battery location

[jana.gilliland@yahoo.com]

We are finally getting the Daysailor I ready to go back in the water after 20 years of storage. Wondering where the battery was located or advice on the best place for it and was there a cover for the small compartment back at the transom?

Thanks in advance,
the wife

 

[Joe11688]

We are finally getting the Daysailor I ready to go back in the water after 20 years of storage. Wondering where the battery was located or advice on the best place for it and was there a cover for the small compartment back at the transom?

Thanks in advance,
the wife

I would look into buying a battery booster for this boat. One of the guys in my club uses one for an electric troll motor for his dinghy to get out to his boat on the mooring. You could keep it in your car for emergencies and when you take your boat out you could store it in the cuddy and use it for your lights when you need it. Deep Cycle batteries are expensive, they're heavy, and they need charging from time to time. The cables are usually made up permanent to your lights, whereas a battery booster has alligator clips which could be attached to the light circuit with ease.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Most of the Day Sailers were sold without an installed electrical system, some owners installed them aftermarket, me included. I originally had a Group-24 "dual-Purpose Battery in a box in hte cuddy just forward of the mast. I now have switched to a DC-1 size Deep-Cycle battery, and have it located just inside the cuddy on the starboard side. This balances the weight of my 4 hp outboard clamped to the transom, offset to port to clear the rudder. On a DS I you will need to install a platform to set the battery box on. I have a DS II and the box is secured to the molded liner of the cuddy.

Second answer, by "small compartment" in the stern, do you mean the "kickerpit"? that is the outboard mounting location, offset to port where the deck meets the transom (see pic below). If so, the YES, there originally was a cover included for that. Perhaps a fellow DS I owner could measure theirs? A piece of plywood, well sealed could be used to cover the kickerpit when the outboard isn't in place. I recommend sealing the plywood with epoxy or a good marine paint to reduce the chance of it swelling and getting stuck in place (would make mounting hte outboard more than a bit difficult!
As it turns out, it appears that the original factory-supplied covers were varnished marine plywood.

 

[jana.gilliland@yahoo.com]

Thanks Sunbird and Trinka,
Your answers and Pics were the best!

 

[48dodge]

I would look into buying a battery booster for this boat. One of the guys in my club uses one for an electric troll motor for his dinghy to get out to his boat on the mooring. You could keep it in your car for emergencies and when you take your boat out you could store it in the cuddy and use it for your lights when you need it. Deep Cycle batteries are expensive, they're heavy, and they need charging from time to time. The cables are usually made up permanent to your lights, whereas a battery booster has alligator clips which could be attached to the light circuit with ease.

Good idea on the booster. I use one in my 48 Dodge to run a radio since its just a 6 volt system. One thing is most that I've run into don't supply voltage to the clamps until it detects a battery. What I do is use a cigarette lighter plug in one of the outlets.