How do you get your Batteries into the boat.

[jssailem]

The other day, my friend with the slip next to me came wandering down the dock with 2 new batteries in his cart. “Hey John can you give me a hand?” Sure… What do you need? “I need to install these two batteries and I can’t lift them into the boat.” That sounded like a simple assist. They were each about 60 pounds. Up onto the deck and then down through the companion way we went.

It was then that he shared the real trouble. His on board storage was on a shelf behind his new engine. I climbed into the limited space to the side of the engine and quickly decided there was no way I could grab the battery, hold it out at arms length and rotate my body to slide it on to the shelf.

He said he got the old ones out. Perhaps that is why he was recovering from a hernia operation.

Stuck we regrouped. It was then I remembered an article by @JamesG161 and his ramp to move his generator out of his boat.

My neighbor went home and grabbed a board. I headed back to my boat. The next day I got this message.

Genius.

You never know where an idea may come from to solve your boat problem.
Safe Boating.

 

[Terry Cox]

Replaced our two twelve year old 8D AGM deep cycle batteries (160 pounds each) with new sealed for life AGMs (172 pounds each). Cost was $916.10 each from All Battery Sales and. Service, a local Interstate battery dealer. Yes, they are very heavy, heavier than the old ones, but rated at 260 ampere hours each, as opposed to 240 for the old ones. The old ones were DECCA brand and performed very well over the years. These are Full River DC260-12LT and, hopefully, will last at least as long as the old ones.

It was a two man job. The hard part was lifting them into the clydesdale from our van and lifting them onto the steel rack shelf in the aft cabin. Used the main halyard to lift them from the clydesdale on the dock, swinging them into the cockpit, then lowered them down the companionway steps, then sliding them on cardboard into the aft cabin. Took about two hours to get the job done and another hour to connect them.

Our charging system consists of an Xantrex Freedom 20 (2000 watt) with a companion Link 1000 that does the job well, along with an 8KW Onan Genset. We normally consume about 50/60 AH per day depending on the season; more during the winter months when running the furnace. During our cruising season I run the Genset for about one and a half hours every other day to bring the house bank from a minus 100/120 AH to a minus 20 AH. This routine has worked out well over the years when many of our extended cruises can last over two months mostly at anchor. I keep shore power connected while in our slip.

Spent a week on the water last month and had the chance to use the 8KW Genset to recharge the new batteries for the first time. Wow!!! The house bank was down to about a minus 160 amps. Once the Genset started, the Freedom 20 was bulk charging over 100 Amps into these AGMs. After about 30 minutes of bulk, the Freedom 20 shifted to accept and in one hour the system was down to a minus 20 amps. Pretty impressive, to say the least, where before it would take one and a half to two hours to reach that level of charge with the old batteries when they were still in good condition.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yesterday and the day before I swapped out my four 6V flooded cell deep-cycles for new ones. I hung a 4x block&fall from the main halyard. When I lifted the new ones from the dock, the battery would naturally swing toward the centerline of the boat. I lowered through the deck hatch down to the cabin sole. Reposition myself to below, lift off the sole, then swing with low effort outboard to drop into battery box under the seat using the fall. Reverse getting the old ones out. Eight lifts total. Installed and fully charged as of this morning!

 

[shemandr]

Years ago I used the boom with a 3 part block and tackle with a cam cleat to lift a 4D out of the lazarette and swing it over the dock to be lowered into a cart. The cam cleat allowed me to stop to adjust whatever as needed. If I remember it needed a boost to clear the combing.
Back injuries are too much of detriment to your well being to risk such an injury..

 

[dkinzer]

I used a block and tackle attached to the boom, too. I had to remove part of the bimini so I could swing the battery into place at the top of the companionway. From there, it was relatively easy to lift the battery slightly and set it down on the next step down. Getting the old ones out was the reverse. These were Lifeline GPL-4DL batteries that weigh 125 pounds each.

 

[PaulK]

We had fun replacing an old house battery yesterday, our first time with this boat. It was under the bottom companionway step, which is hinged. To get the old one out we learned that you have to first remove the engine battery. No problem. Then you slide the bigger house battery over and lift it up. Sliding the battery over involves unstrapping it, of course, and then lifting it over the sills that hold it where it is supposed to go. In the limited horizontal and vertical space allowed by the step this is more challenging. Then we found out that the step has a framing piece on the inside that makes the opening too small for the battery to come out, so you have to unscrew the framing piece before manhandling the 70-pound monster out and up the steps. We hope to keep the new battery for a long time. To lower the old one off the deck we plan to use the motor hoist.

 

[jssailem]

 

[Johann]

Another advantage of Lithium (LiFePO4). My 315Ah batteries are 67 lbs each. Yeah that’s still heavy, but the 210Ah AGMs they replaced were 124 lbs each. You can get a 105Ah Epoch that weighs only 22 lbs.

 

[Davidasailor26]

My 315Ah batteries are 67 lbs each. Yeah that’s still heavy, but the 210Ah AGMs they replaced were 124 lbs each.

And at twice the weight the AGMs only provide about 33% of the usable amp hours.

 

[Dalliance]

My batteries are in an especially awkward location under the quarter berth. I pay my yacht yard to deal with them. Yes, it costs me more, but I’ve dealt with multiple back, neck and shoulder injuries in the past, and it’s just cheaper and less painful than the months of physical therapy that could result from my trying to handle the batteries myself. Know your limits.

 

[DArcy]

I had difficulty removing the Group 31 batteries but installing the new GC2 6V batteries was not too bad since they are only 64 lbs each. 230 A-Hr, but you do need two of them to get to 12V.

Are those flooded cells? That looks like a maintenance challenge getting in there to check and water them.

 

[MikeHoncho]

Those must be fun to water.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I had difficulty removing the Group 31 batteries but installing the new GC2 6V batteries was not too bad since they are only 64 lbs each. 230 A-Hr, but you do need two of them to get to 12V.

Yeah, but the ones I took off saw 7 1/2 years of service life which is a bit longer than the expected 5 years. It’d be longer if I never needed them for more than one overnight at a time between departures. They’re more expensive now, $1K for the four (WMPS); $500 for two wired in series to get 12v @ 230 A-hr. The second set of two wired in parallel with the first set gets you 12v @ 460 A-hr.

 

[LloydB]

I am still trying to learn to speak sailor what is a Clydesdale on a dock.( when not a horse)

 

[Mike G.]

Those must be fun to water.

Due to placement of our batteries, I installed the Flo-Rite Watering System on last replacement

Deep Cycle - Flow-Rite Controls

Deep Cycle BatteryPro-Fill Kits & Diagrams The Pro-Fill Battery Watering System is the only system on the market specifically designed to water deep cycle (i.e. golf car style) batteries. Do you have equipment (golf cars, scrubbers, sweepers, scissor lifts, etc.) powered by deep cycle batteries...

www.flow-rite.com

 

[MikeHoncho]

Due to placement of our batteries, I installed the Flo-Rite Watering System on last replacement

Deep Cycle - Flow-Rite Controls

Deep Cycle BatteryPro-Fill Kits & Diagrams The Pro-Fill Battery Watering System is the only system on the market specifically designed to water deep cycle (i.e. golf car style) batteries. Do you have equipment (golf cars, scrubbers, sweepers, scissor lifts, etc.) powered by deep cycle batteries...

www.flow-rite.com

i was going to do the same but was offered a free LIfeline 8D for free. Problem resolved.