powerquest280

Hi fellow Sonic owners:

Can anyone awnser these questions???

1. When the boat is connected to shore power (at night and when we are away from it) we leave the battery charger on and the shore power on. These are the two toggle switches in the cabin. This makes sense to us to keep the batteries charged, etc. We usually do not shut the battery switches in the cockpit but I am told it really does not matter. Any thoughts?

2. Is there anything we need to do to have the auto bilge work when we are away from the boat? There is a switch at the helm and I am wondering if it should be switched on???

3. Just curoiues, where do you guys like to get parts, etc. to customize the look, like steering wheels, drive showers, and things like that?

Thanks
Mike
2002 358

runnin gun

any time the boat is in the water you want the auto bilge pump turned on. If not the bilge pump will not come on if you get a water leak and you will find your boat on the bottom of your slip. Trick marine is good for custom parts ask to speak to fred.

Terry

45sonic

To answer the first question. No it does not matter if you have the battery switches turned off. But it does require you to think when you go into the boat and nothing works. Leave them on 1 or 2 so you won't freak out when you go to turn something on and it doesn't work. Been there done that too many times especially late at night

26sonic

43 thunder should they both be left on either 1 or 2 ? or set batt # 1 to engine 1 and batt # 2 to engine 2 ?

45sonic

Keep them the same. They are for whichever bank of batteries you are using

East Coast B

My 31ss was wired with two bilge pump switches on the dash and only one pump had a float switch. Not sure how yours is wired.

I didn't care for Sonic wiring both bilge pumps to the dash switches. I disconnected the switch at the dash for the bilge pump with the float and wired directly to my batteries. This way, there is no way this bilge pump can be in the off position. Wouldn't want to ever come back and find it full of rain water, leak water just because I forgot to turn on a switch. Plus it opened up a switch on the dash which I wired to some new accessories I installed.

45sonic

I have to agree

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

We had Eddie Marine make some custom step plates for the OSO Sonic Members JUST to fit the Sonics. They replace the little white plastic dirt traps that Sonic puts on either side of the rear bench seats.

Do a search for 'sonic step plates'

Eddie Marine still carries them. They are the extra large.

Pwrbt33

iTrader: (2)

I also agree with the re-wire of the Sonic auto bilge wiring. The last I remember, when the batteries are off you dont have power to the helm switches to even have the auto switch on. I always run them to a 12volt hot. It doesnt take that long and its a better way. I havent checked the new Sonics to see if that has been re-done yet.

John

powerquest280

Now that we have been on the boat for a couple of weeks here are some of the things we do:

1. When we leave the boat for a few days the batteries (there are two of them) are left on and they are both in the "both" position.

2. We then make sure in the cabin panel with all the switches has the Shore Power switch on and the battery charger switch on. We can also elect to keep the switch for the fridge on which we do but turn it down to position 3.

3. I imagine I could also leave the auto bilge switch located on the dash in the on position as well, but have not done that yet.

4. When on the water anchored, we can leave the Cabin Power switch on and this switch is on the dash. We also leave the fridge switch on as it runs off of 12 volt and shut one battery off and leave one battery on.

5. Also, we never run the water pump unless we are filling the toilet and then immediately turn it off. We rarely have to turn it on because we are not using either of the sinks or transom shower that much.

It now all seems easier to us as we are getting used to things. What a great boat to sleep on. Everyone on our lake loves this boat. It gets serious attention wherever we go.

Mike