boat voltage

[siwash]

i recently rewired my boat and it is reading -.78 volts on the rigger cable and the same in the water surrounding the boat....how do i interpret a negative voltage reading...should i change something...any suggestions

thanks

 

[Sushihunter]

quote:Originally posted by siwash

i recently rewired my boat and it is reading -.78 volts on the rigger cable and the same in the water surrounding the boat....how do i interpret a negative voltage reading...should i change something...any suggestions

thanks

First, how are you measuring your voltage?

You should have the red/positive probe on the downrigger wire, and the black/negative probe on the battery (-) Negative.

Assuming that this is what you are doing, did you install new zincs while you were out of the water? If not, replace them all.

Also, assuming that you don't have any wiring problems around the boat, this should put you in the right range - somewhere around .600 positive volts. If not, get a Black Box or spectra line on the downriggers.

Good luck!

 

[searun]

Good points from Sushihunter - most boats put out +0.600 volts which is is perfect. If you are above that start changing zincs and checking all your grounds. A lot of commercial trollers run a heavy central ground to help ensure no issues with voltage leaks.

Another thing to consider is switching away from wire to dacron. The nice thing with dacron is it doesn't conduct conduct electricity. Downfall is you can't crank your voltage to draw them in.

 

[wolf]

Chris give me a call may be I can help you

 

[Kisinana]

Just because you switch to Dacron does not mean you still will not have problems if your voltage is too high. As you bring the fish towards the boat, the electrical field given off around can affect behaviour. Would be like you going towards a big bonfire, get too close and the heat drives you away. Have someone hold you there and you will fight to get away.
You are better to keep the voltage on your boat close to 0.600 as possible if you do not have a black box.

 

[searun]

Electricity doesn't always repel fish - I know a guy who had video camera on his boat and noticed that there was a serious voltage leak from the cable as it wore out, and yet it seemed to pull in fish like a magnet. The current was so strong you actually got a shock off the cable. So, I'm not so certain I subscribe to the theory as strongly as I once did.

 

[Kisinana]

Sharks can sense an electrical differential of one billionth of a volt. This is the equivalent of sensing the electrical current running between the positive and negative of a flashlight battery set on the ocean floor 2,000 miles apart.

Other fish, both fresh and saltwater, although not as susceptal in their abilities as sharks, have extraordinary powers to feel electrolysis in the water. Salmon, for instance, can detect voltage changes of .025 of one volt. They will respond to the electricity emitted from a mooching setup attached to a downrigger from as much as 300 feet away
Different species respond to different voltages.
The recommended voltages for common sport species are:
chinook salmon - .60 volt
coho salmon - .65 volt
sockeye salmon - .75 volt
kokanee salmon - .65 volt
halibut - .45 volt
rainbow trout- .65 volt
brown trout - .65 volt
cutthroat - .65 volt
sturgeon - .50 volt

I installed a black box a couple years back and did a little experiment while mooching in some herring balls. since they say anything over 0.75 repels fish I lowered my downrigger into the bait and turned up the voltage to 0.75. You could clearly see the bait scatter. Bringing it back down to 0.58 and we attracted fish back in.
We now when mooching and buzz bombing just drop the downriggers and set the voltage.

 

[AlK]

I am using Powerpro, so how would I check the electrical current leaks from my boat?

 

[Kisinana]

All metal on your boat that touches the water affects the charge of your boat (i.e. the leg, your kicker,swim grid, through hull fittings etc) Zincs are used as a sacrificial metal so that the other metals are not eaten away.
Strip the ends of a piece of wire and hang one end in the water. Connect the red positive lead from a multimeter set on the DC volts scale to the wire and connect the black negative led from the meter to your negative of your battery or a point that you know comes from the negative of your battery if it is too far away. The meter will show what voltage your boat is giving off in the surrounding area.
If your voltage is too high(above 0.75 volts) you will be scaring fish away and the metal on your boat will be becoming pitted by electrolysis.You can replace your zincs or add more to bring this voltage down. If your voltage is too low you do not put out an attraction field (below 0.4 volts)

 

[Hoochiebob]

Sorry if I rehash in a more technical matter,but I have to reply on a topic that includes my chosen profession(no, not charter fishing[V])
What you are reading is called potential difference.Simply, it is the difference in the voltage at the source(battery) and the voltage present in the water around your boat.The difference is caused by resistance.Fouled zincs(aka anodes)are a primary culprit,as is oxidized metal.If you eliminate the resistance,you also eliminate the potential difference.
My 19' fiberglass has an aluminum pod.I checked the potential difference on my boat and it was way too high.By adding an anode to the pod,and then connecting a #6 wire from the pod to the negative terminal, I effectively eliminated the voltage.
Now I have to work on the homemade black box I started last year!
Hooch

 

[sookeaholla]

I have a brand new fiberglass boat with a Yamaha camp return engine, so the zinc's are 1 year old and look fine. The kicker is brand new and mounted on an aluminium fixed bracket. Kicker is an 8hp 4stroke yamaha - 6amp charging system. electric scotty dr's, steel braided line, coated balls, rubber snubbers. I have not run a ground wire from the kicker to the battery - just the 2 charging system wires. Tested each side between the battery neg terminal and the dr wire, starboard side battery to starboard side dr (with batt switch switched on to the battery being tested of course) while trolling on the kicker, with lines down at fishing depth. I got .792V on starboard side, and .802V
on port side. Having gone through all that, the boat is catching salmon on both sides, the fish are not going berserk when near the boat. Granted these are winter springs. I wonder if the summer run fish will be repelled?

 

[ActionJackson017]

What affect if any does an aluminum boat have on voltage compared to a glass boat? Does one have more of a voltage problem in general than the other?

 

[Sea Ranger]

I have a 14 foot glass boat and last year put on a new motor. My voltage was too high and I don't have a black box so I added a zinc right to the bottom of my downrigger wire near the lead ball. Doing this did lower my voltage.

 

[searun]

Tin boats are generally worse than fiberglass due the the relative conductivity etc. I go back to what an old high liner troller told me and that was they made sure that everything was properly grounded to a central ground wire, and more important was to have lots of good zincs.</u>

Now as far as repelling fish is concerned, I have not seen any hard scientific proof that any of this stuff works. I've personally had great fishing with my black box cranked as high as it will go (by accident). So go figure! However, I have seen other situations where you are running exactly the same gear as you buds and you can't buy a fish...so is that scent/smell/presentation or voltage? That's why they call it fishing, and why its fascinating.

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

black box theory..... someones made alot of money on this. Im willing to bet the people who came with this are the same people who wont let bananas on board.

 

[chris73]

Bananas work fantantic! Guaranteed lots of fish! Go and ask Victoriaboater!