Thanks C_Spray, I will take your advice and add that additional battery in parallel.

Jaybird - sounds like something was wrong with that alternator. They run hot (like everything else under the hatch), but shouldn't work themselves to the point of burning up. Could have been a bad regulator.

Tesheer - Glad to help. just did some battery re-organizing in my 382. Let me know if you need some killer cable - I have some 2/0 red and black available cheap.

C SPRAY... Thanks for your advice! I am adding a 3rd battery to my boat (for the stereo). I bought a marine isolator to use with 2 batteries. Will this allow my stereo to work from 2 batteries, or only one? I would like both to charge from my alternator/shorepower. Thanks.

fan,

Add the third battery to one of the two existing banks. The "double battery" bank will act like one great big battery and will charge and behave in that same manner.

As spray said, you should always match the two batteries on the "doubled" bank as closely as you can, in style, capacity, and approximate age. If you are adding a new battery, you may be better off to double your two existing batteries onto one bank and adding the new one to the remaining single bank.

Thanks....