Battery tie down question

[sailaway78]

I just switched out the batteries in the 37, and went from group 29's to four 6v golf cart batteries. Currently have the typical box/strap tie downs. Not too long ago I saw a pic, on here I think, of someones battery compartment, that had some 2 x 4's,???, over the battery tops to hold them down in case the boat turns turtle. What are the boards opinions on doing this. Will say I have never been knocked down, and hopefully never will. But do plan on some gulf cruising. So, what do you think, and how strong should this system be. Is it worth the effort. Could I use some of the ratchet tie downs. Using anything rigid is going to be really a PITA, as the battery compartment is hell to get to, and anything else in the way in there, would just make it worse.

 

[Terry Cox]

Our two 8Ds are stored in covered fiber glass boxes that...

are bolted to a steel frame. If we were to venture off shore I would place blocks on top of the box lids to keep them in place in the event of a knock down. The lids are bolted to the box, but the blocks would be more secure.Terry

 

[Ross]

Some manner of a strong lashing will serve.

the idea of ratchet tie-downs is good if you can keep them corroding. For my propane tanks I made some bronze "D" rings and glassed them to the deck of the compartment and used those as strong points for my lashing.

 

[higgs]

I like the ratcheted tied down idea

those straps are certainly strong enough to hold your batteries. I don't think you will have a preblem with corrosion in the ratchets. I used them to install a water tank under the cockpit floor in my Irwin. They did the job perfectly for 10 years until I sold the boat and the ratchets did not corrode.

 

[Mike B]

Ran strap around them

I installed 6Vs last year and in addition to strapping them down I also ran straps around them. Don't think it would handle things in a knock down but for what we get around here it should help keep them stabislized.

 

[seadaddler]

Battery Boxes

Do we really need battery box's.Most boxes are not air tight and have some kind of venting holes soif the boat did have a knock down wet cells would leak out any way.As long as they can't move and strapped down is that good.Nick

 

[Ross]

If the batteries weigh less than 100 pounds then

a tie down with 500 pound breaking strength would hold them in a 4G knockdown.

 

[Tsehum Pete]

This Particular Boat

I sure would not want to be on my present boat in a knockdown. It would not be pretty. The boat is fairly well-equipped for offshore sailing but is of light displacement. If I was to voyage out there where the risk of a knockdown was higher than my present somewhat sheltered cruising grounds, I would want to go in a more rugged vessel. Battery compartment modifications are one of many things that would be needed to handle offshore conditions. For now, I will continue to voyage around my much-loved Wet Coast and watch the weather very closely.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Battery box logic

I kept the boxes but left the covers off. You're right that in a severe experience the boxes wouldn't help, but I figure that's NOT what I'm protecting. What the boxes do is hope to contain a spill of battery acid if, just if, a battery case breaks. Better the acid in the battery box than inside the rest of the boat. BTW, we have (3) 130 AH wet cells, with a separate no maintenance (sealed) start bank.

 

[NautiDuck]

I'm surprised

I figured securing btteries was a must-do. We just have two Group 24 AGMs but the are held down with metal bars that are held by long bolts to a mounting plate. If we rolled the batteries would stay put. Of course everything else would fly all over the place!

 

[higgs]

Covers

Covers are important so nothing metal falls over the posts and causes a short. My surveyor told me of a boat he surveyed that had started on fire because the battery, tucked out of site in the cockpit locker, was not covered. The owner put his aluminum handled mop into the locker and it fell into the open battery box shorting out the terminals. By CG regs, you do not need to have a battery box. They must be secure so they cannot shift and they must be covered - at least that is what the courtesy inspector told me.

 

[Andy1237]

Higgs gets safety award

Face it, in a severe knockdown the batteries will break out of many boxes, etc. It is not very convenient to have them covered, but it will keep that loose winch handle from shorting across the post.

 

[Ross]

Even the hot terminal in my car is covered with a hard shell

plastic protector. If you don't have the need to service the batteries then the cover is no inconvenience. If you must service the batteries then provide for an easy to remove latch system.