Boat wiring advice

[dubob]

I had a Perko Switch on a previous boat that I owned; so I know that they work great.  My question is can one attach multiple wires to one Perko Switch.  For example, does it have one place to attach the wires for starting the engine and other locations for attaching all of the other wires?  I don't want to just be able to cut off the power to my outboard when I turn the switch to "Off".  I want it to cut off the power to everything on the boat.

My ThunderJet came with 2 motors and 2 batteries.  However, it only came with one Perko switch (#8501).  Each battery feeds 1 of the 2 inputs on the switch and then the switch has 1 cable going to 1 terminal fuse block that simultaniously feeds both motors and all but one electronic system on the boat.  The exception electronic system is the Itroll electronics that I use to control the engine speed of my 9.9 hp kicker motor which is tied directly to battery #2.  Both batteries have only one set of cables (the positive and negative connection cables) with the exception of the Itroll connected directly to battery #2.

The terminal fuse block is a Blue Sea Systems terminal block that feeds both motors (unfused I think), and all other electrical devices and systems on the boat through blade ATO/ATC fuses.  Sorry, I can't give you the terminal block part number, but you could call ThunderJet and ask them for the part number that they are using on their 185 Explorer boats.  You could also call Blue Sea System and discuss with them what you want to do and ask them for their recommendation.

I leave my Perko switch in the ALL position 100% of the time.  This means both batteries are feeding current to both motors and both are being charged if either motor is running.  If I turn the Perko to OFF, then nothing on the boat will be getting power and there is no way to discharge the batteries unless the switch itself somehow shorted to ground.  I leave my electric trolling motor baterries in the boat in storage and the 2 bank charger plugged in.  I pull my fully charged cranking batteries out of the boat during storage and keep them stored in a heated room without being hooked to a charger.  I top them off on a charger a day or two before reinstalling them back in the boat.  They last at least 8 years or longer doing that.  I see no reason whatsoever to keep them on a charger during storage in a heated room.  But feel free to manage your stored batteries in any manner that makes you happy. 

Hope this helps with reconfiguring your boat.