3/0 sounds awfully big. What size alternator are you running?
As to the other electrical questions, so much depends on how you use the boat and what you're comfortable working with. If you'd prefer to stick with 12V, why not just size your wire accordingly? You could go big on the main run to minimize drop and put a couple terminal studs at each end so you can step down to a more manageable size for making battery and alternator connections.
Seems to me that would be simpler and cheaper than the other options. Then again, an AC system makes sense if you live aboard and/or want to run a lot of appliances and spend a lot of time plugged into shore power.
Personally I like to have both, 12V for everything that's essential to safety and navigation (radios, lights, bilge pumps, etc.) and 115AC for all the non-essential "comfort" items.
Just my $.02
Jim
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Linus" <wmunger@...> wrote:
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> The main issue with this thought I think is charging the batteries. If I use the engine DC alternator to charge the batteries, that will be about 20-25 feet away. If I use a 12 volt one it will take a 3/0 wire to keep the voltage drop down. If I use a 24 volt one I can use a lower gauge wire but then what do I do to connect the batteries? would I have to step down to 12 volts?
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