Mhtroller
2012-02-12 21:16:34
I had alternator problems last season so I went in to napa and bought a Wilson alternator and put it on. It fixed all of my problems and worked all season great. now I have been told that I made a mistake by not buying an expensive prestolite or other "marine" alternator as I am really affecting my hull voltage and thereby my catch rate, although I noticed no difference. other suggestions have been to take a heavy gauge wire and connect the ground directly to the engine block where all the other bonding in the boat is connected, rather than the negative terminal in the engine room which then continues on to the bonding area. and the positive direct to the battery. this was supposed to help with the hull voltage and also take the constant bounce out of the amp meter from the cillinoid on my autopilot which is running all day. great pains have been taken to make sure that everything on my boat is correctly bonded and I don't want to screw any thing up. any input on the matter would be greatly appreciated. thanx
salmon4u
2012-02-13 09:57:32
let me know if you figure out the magic voltage that makes fish jump onto your lines.. I know some will claim to have the answers, but in reality, I think the voltage/catch rate question is more superstition than science.
spike christopher
2012-02-21 17:12:51
my suggestion is don't worry if you don't see a difference, there is so much information running around on this subject that it can get you down. the bottom line is if your system is grounded then you are grounded, period........
it won't make a difference on whether you ground the alternator or you have the buss bar grounded, it is all the same. I just went through this whole concept with a new hydraulic pump. The alternator is usually grounded to the engine to begin with, but to be double safe run a grounding line from the alternator to the engine block. If you want to check your voltage on your trolling lines give me a call and I'll walk you through it. 907 399 3555.