wiring question

[DuluthMedic]

Hey fellas. I've got an 86 smoker craft...got wires going everwhere. I've got 2 fish finders, trolling motor 12v, radio, 2 anchor mates, all wired to one battery. Thats alot of wires hanging down under the passenger side of the boat counsel. I'd like to hook up some fuse deally so I just have to hook up one wire to the battery and run it all. Any ideas. I have a battery only hooked up for the motor, and one extra next to it not hooked for back up. If I run the one bat. down, I just swap with spare. Please help me with my nightmare.

[Surface Tension]

I'd hook up the other battery to start with. You can get a panel with breakers. Valv probably has some.

You'll run one set of wires(+ -)from the battery to the breaker panel. That set of wires will have an in-line fuse to protect the + wire close to the battery. That wire needs to be of a gauge that is appropriate for what your running. In your case a couple radios, sounder, lights, 2 anchor mates, and anything else you might add down the road. From the panel you'll run a set of wires to each device. Some electronic devices like sounders will need their own in-line fuse. I'd run another set of wires off your breaker to a block under the console. There you can power sounders and radios, like I said they'll need a 2 amp in-line fuse on the plus side close to the block.

Without sitting in your boat its hard to say exactly what to do but that should give you an idea.