>| I've read some of the posts how others are hooking up deep cycle 
>| batteries, but does anyone just use a 2nd normal cranking-type 
>| battery to run stuff?  

	Are you sure they were both normal starter batteries? Or were both
marine deep cycle batteries that produced sufficient current to drive the
starter? The Optima deep cycle might be a good example of a battery that
can preform both functions...

>| I know in the sailboats we've chartered, they ususally have 2
>| cranking batteries with a switch that controls flow to and from the
>| batteries with the following options:
>| 
>| 1 - 2 - both - none
>| 
>| When running the diesel or on shore power, we set the switch to
>| "both" to keep a charge on both.  When running lights and
>| instruments with the diesel off (preferred mode, of course :-), we
>| use battery 1 on odd-numbered dates and battery 2 on even-numbered
>| dates.  When going ashore, we set the switch to "none" to avoid 
>| anything bleeding the system with anything we accidentally left on.

	If they are both regular duty batteries, the deeper discharge cycle
would wear the batteries out pretty quick from what I remember....

dave