Thread: Trolling motor interference

Originally Posted by CatFan

That will be tough, since the outboard and trolling motor both connect their battery negative to the hull of the boat.

I assure you mine does not.

Do you understand the hazard of it?

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Originally Posted by catchNreeleaze

I assure you mine does not.

Do you understand the hazard of it?

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Being an electrical engineer, first, I can assure your motors absolutely connect battery negative to your hull, and that there is no hazard to it.

Originally Posted by CatFan

That will be tough, since the outboard and trolling motor both connect their battery negative to the hull of the boat.

Originally Posted by CatFan

Being an electrical engineer, first, I can assure your motors absolutely connect battery negative to your hull, and that there is no hazard to it.

Where is the ground connection usually placed?

Originally Posted by Tradbow

Where is the ground connection usually placed?

Where the equipment bolts to the hull. Grounded metal bolted to the metal hull makes an electrical connection in addition to the physical connection.

Originally Posted by catchNreeleaze

I assure you mine does not.

Do you understand the hazard of it?

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I mounted the engine myself.

So having the entire hull as a ground and accidentally crossing it with positive of that battery proposes no hazard.

For example sake lets says your back there working and wearing a ring. You accidentally touch the side of the hull with a wrench that you are tightening the positive side.

Heavens forbid the battery is in the sump with the gas tank. Then the fact that ring is going to cause severe injury becomes less of a concern.



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Originally Posted by catchNreeleaze

I mounted the engine myself.

So having the entire hull as a ground and accidentally crossing it with positive of that battery proposes no hazard.

For example sake lets says your back there working and wearing a ring. You accidentally touch the side of the hull with a wrench that you are tightening the positive side.

Heavens forbid the battery is in the sump with the gas tank. Then the fact that ring is going to cause severe injury becomes less of a concern.



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If you know enough to mount an engine, you know that you never, ever put a wrench on a battery positive terminal until the negative wire has been disconnected on a negative ground system. Negative comes off first and goes on last.

Originally Posted by CatFan

If you know enough to mount an engine, you know that you never, ever put a wrench on a battery positive terminal until the negative wire has been disconnected on a negative ground system. Negative comes off first and goes on last.

I also know enough to never ground the hull of aluminum boat to the battery. You seem to have taken offense. My message was only posted as advice.

Tight lines and fish on

PS i am not an EE. But I raised a daughter that wired Artemis and a son that does maintence for a company that builds jet engines for planes and sattelites.


My opion is worth what you pay for it here. Nothing.

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Originally Posted by catchNreeleaze

Originally Posted by MDCrappie

Justinp61 is on the right track if this is an aluminum boat. It's actually called "bonding". You need to bond the trolling motor to the hull of the boat. This can be done via a wire from the negative of trolling motor battery to the negative of the boat battery.

Never never and i mean NEVER ground a battery to your hull. Ever

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Not sure where to start, because that is not what I said, but you are also incorrect...................do some research on grounding vs bonding and then come back and tell me what I advised was incorrect.

Now what you should NOT do would be to add an accessory to an aluminum boat, such as a 12volt outlet, and connect only the positive lead to the center pin and then rely on the physical connection of the outlet itself to the alum to be utilized as the ground. Connecting a battery negative terminal to the hull of the boat is not the same as using the hull to ground an accessory. Hope this makes sense.