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Electrical and electronics for trailer-boat made simple

TRAILER-BOAT MARINE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS YOU CAN FINALLY UNDERSTAND!

My fishing life started in small boats. I have been addicted to fishing all my life. Naturally small boats and fishing go together and it was after endlesss technical questions that the fishing-book was born. I decided to write it in a clear and simple format. Technology has also rapidly passed through the world of the small trailer-boat fisherman and finding answers is not always easy. Do you want quality gear? West Marine- America's Favorite Boating Supply Source I get a steady stream of emails from trailer-boat fishermen with problems on batteries, trolling motors and lots more. Trailer-boat may have become more sophisticated however you can still enjoy your fishing without the pain. Reliable boating systems turn the good fishing-trips into great ones. Win Free Fishing Tackle Click here

What the reviewers are saying about the trailer-boat fishing book

He speaks our language.....If there was ever a book to make the marine electrical system understandable, this is the book. If there was ever a book that will give every boat owner more confidence about how things work, this is it. If there was ever a book you'll want to carry with you on board, this is the one to have. Pat Piper Editor - BoatUS Trailering Magazine

..helps small boat anglers better understand the installation, troubleshooting and repairs of electrical systems such as trolling motors, downriggers, trim tabs, batteries, fishfinders and charts Soundings Magazine

…”anyone considering purchasing devices and installing them on any size craft will find this to be an indispensable reference.” “I highly recommend this book, and I would stick it in the same box as my new chart plotting GPS” On The Water Magazine

Book Introduction

John Payne may speak with an accent but whatever he says, the words are easy to understand. It's because he speaks the language every boat owner needs; clear and accurate information presented in simple sentences. He is never ahead of the reader and there aren't many people who are experts in marine electronics with that ability. Well, John Payne is such a fellow.

As the Editor of the BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine, I am well aware of the need for someone with practical hands-on experience who can speak to, rather than at boaters. Too many times, in too many books, a relatively simple solution to a boat's electrical trouble is lost forever in a sea of shoptalk and jargon that requires someone with an engineering degree to understand (I'm also convinced these are the same guys who write the "simple" directions to VCR and DVD operation).

The Fisherman's Electrical Manual is written for the person who wants to spend more time on the water than trying to learn the meaning of a sentence he or she has just read. This is because John Payne spends a lot of his time giving standing room only seminars or having one-on-one conversations with boaters about problems they are having or about ways to make an electrical system more safe and efficient. He speaks our language. If there ever was a book to make the marine electrical system understandable, this is the book. If there ever was a book that will give every boat owner more confidence about how things work, this is it. If there ever was a book you'll want to carry with you on board, this is the one to have. Trailer boat owners and fishermen are going to be well-served by John Payne's common sense approach to "Anything Electric". This is a guy who knows his stuff and, best of all, can explain it in an easy to understand manner. Every reader of the Fisherman's Electrical Manual is going to become a more complete boater as a result. And that's good for all of us. Pat Piper. Editor - BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine

This is a sample of what is covered in the limited edition trailer-boat Fisherman's Electrical Manual, a fishing book for every type and level of trailer-boat fishing you do. If you want a copy then go to Amazon or West Marine now West Marine- America's Favorite Boating Supply Source .

CLICK HERE FOR HOW TO CATCH FISH. GOOD INFORMATION ON CATCHING FISH

HOW ARE YOU GOING EAT THE FISH

So you have the best trailer-boat, with all the electronics, great lures, and the time to go fishing. Once you catch these delicious meals the fun part begins, turns the best fishing-trips into unforgettable ones!

Why not click on the link to some great fishing recipes. My book The Great Cruising Cookbook summarizes a lot of time afloat.

I do hope you enjoy. "Bon Appetit"

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ARE YOU PLANNING ON INSTALLING A TROLLING MOTOR ON YOUR TRAILER-BOAT? GOOD ADVICE AND USEFUL INFORMATION

Do you want to expand your knowledge and learn a lot more about marine lectrics and electronics? I run the Marine Electrical School from this site with 10 main course modules and one special course for fishermen

CLICK ON THE MARINE ELECTRICAL SCHOOL LOGO to go to the course syllabus and enrollment.

