I am trying to figure out the best to wire my amp as far as the ground is concerned. Here's the problem. The amp needs to go in the front of the boat to stay dry but the battery is all the way in the back, about 12-15 away. I thought I would have to ground to the battery but that seems way to far...any suggestions?
not ideal but the battery is grounded to the engine block. on mine, there is a bolt on the water pump (or the alternator bracket, i can't remember w/o looking) that also grounds the negative from the battery.
A second battery up front is also a good idea if you don't already have two batteries. In my boat I have a lot of electronics associated with the engine so I had to run 0awg ground wire between the batteries as well as to the amp to get rid of engine noise.