After reading replies to "new 26 battery" I have a question. I have a new 326 being commisioned this week. I did upgrade the two batterys to 27's, but am now confused as to wether there is room for a total of 3 batteries one starting unit and two for the house system. Is this correct or is there only room in the assigned spot for two total? I know I can add some more elsewhere - I just thought that if it is easy to add an additional one (to make a total of three)while commisioning and it doesn't require any chane in teh charger etc. I would do it now. Thanks for any advise
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
You did not mention battery type!
Ed: You did not mention the type of batteries that you were refering to. If you happened to upgrade to GEL cells, you could add a Optima Gel as your starting battery. These are very small and very powerful. They generally do not have the type of capacity that you would use for housekeeping but they are perfect for a starter battery.
Ed: You did not mention the type of batteries that you were refering to. If you happened to upgrade to GEL cells, you could add a Optima Gel as your starting battery. These are very small and very powerful. They generally do not have the type of capacity that you would use for housekeeping but they are perfect for a starter battery.
C
Carl and Juliana Dupre
More Batteries
Hi, Ed. We have a 2001 H340, which is not all that much bigger than a 326. We have 3 group 27's in the usual place, and I think that we could actually fit a 4th if we really wanted to. You need to confirm to make certain, but I would guess that a 3rd would fit. The real key is do you have power refrigeration. If not, then three 27's will do reasonably well; in fact, with care and conservation, just two would get you by long enough to figure out how many you really want/need and where to put them. But if you do have power refrigeration, the only question you should be asking is where to put not only the 3rd 27, but possibly a 4th! Nigel Calder's 'Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical...' gives a great (and lengthy) discussion on boat power usage audit and how to estimate the amount of battery amp-hours that you want to have on board. Then you can also decide what you want to do, if anything, about an alternator/regulator. The standard on your boat is probably 35 amps; it's all a question of how many hours you want to commit to motoring to feed your batteries; re-charging 100 amp-hours at 35 amps will be more than 3 hours of motor time. Carl and Jule s/v 'Syzygy'
Hi, Ed. We have a 2001 H340, which is not all that much bigger than a 326. We have 3 group 27's in the usual place, and I think that we could actually fit a 4th if we really wanted to. You need to confirm to make certain, but I would guess that a 3rd would fit. The real key is do you have power refrigeration. If not, then three 27's will do reasonably well; in fact, with care and conservation, just two would get you by long enough to figure out how many you really want/need and where to put them. But if you do have power refrigeration, the only question you should be asking is where to put not only the 3rd 27, but possibly a 4th! Nigel Calder's 'Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical...' gives a great (and lengthy) discussion on boat power usage audit and how to estimate the amount of battery amp-hours that you want to have on board. Then you can also decide what you want to do, if anything, about an alternator/regulator. The standard on your boat is probably 35 amps; it's all a question of how many hours you want to commit to motoring to feed your batteries; re-charging 100 amp-hours at 35 amps will be more than 3 hours of motor time. Carl and Jule s/v 'Syzygy'
D
Dan
Batteries
We have a 290 with refrigeration, radar, dual chartplotters, autopilot, and electric windlass. We get by just fine on three group 27 AGM batteries. With refrigerator running, and periodic use of other facilities, we manage to use about 60-80 amp hours per day when off the grid. We spent 9 days off the grid last year and managed it with about 2.0 hours engine time per day. We tried to utilize moves from one place to another to recharge. The real question is how much are you going to run, how long do you want to go between charging events, and if that is on the engine, how long do you think you will be under power, or need to run it to recharge. You might be better off investing in a higher amperage alternator than more batteries. If your use outruns your recharge capability or desired engine run time, it really does not matter how many batteries you install, as they won't be charged enough to matter. On our 290, we would not add more batteries, but we would consider a higher amperage alternator to lower the engine run time required when off the grid. Hope this helps some. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
We have a 290 with refrigeration, radar, dual chartplotters, autopilot, and electric windlass. We get by just fine on three group 27 AGM batteries. With refrigerator running, and periodic use of other facilities, we manage to use about 60-80 amp hours per day when off the grid. We spent 9 days off the grid last year and managed it with about 2.0 hours engine time per day. We tried to utilize moves from one place to another to recharge. The real question is how much are you going to run, how long do you want to go between charging events, and if that is on the engine, how long do you think you will be under power, or need to run it to recharge. You might be better off investing in a higher amperage alternator than more batteries. If your use outruns your recharge capability or desired engine run time, it really does not matter how many batteries you install, as they won't be charged enough to matter. On our 290, we would not add more batteries, but we would consider a higher amperage alternator to lower the engine run time required when off the grid. Hope this helps some. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
S
Scott Narum
No more room
I have one 24 and one 27 on my boat. There is no more room in the bay they are in, but there is room in other areas.
I have one 24 and one 27 on my boat. There is no more room in the bay they are in, but there is room in other areas.
E
Ed
Thanks for the info
I will see how I do with the two 27's then feel my way around the need for more. I don't understand why they don't use deep cycle batteries - I know they require maintenance - but I run a golf cart around an island in GA and they are very reliable if you add some water every couple of weeks and the endurance on them is terrific.
I will see how I do with the two 27's then feel my way around the need for more. I don't understand why they don't use deep cycle batteries - I know they require maintenance - but I run a golf cart around an island in GA and they are very reliable if you add some water every couple of weeks and the endurance on them is terrific.
S
Scott Narum
Deep Cycle
Ed, group 24 and 27 ARE deep cycle batteries...12 volt. The golf cart batteries are 6 volt deep cycle.
Ed, group 24 and 27 ARE deep cycle batteries...12 volt. The golf cart batteries are 6 volt deep cycle.
R
Ray Chapman
Dump the 27's
I own a Hunter 310 and have refrigation. The boat originally came with room for one group 24 battery. I added room for two additional group 27 batteries and then added a high amp alternator. We do extensive cruising and don't stay at marinas. I went through two sets of group 27 batteries in two years. The last set only lasted three weeks. On the advice of the company that sold me the alternator, I converted to two 6 volt golf cart batteries. I found that they hold a charge longer and can be discharged lower with no damage. The weight is the same as the 27's and the amp hours is higher. Most of the cruising boats that I met in the Bahamas use the golf cart batteries. Ray Chapman
I own a Hunter 310 and have refrigation. The boat originally came with room for one group 24 battery. I added room for two additional group 27 batteries and then added a high amp alternator. We do extensive cruising and don't stay at marinas. I went through two sets of group 27 batteries in two years. The last set only lasted three weeks. On the advice of the company that sold me the alternator, I converted to two 6 volt golf cart batteries. I found that they hold a charge longer and can be discharged lower with no damage. The weight is the same as the 27's and the amp hours is higher. Most of the cruising boats that I met in the Bahamas use the golf cart batteries. Ray Chapman
- Status
- Not open for further replies.