Enroll in the Marine Electrical School and learn all about marine electrical and electronics for fishing and sailing

So you had the perfect fishing vacation with your trailer-boat, caught the perfect fish, but things didn't work out right, some problems you can't solve? Why not go to the bulletin board for answers to your questions, or look for some hard to find part.

trailer-boat, fishing, boatings and sailing with questions to answers

THE OUTBOARD STARTER MOTOR

On the average trailer-boat the outboard engine starter motors are of the inertia type and drive the flywheel ring gear. The starter motor develops the high torque that is required to turn over the engine against the high cylinder compression. The most common causes of starter motor problems are bad connections causing voltage drop. If the starter motor grinds over slowly or the solenoid clicks away without any starter rotation, check the main positive and the negative circuit connections. The main connections are those heavy cables that come from the battery and terminate on the outboard engine. How much battery capacity is required to start outboards? The answer is to install the outboard manufacturers' minimum recommendation, and a good baseline is up to 50 HP - 450 CCA; up to 120 HP - 500 CCA and up to 350 HP - 600 CCA. If you use the battery for other equipment then you will have to factor that in to the capacity calculations. Refer to the battery chapters for more on starting batteries, and battery ratings (CCA, Ah etc).

TROLLING MOTORS - How much thrust is required?

The general rule of thumb in choosing the required thrust is to take the total weight of the loaded boat and divide it by 70. For example, if your trailer-boat with people and gear weighs a total of 3500 lbs (1700 kg) you divide this by 70. That means that a motor with at least 50 lbs (215 kg) of thrust is required. Another method is 5 lbs thrust for every 200-350 lbs of boat weight. Depending on your trailer-boat fishing the wind and current should be factored in. The draft of a trailer-boat affects the drift rate, and shallow draft or high freeboard cabin type fishing boats tend to have a greater wind (sail plane) effect than deeper draft low freeboard ones. Where strong river or tidal flows will be involved greater thrust will be required.

ALL ABOUT ELECTRIC FISH and FISHING!

There are electricity producers such as electric eels with up to 600 volt outputs. How they don't electrocute themselves is still being researched. Most fish have inherent electric fields generated by the nervous system. Sharks and rays are renowned for their ability to detect electrical fields and vibrations of their prey. Many other fish such as catfish, trout, sturgeon and salmon have a lateral line on their flanks with electro-receptors, and some have them on their heads. The electro-receptor nerve cells detect electrical fields and vibrations which are used to detect concealed prey. The basis of electric fish attraction is the use of various field strengths to attract fish. Research and testing has shown that some fish are attracted by a small positive charge and repelled by a strong positive or negative charge. Salmon can detect voltage variations as low as 0.025V. Fish can also transmit electrical signals similar to sonar, and receive the reflected signal back.

HOW TO SELECT STARTING BATTERIES

The starting battery must be capable of delivering the outboard starter motor with sufficient current to crank over and start the engine. This starting load can be increased by engine compression, oil viscosity and engine driven loads. Loads such as a trolling motor or anchor windlass under full load also require similar high values of current. The starting battery is normally selected on the basis of the engine manufacturers' recommendations. It is good practice to have a safety margin for multi-start capability. Also allow for colder climates where more engine start current is required and as batteries are less efficient when very cold.

WIRING - WHICH VOLTAGE TO USE?

In many fishing trailer-boat it is now becoming quite common to see boats having a primary 12 volt system and a 24 or 36 volt system for the trolling motor. The 12-volt system is the most common system. This is because of automotive influences, and outboard engines being made with 12 volt systems. The charge voltage is typically 14 volts. For 24 volt systems the charge voltage required is 28 volts. Effectively where two voltages are used they should be treated as two entirely separate systems. In polarised ground systems the negatives will be connected to maintain the same potential. Because much equipment is commonly 12 volts a DC-DC converter must be used to step down to 12-volts. The alternative is to tap off the 12 volt supply from one of the series connected batteries. The advantage of using a DC-DC converter does isolate sensitive electronics equipment from the surge and spike-prone power system. Where 36 volts is used, three 12 volt battery banks are connected in series to make 36 volts

WIRING - LIGHTNING AND SMALL TRAILER-BOATS

Like the golfer, the fisherman in a small trailer-boat out on a lake is exposed. Many fishermen use graphite and titanium rods, and these are an ideal conductive "target". How far away is the lightning? Time the lightning flash by counting the number of seconds to when the thunder is heard. Divide this number of seconds by 7 to give the distance in kilometers. Lightning consists of a number of components with charges exceeding 200,000 amperes at over 30,000°C for a matter of milliseconds. The positively charged ions rise to the cloud top, and the negative ions migrate to the cloud base. Regions of positive charged ions also form at the cloud base. Eventually the cloud charge levels have sufficient potential difference between ground and another cloud to discharge. The leader is a negative stream of electrons consisting of many small forks that follow and break down the air paths offering the least resistance. The upward positive leader charge rises some 150 yards (50 m) above the ground, and when the meet a channel is formed. The return stroke is generally much brighter and travels upwards to the cloud partially equalizing the potential difference between ground and cloud. In a matter of milliseconds after the return stroke, another downwards charge takes place following the same path as the stepped leader and return stroke.

