still take her out this weekend and then sand it and finish it say a day or 2 later when it will have had time to dry? Thanks Geoff

I whacked some gelcoat on the other day and started sanding it yesterday..... wow that stuff is hard to sand!

Hey can anyone tell whether or not I should I have put a resin or something over that fiberglass before i applied the gelcoat? Also, how long do I need to give the gelcoat to cure properly before hitting the water again please? Thanks Geoff

Thanks heaps Paikea. PM sent mate

Thanks very much for the help and advice, I really appreciate it.

Thanks for that. Does the septone gelcoat repair putty come with instructions or is there a good youtube vid I can watch to do a good job? thanks

With these here they are on the very bottom of the hull. If I run my hand over them they are smooth and there are no rigged or sharp edges.

Got my missus to take some pics.

Thanks for the reply Ramjet. With that gel coat is that something I could do myself or is it best to have it done by a professional? I'd be willing to learn even though I know nothing about gel coat and what it even is. I have experience spraying 2 pack polyurethane Mate I'll take some pics either this arvo or tomorrow, as I work back late of a night. Thanks

Hi Vvic, the chips are around A 10c piece in diameter.

G'day all, New member and new boat owner here. Just wondering if the attached is OK for fibreglass repair work on a boat? I a few chips in the in the corners and one on the hull of the boat that I'd like to get fixed up. I'm going to take some pics when I get the chance of the hull as there is a long-ish part along the very bottom of the boat right on the very point of the hull which isn't a chip but looks as though the paint has worn off and I can see the fibreglass showing through. Being new to boating and fibreglass, I don't know if A, I can fix it and B, if it is something I need to have looked at rather urgently. Any advice and experience is much appreciated. Thanks