Batteries under the V berth?

groundhogyh · Oct 20, 2017

Is the proposed location v berth or bathroom?

gene_neill · Oct 22, 2017

Under the after end of the V berth, centered. They were in the keel, but there is only room there for two group 24 batteries, and I'd like to have a bigger bank if possible.

winslowbuoy · Oct 22, 2017

The advantage of the batteries in the keel space is that they are low down and near the centre of the boat thus having maximum effect on stability. Moving the batteries toward the bow will make her nose heavy and because they will be above or on the waterline will have a negative effect on buoyancy.The move could be compensated by moving heavy items into the keel but the proposal to move the battery location is not straight forward. You would also have to extend major power leads to the engine and switchboard probably doubling their length. I have very little electrical knowledge but there must be reason why most batteries are installed near to the engine.

tiempo2010 · Oct 22, 2017

Because of the increased distance the battery cables will have to be increased in size as well. 1/0 or 2/0 wire will be needed.

rchrdcoe · Oct 22, 2017

I installed a third battery under the cockpit sole. There's quite a bit of room there and close to the engine.

dougpol1 · Oct 22, 2017

I have a starting and house battery under the sole. Works a
charm. I had a second house battery under a cockpit seat but LED
lights one house battery seem plenty. Doug

On 10/22/2017 04:13 PM,
coe.richard@... [AlbinVega] wrote:

sexton1313 · Oct 22, 2017

I changed all my lights to LED. Added a 50 watt solar panel for my house battery, and I can run my nav electronics all day with no worries. "Valkyrie" Albin Vega 3123Rudder Club, Jacksonville Florida.

gene_neill · Oct 22, 2017

I'm doing a complete rewire. The extra cable length would definitely cost money. I'm willing to spend it, IF the compromise is desirable. And it IS a compromise.Another factor in this equation is that I definitely plan to put an anchor and probably 30' of chain on the bow. So I'm already a tad bow loaded. The MD7a is being replaced with a Beta 14, which is lighter, so there's also less weight aft of the mast. We will be full time cruising though, Lord willing, so there will certainly be an unlimited amount of weight which could be placed aft to compensate. I guess the question is, would that then be too much weight altogether.

And yes, simply raising the batteries - especially while adding to their weight and number - is a factor also.

pelagicasd · Oct 22, 2017

We built a couple of custom boxes in the cockpit lockers sized for four 6 volt batteries. A separate shelf has a group 24 battery for starting. I would sit in the cabin thinking if I ever capsized and found myself sitting on the cabin overhead what would fall on me? I decided if it ever happened I wouldn't want those batteries under the cabin sole falling on out. The house bank gave us a lot of amps but the weight was way to much. They also didn't survive the hot Mexican summer even though they had been disconnected. Now the

boxes each have a group 27. As Doug points out, LED lights have a minuscule drain. Walt

________________________________
From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Douglas Pollard dougpol2@... [AlbinVega] AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 1:25 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Re: Batteries under the V berth?

[Boxbe]Boxbe [http://www.boxbe.com/stfopen?tc_ser...utm_campaign=ANNO_CLEANUP_ADD&utm_content=001] This message is eligible for Automatic Cleanup! (AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com) Add cleanup ruleBoxbe | More infohttp://blog.boxbe.com/general/boxbe...utm_campaign=ANNO_CLEANUP_ADD&utm_content=001I have a starting and house battery under the sole. Works a charm. I had a second house battery under a cockpit seat but LED lights one house battery seem plenty. Doug

vlarwig · Oct 23, 2017

I carry 100' of chain and 30 gallons of water under the vbirth along with a 8 foot rib on the foredeck.keep weight forward on the vega it performs much better if you don"t drag the tail. but for what its worth i have 2 golf cart batteries under the floor in the bilge with 140 watts of solar power and no other means of charging and have never needed it..i run refrigeration and usually an inverter for computers and such

gene_neill · Oct 23, 2017

That is good news, both about the weight distribution AND about your power generation/consumption. I'm still working on my "energy budget"!May I ask, what is the Ah capacity of your two batteries (I assume they are six volt, since they are golf cart batteries?) Also do you know the power draw of your refrigerator, and do you sail in hot climates, or cold? I definitely want a fridge also, and we will be in the tropics.

pelagicasd · Oct 23, 2017

Gene, Probably more important than Ah is insulation. I was shocked when I took the icebox out of Lyric. stainless steel inner box and a plywood outer bow with a whopping 1 inch of Styrofoam around it. No wonder the beer wouldn't stay cold! We built a custom
box out of fiberglass. It stair steps up the side of the hull with the lowest part of the box closest to the engine. It was sized to hold 6 1.5 Liter plastic bottles for cold drinks. Next step outboard was about 6 or so inches higher and separated by a plastic
fiddle. That was used for meats and produce. Last step was smaller and the closest to the outboard. We were able to surround this with a minimum of three inches of foam. Not a whole lot of area to work with so we built the aft end of the box directly against
the plywood cabin/cockpit bulkhead. We built a false bulkhead with 4 inches of foam between the two.We were never able to make ice but the mixers were cold enough for cocktails and we were a very popular boat because of it.For those not familiar with the saying, "The perfect boat sleeps 2, eats 4, drinks 6 and your wife can single-hand it."From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com on behalf of gene_neill@... [AlbinVega] AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 2:11 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Batteries under the V berth?

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That is good news, both about the weight distribution AND about your power generation/consumption. I'm still working on my "energy budget"!

May I ask, what is the Ah capacity of your two batteries (I assume they are six volt, since they are golf cart batteries?) Also do you know the power draw of your refrigerator, and do you sail in hot climates, or cold? I definitely want a fridge also, and we
will be in the tropics.