More trailer-boat fishing vacations are ruined right at the outset due to the boat trailers.

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ALL ABOUT U.S. BOAT TRAILER-BOAT WIRING

Trailer-boat lighting is critical and even known to ruin the best of fishing-trips when the police pull you over and issue a ticket. Most light fittings are vehicle types with incandescent lamps. They are easily flooded and waterlogged, with resulting burnout and failure. The new LED types have lower heat outputs and can be potted or sealed to reduce water ingress when launching. There are a number of trailer-boat trailer wiring and plug/socket configurations. The following are standard although you should check your own vehicle to be sure. In the 6 pin terminal plug/socket the center terminal is marked A, and is an auxiliary terminal and is generally used for backup (reverse) lights. It is also used to supply +12 volts to charge the breakaway switch battery, which is common with electric braking on the trailer. In the 7 pin terminal plug/socket 7 is the center terminal. (Wiring Tables are in the book)

Fishfinders - Do sounders and other acoustic noises scare the fish?

Absolutely! My work on a submarine sonar program showed me how noisy the sea and any body of water can be, full of environmental and biological sound sources. Whales and dolphins communicate using acoustics, the latter along with porpoise use sonar to hunt. Seals and catfish use their whiskers to detect acoustic activity of their prey. A fish has a series of receptors located along the lateral line, which is comprised of an array of sensory cells and nerve endings. Every acoustic noise generated is detected by the fish on these cells, and this includes the acoustic noise generated by fish as they swim. This is caused by water displacement and creation of small ripples or turbulence. Crustaceans and mollusks also create noise and that is their downfall as fish locate them. Many fish also know when predators are in the area from the acoustic noise they create. Lure makers now concentrate on adding acoustic effects that mimic natural prey, such as vibrating plugs, poppers and rattle lures, and these along with special flies are used in night fishing. Different fish will have different thresholds of perception. Any fish will have adapted to the ambient or background noise of the habitat, and any unusual or abnormal noise that is not consistent will be detected. Sounder noise tends to be directional and the closer the fish is to the source, the greater the impact. Assume that sounder is detected, and decide when set up on location whether you will switch the sounder off. If it doesn't affect your fishing then stay as you are, but if you are fishing the tournaments then everything counts. Boat noise includes the sound of an approaching trailer-boat which will produce noise from the outboard motor and the propeller noise signature and cavitation, wash which is affected by hull form, chines and boat speed. The propeller noise signature is also affected by small blade and tip damage. Noise from inside the boat is also a major factor, and this is about onboard low noise practices and discipline. The pro tournament fishermen soundproof the trailer-boat and keep noise to an absolute minimum. Noise sources also come from bait pumps and bilge pumps, all which may cause vibration and noise on the trailer-boat hull, so they must be carefully mounted on shock absorbent mounts. You have to "run silent" the same as submarines do. Trolling motors are also a source of noise. When the motor is switched on there is momentary partial cavitation and vibration created by water bubble or cavity formation due to pressure reduction at the rear, tips and faces of the propeller blades. Bearings also create noise and Minn Kota use special bearing systems in trolling motors to reduce noise outputs. A constantly running trolling motor may not spook fish, however sudden large speed increases alter the ambient noise levels with a higher noise output. Are you looking for a new fishfinder? Go to Raymarine Store @ BoatersWorld.com

What is DSC VHF radio?

The saltwater trailer-boat fisherman who ventures offshore will be looking at the introduction of Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF radios. I have a Standard Horizon model on my boat. These are part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System or GMDSS. Channel 70 is reserved for DSC use. DSC has the advantage that digital signals in radio communications are more efficient than voice transmissions, as well as significantly faster. A DSC VHF transmission typically takes around a second to broadcast boat details and precise position. A dedicated DSC watch receiver is required to continuously monitor the specified DSC distress frequency. Class D controllers are now available, and these are from Standard Horizon, Raymarine, ICS, Icom and Simrad. DSC radios enable the transmission of digital information based on four priority groupings, which are Distress, Urgency, Safety, and Routine. To perform this selective transmission and reception of messages, every station must possess what is called a Maritime Mobile Selective-call Identity Code (MMSI). The DSC Distress alert message is configured to contain the transmitting vessel identity (the MMSI code or Unique Identifier Number), the time, the nature of the distress, and the vessel position where interfaced with a GPS. After transmission of a distress alert, it is repeated a few seconds later to ensure that the transmission is successfully transmitted

CLICK HERE FOR MORE USEFUL INFORMATION ON DSC VHF RADIOS FOR SAILING AND FISHING BOAT OWNERS

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