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Post by southshoreslayer on Aug 26, 2015 6:37:06 GMT -6
Well scary moment this weekend. I was in the back of my boat and smelt something funny. I look around to see smoke pouring from my bow. Turns out my trolling motor plug was on fire! I disconnected the batteries and put it out with no damage other than the plugs. What is the safest way to connect your motor? Hardwire is not an option as it has to be removable after every trip. The problem with the plugs is the terminals only allow a 1/4 of wire to go into the connector. I do not want this to happen again.
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985crabs
Captain
2000 V1900 Bay Series, Yamaha 150 Carb. 2
Posts: 1,309
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Post by 985crabs on Aug 26, 2015 9:54:08 GMT -6
That's not a happy story. What type system do you have? 12V, 24V, 36V?
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Post by southshoreslayer on Aug 26, 2015 10:17:03 GMT -6
That's not a happy story. What type system do you have? 12V, 24V, 36V? 24 volt MK Riptide ( tiller model ). Both male and female plugs are only 6 months old. |
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985crabs
Captain
2000 V1900 Bay Series, Yamaha 150 Carb. 2
Posts: 1,309
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Post by 985crabs on Aug 26, 2015 11:07:29 GMT -6
Hmmm...Did you use a MK plug set? I've got a 24V Motorguide tiller model. My plugset is by Marinco. It looks identical to the one MK offers with the 3 prongs. Wire is 8 ga. Only problem I've had with it is that the wires on the female side got fairly corroded and I had to pull them, snip them and reseat them with a corrosion inhibitor. I want to say it's been on the boat for nearly 3 years now.
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Post by southshoreslayer on Aug 27, 2015 7:51:01 GMT -6
Yes they were MK plugs and the female had the MK adapter going into the female end to accommodate the larger 6 gauge wire.
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985crabs
Captain
2000 V1900 Bay Series, Yamaha 150 Carb. 2
Posts: 1,309
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Post by 985crabs on Aug 27, 2015 11:42:15 GMT -6
Wow, not sure what else to recommend. Is it possible that something got abraded and uninsulated during installation?
There are heavy duty plug and receptacle sets availble for high amp applications. They're a bit pricier. Look up T-H Marine Trolling Motor Plugs and Receptacles. Motorguide offers 50-amp clips (like jumper cable clips) for removable-mount systems. I don't know that they are elegant in any way, but...
Can anyone else offer a suggestion?
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Post by gtightline on Aug 27, 2015 15:07:55 GMT -6
I would love to have a trolling motor.
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Post by Juan on Aug 27, 2015 15:43:28 GMT -6
IMO there's no such thing as a reliable 100% safe way to connect a trolling motor with a receptacle. They will corrode and get hot, especially of used in a saltwater environment. I had the same thing happen to me once and like you, caught it before the boat caught on fire... from that day on, I hard wire all my trolling motors. You can hard wire using wire nuts so it's still easy to remove the trolling motor at the end of the day... granted, not as easy as a plug and receptacle, but still only takes a minute to disconnect.
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Post by freezerfiller on Aug 27, 2015 16:29:54 GMT -6
I have a Marinco plug, and haven't had any issues yet, but I agree any plug will corrode and should be maintained to make it last as long as possible. You should also have a fuse or breaker at your battery that should prevent any potential fires when that day comes...
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mosquito13
Lieutenant
Posts: 788 
Location: the other West Coast
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Post by mosquito13 on Sept 8, 2015 17:27:23 GMT -6
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Post by Simple Man on Sept 17, 2015 9:02:31 GMT -6
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Post by AHHHH-Spray on Sept 17, 2015 19:51:37 GMT -6
Thanks for the link. I'm in the market for a new plug too and that one looks like the shiz-nit! |
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Post by freezerfiller on Sept 17, 2015 21:02:31 GMT -6
Any idea what size hole it requires? Looks a little different..
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Post by Simple Man on Sept 18, 2015 6:39:25 GMT -6
Any idea what size hole it requires? Looks a little different.. You have to whittle some on the factory hole but not bad. I have one downstairs still in the package if you need exact measurements. |
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