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.