Changing to 6 volt golf cart batteries

Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
bingo. you've guessed correctly - i've done no such research. matter of fact, i recently attended the new york boat show and neglected to ask any manufacturer if his boat came with a 6 volt electrical system. me culpa.
No one uses a 6V electrical system nor do golf carts for that matter. The batteries are wired in series for 12V, 24V, 36V etc...

On boats we wire in series to get to desired voltage then series/parallel to build Ah capacity.. There are many boat builders who will ship boats with 6V batteries but they are always 12V or 24V systems.......
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
keep in mind, if any of you have insurance and needed a survey for said insurance, the surveryor most probably didn't consider your 'improvements,' and you probably don't know what effect this might have on your coverage.
 
Jan 10, 2015
130
. . Pensacola, FL
So you're saying switching to series-connected 6v golf cart batteries for the 12v banks could void the boat's insurance?

To anyone who's done this mod, have you encountered this issue?
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
So you're saying switching to series-connected 6v golf cart batteries for the 12v banks could void the boat's insurance?

To anyone who's done this mod, have you encountered this issue?
Doubtful. Very. If that was the case, anybody who upgraded their 1980-era electrical system would have "issues." Hasn't happened.

Basic question:

...what gauge wire is needed for the relatively short jumper cable when connecting them in series for the 12v bank (also assuming they will occupy the same 'footprint' as one 12v battery)?
The same size as was used for the output wiring to the switch from the old bank, assuming it was correctly sized.

Golf Cart 6V Battery Wiring http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,7162.0.htm
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
i think it may be apples and oranges. surveyors can tell the difference between upgrades of what's already there and a complete change. i wouldn't give the kind of insurance company who might deny a claim because of a new system since the last survey before taking a chance. i'm sure any insurance company could give the ok, or not. before an owner undertakes such a modification.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
morty, I've never seen or heard of a surveyor look in a battery box to find out what kind of batteries were there. They could inspect the quality of the wiring for safety issues, but to expect them to comment, like: "Oh, this boat came out of the factory with (2) 4Ds and now you have golf carts!" is, excuse me, just ridiculous.
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
stu, happily for me a surveyor looked at a catalina 30 for me that had flooded battery boxes and when the seller declined to explain why the batteries were swimming in fluid, we we walked away. also, when i changed insurance companies - thankfully from progressive to geico - the sureyor absolutely checked the batteries. maybe we just care about batteries more here in the cold, cold, freezing northeast.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
morty, checking the batteries is NOT what I meant or said. Of course any surveyor worth his salt would check the condition of the batteries.

What you seemed to be saying was that a surveyor would check to see if there were DIFFERENT batteries than what were originally supplied. And which is what prompted my comments because it seems sluggo took it that way, too.

Perhaps we both misunderstood, sorry.
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
yeah, stu, but i think we're beating this to death.
i did mean that a i don't know how a surveyor, or insurance company, wouid react to anything they hadn't seen before. neither is known for imaginative outlook. it might also be considered how prospective buyers would react seeing something different from all other boats. i guess when a person comes looking at a catalina 30 he has exactly in his mind what to expect and golf cart batteries - improvement or not - are not among them.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
i guess when a person comes looking at a catalina 30 he has exactly in his mind what to expect and golf cart batteries - improvement or not - are not among them.
Only an uneducated or undereducated boat buyer would not understand 6V batteries being on a boat.

You'll be glad to know that in a recent survey of 1126 sailors 25% of your peers surveyed reported using them as house banks. A full quarter of the sailors out there are using 6V or 2V batteries..

This is not new and only an Ostrich, with their head in the sand, has not seen nor heard of using 6V golf cart batteries for deep cycling applications...;) Any surveyor that would question the use of 6V batteries SHOULD NOT BE A SURVEYOR or IS NOT A SURVEYOR....:doh:


keep in mind, if any of you have insurance and needed a survey for said insurance, the surveryor most probably didn't consider your 'improvements,' and you probably don't know what effect this might have on your coverage.
Complete and utter RUBBISH with regard to 6V batteries.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Basic question:

Assuming these batteries are going to be installed:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracell-golf-car-battery-group-size-egc2/prod3590220.ip?navAction=push

...what gauge wire is needed for the relatively short jumper cable when connecting them in series for the 12v bank (also assuming they will occupy the same 'footprint' as one 12v battery)?

Thanks
Same size as the rest of the battery wiring. Unless of course that is undersized, then you'll want to upgrade it when you are in there...


So you're saying switching to series-connected 6v golf cart batteries for the 12v banks could void the boat's insurance?

To anyone who's done this mod, have you encountered this issue?
As a potential new boat owner you'll need to understand there are folks on forums who simply speak out their posterior and often have little knowlege of what they may be taking about, but talk about it anyway....

There is a ZERO % chance the use of 6V batteries in series for a 12V bank will fail a survey ZERO!

Heck there are piles of builders who ship boats from the factory with 6V batteries. It is a factory option for most any good builder of off shore boats. I have multiple customers with cruising boats that shipped from the factory with 6V or 2V banks.
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
i was an uneducated and undereducated buyer when i bought my boat, mainesail. however, with a good surveyor, and honest seller , and years of experience and a willingness to learn i advanced.

we are all almost totally uneducated and undereducated about almost all aspects of life and no matter how long we live, will certainly die so.

it ain't a sin or failure.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
yeah, stu, but i think we're beating this to death.
i did mean that a i don't know how a surveyor, or insurance company, wouid react to anything they hadn't seen before. neither is known for imaginative outlook. it might also be considered how prospective buyers would react seeing something different from all other boats. i guess when a person comes looking at a catalina 30 he has exactly in his mind what to expect and golf cart batteries - improvement or not - are not among them.
I think the real issue with this ongoing "reasoning", or misunderstanding, is that you are taking the term golf cart batteries too literally... the batteries dont say "these are for use in a golf cart" on them.... its just a term used because the golf cart industry is the highest consumer of them.

they are just batteries that have been purposely engineered and built for use within specific parameters and exceptionally long life... as perfect for certain boats as they are for golf carts and numerous other types of electrical driven equipment.

the insurance companies dont care what you want to use for batteries, how many you have, what size they are, how many volts they produce or even how old they are, but they do care that whatever is in there needs to be wired correctly... and that is what the surveyor will look for and report accordingly.
he will also make a note on the age or condition of them, but this is for the buyers information, because the insurance people wont care.
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
see ya next topic, meanwhile all of you enjoy your unique catalina 30', stock batteries or not. that's really why we spend some much time, money and tribulation on them.
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
and, mainesail that's exactly saying only an uneducated and undereducated private pilot can't understand that military aircraft are 400 volt 100 cycles.

neither statement has any bearing on catalina 30's and i believe that's exactly why we are here.
 
Jan 10, 2015
130
. . Pensacola, FL
Stu, Maine, Centerline...thanks for the logical. reasoned responses. As a newb to boat ownership and the requisite maintenance, it is very helpful!

Sluggo
 

mortyd

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Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
back to the beginining i believe the guy asked if anyone had done what he asked to a catalina 30, and i believe nobody has yet answered he did. so much bull - some it mine - and so much showing-off knowledge about electrical systems of all kinds of watercraft - but i believe not one answer from someone who had made said change to a catalina 30. please note the name of the website we are on.