[SteveWilson]

My new-to-me 17' HPX-V came with 2 cranking batteries wired through a switch. One is in the bilge, the other is in the already cramped console. I'm thinking about removing the console battery and switch and only running 1 cranking battery to free up some space. Anything I should consider before I perform this battery reduction surgery?

 

[State fish rob]

Should be fine , can always stow a jumper box. Prolly would leave switch and leads in place ,just remove battery. Still nice to cut power. Who knows, you may decide to put it back

 

[bryson]

I have 2 batteries in my Redfisher, both in the console. My oil tank is in the bilge. The way my boat is set up, I like having both. Occasionally I'll have days where I just go out with a group and soak bait and listen to the radio -- on those days it's really nice to just flip it to one battery when the engine isn't running, and to have the confidence I can crank back up and head home.

It depends on your goal. If it's just to simplify, then go for it. If you're trying to remove weight for draft, I would ditch the battery in the bilge and run only the console battery. If it's too cramped, consider moving the oil tank to the bilge where the old battery was.

All might be more work than you want to do, but that would be my approach if it were my boat.

 

[SteveWilson]

I would love to get the oil tank in the bilge but that work kind of scares me. The only accessory the consul battery runs is a single GPS unit.I don’t have a stereo or anything else like that.

 

[bryson]

I would love to get the oil tank in the bilge but that work kind of scares me. The only accessory the consul battery runs is a single GPS unit.I don’t have a stereo or anything else like that.

If you've got a battery switch, then the console battery and the battery in the bilge *should* run all of the same stuff. Try and trace some of the wires to make sure.

There should be a large (+) wire running from each battery to the switch, and no other positive wires (except maybe one that leads to a bilge pump/float switch, since some people like to still have the auto bilge pump work with the switch off).

Any wires to a GPS or any livewell pumps or anything else should come off of a fuse block, which will get its power from the battery switch. There should also be a large wire running to the motor from the battery switch.

 

[Forcefed]

My Hpx has two batteries in console, but one is dedicated to the trolling motor, and wired to a selector switch so if for some reason my house battery fails I can use the selector switch to isolate the trolling motor battery as a house battery. And my oil tank is in the bilge hatch, and honestly I wouldn’t want it anywhere else.

 

[SteveWilson]

Yeah oil in the console is stupid. No idea why they put it there but not sure how to move it

 

[Forcefed]

Should be relatively easy to move. If all the wiring and oil feed line reach the console, then moving it back closer to the engine should be straightforward. Unplug all and move the mounting bracket. Then hook everything back up. No extension necessary. And all the wiring and lines have to run from the outboArd through the bilge to rigging tube anyways. So you don’t have to fishtape anything through either.

 

[SteveWilson]

Thanks everyone. I’m really thinking now that moving the oil tank is first.