Float Mode battery drain (Yamaha 195S)

[Jeff L24]

I usually bring a BT speaker for music when anchored because I worry about being stranded by a dead battery. So I finally used my multimeter to test it. With Float Mode and music (7" screen illuminated) it went from 12.61 to 12.42 in just 30 minutes. Has anyone pushed the limit? At what point did your battery die or boat not start? The Yamaha 195S just has 1 battery. Not interested in a second battery, it's easier to just bring the speaker. Thanks.

 

[Crob83]

I usually bring a BT speaker for music when anchored because I worry about being stranded by a dead battery. So I finally used my multimeter to test it. With Float Mode and music (7" screen illuminated) it went from 12.61 to 12.42 in just 30 minutes. Has anyone pushed the limit? At what point did your battery die or boat not start? The Yamaha 195S just has 1 battery. Not interested in a second battery, it's easier to just bring the speaker. Thanks.

Whatever floats your boat, but adding a 2nd battery is not hard and then you have nothing at all to worry about.

 

[Dave burke]

In my experience, even if the battery is 11.8-12 the engine should still start. But then you’ll probably need to charge the battery since the charging system is not great.

You could always keep a booster pack with you. That’s what I do on my boat with only one battery.

How good is your stereo? How does the BT speaker compare?

 

[Jeff L24]

In my experience, even if the battery is 11.8-12 the engine should still start. But then you’ll probably need to charge the battery since the charging system is not great.

You could always keep a booster pack with you. That’s what I do on my boat with only one battery.

How good is your stereo? How does the BT speaker compare?

We use the JBL Flip 5 and when there is no engine noise to compete with, it's just as good as the boat system.

 

[Dave burke]

We use the JBL Flip 5 and when there is no engine noise to compete with, it's just as good as the boat system.

So then your question is really about having one battery then? If so, I’d install a second battery like @Crob83 says or carry a booster back.

I have the Yammy with two batteries and a smaller boat with just one. I have complete piece of mind with the Yammy. The other one, not so much

 

[kgower]

I usually bring a BT speaker for music when anchored because I worry about being stranded by a dead battery. So I finally used my multimeter to test it. With Float Mode and music (7" screen illuminated) it went from 12.61 to 12.42 in just 30 minutes. Has anyone pushed the limit? At what point did your battery die or boat not start? The Yamaha 195S just has 1 battery. Not interested in a second battery, it's easier to just bring the speaker. Thanks.

We have a NOCO jump pack, incase we need it. Second battery is on the boat but is a week or two from being hooked up.
What is foat mode and how do you access/or use it. Maybe I'm already doing it and don't know it.

 

[212s]

We have a NOCO jump pack, incase we need it.

We have a Noco booster too, in the boat for the summer in case of emergency, and in the truck for the winter.

What is foat mode and how do you access/or use it. Maybe I'm already doing it and don't know it.

Float mode is what the Connext system switches to when your engines are off - instead of speed MPH, it'll display the water temp.

 

[kgower]

We have a Noco booster too, in the boat for the summer in case of emergency, and in the truck for the winter.

Float mode is what the Connext system switches to when your engines are off - instead of speed MPH, it'll display the water temp.

Thanks, didn't know it by .name.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I usually bring a BT speaker for music when anchored because I worry about being stranded by a dead battery. So I finally used my multimeter to test it. With Float Mode and music (7" screen illuminated) it went from 12.61 to 12.42 in just 30 minutes. Has anyone pushed the limit? At what point did your battery die or boat not start? The Yamaha 195S just has 1 battery. Not interested in a second battery, it's easier to just bring the speaker. Thanks.

Put a second battery in. In an Emergency you may need it. And get a NOCO Boost and keep it in your go bag.

 

[Jeff L24]

The Boost sounds like a good idea. Thanks

 

[Farny]

Put a second battery in. In an Emergency you may need it. And get a NOCO Boost and keep it in your go bag.

I know you aren’t planning on adding one. I would recommend if you plan on adding any other electronics to the boat

 

[Rockit69]

Your single battery setup is fine for listening to music while running, add a second for piece of mind. Being stranded on the water is never fun.

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

Just my two cents on the 2nd battery. Having a 2nd just on board (in a battery tray tied down) like I did for awhile was a great peace of mind for running the stereo all day. It saved my day once and eventually I did go full bore 2nd battery complete install. I also have a back up jumper battery with 12 volt socket and USB as a back up to the back up battery. I've been stranded and almost nothing sucks more than a dead boat in the water.

 

[Jeff L24]

I'm seeing lots of second battery posts. I should have mentioned that our last boat was bigger (Cruisers 3075), had 4 batteries for 2 engines, genset, and house battery. This little Yamaha appealed to me because of its simplicity: 1 engine/1 battery, no water system, simple.
So maybe I'm resisting making it more than that. I just wanted to know how long I could safely play music in Float Mode before risking a dead battery. I do like the jump pack idea, so this question was worth asking. Thanks.

 

[steveinmd]

We do the BT speaker also (195s). I know in the back of my mind, running the onboard radio would never allow me to relax. Can run the BT all day and place it wherever.

What booster is everyone getting? Would be nice to have for the tow vehicle and commuter.

 

[Jeff L24]

We do the BT speaker also (195s). I know in the back of my mind, running the onboard radio would never allow me to relax. Can run the BT all day and place it wherever.

What booster is everyone getting? Would be nice to have for the tow vehicle and commuter.

This is what I have in my Amazon cart, just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

[Hoyt]

195S will not start under 10.5 volts. Been there

 

[steveinmd]

Watched a few videos of the insides of those Noco jumpstarters. It's really interesting how they can get enough amps out of them for starting. The gb20 only has a 3s 2100mah lipo battery. I was thinking for safety they would have used some combination of protected 18650 or 26650 cells.

 

[steveinmd]