I had to replace my battery this weekend deader than a door nail but lasted 5 years and want to add a second one. Does anyone have a wiring diagram for adding a second battery with a selector switch. I have a few ideas but don't want to do it more than once. I added an inexpensive battery charger monitor could get captain to go for a real dual bank battery charger monitor. It only puts out 0.5 amps and will monitor for float and discharge requirements and keep the battery topped off it says it won't cook the battery and it only cost $20.00 bucks. It is usually a week between uses. If I spend more than three days on the boat away from shore power it is rare. Consumption is limited to lights, radio, small toaster oven 150watts and boat utilities like depth sounder, GPS, shore radio. Any suggestions or resources to look up. THe main line from the fuse panel is molded into the cockpit and headline for the aftberth. Sorry the boat is a Hunter 26 1994 should have put this in the begining out of practice on posting. Carl S/V Wind Shadow
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Check the West Marine Catalog
Carl: You may want to check the West Marine Catalog. They have this type of stuff in there. They also have some info on their website too. See ya soon!
Carl: You may want to check the West Marine Catalog. They have this type of stuff in there. They also have some info on their website too. See ya soon!
B
Brian
Dual Battery
I added a second battery to my 1996 H26. The batteries are in the rear starboard compartment. I cut a larger piece of plywood to fit over the existing battery shelf curved to match the hull going all the way to the back wall. I then fiberglassed it to the hull and screwed it the top of the existing shelf. I also fiberglassed in an additional leg to support it towards the centerline. I then fiberglassed another sheet of plywood to the side of the fuel tank locker above the batteries (inside the boat). I used this to attach a dual bank battery switch and a 3 stage, dual bank, 10 amp battery charger. There is an inline fuse in the power lead from each battery to the switch. I originally intended to run power for the battery charger directly from the 110 volt outlet under the breaker panel. (I put a small shore power panel next to the 12 volt panel) I could not find a good way to get the wire through the foam and back to the back of the boat however so when I want to charge the batteries from shore power I run an extension cord around the aft berth. Most of the time the boat is docked at my house where I do not have shore power so the batteries are kept charged by a solar panel. The solar panel is mounted on a piece of plywood. I used spring clips designed to hang up tools, brooms, and such to attach the plywood to the sternrail (about the same diameter as a broom handle) so it can be quickly slipped on and off. The other end rests on the cockpit floor and the power lead attaches to a plug I put in the fuel locker. Since the boat docks facing south this provides the perfect tilt for sun exposure. It's position is not suitable for when the boat is in use since it interferes with the tiller but since I set it up as quick connect I can pop it on and off quickly and have it out of the way when we are using the boat. The charger is only used when we are on trips and staying in a marina. It is also used to top off the batteries after I pull the boat in the fall. With 2 batteries I have plenty of power to last for several days aboard even without a recharge.
I added a second battery to my 1996 H26. The batteries are in the rear starboard compartment. I cut a larger piece of plywood to fit over the existing battery shelf curved to match the hull going all the way to the back wall. I then fiberglassed it to the hull and screwed it the top of the existing shelf. I also fiberglassed in an additional leg to support it towards the centerline. I then fiberglassed another sheet of plywood to the side of the fuel tank locker above the batteries (inside the boat). I used this to attach a dual bank battery switch and a 3 stage, dual bank, 10 amp battery charger. There is an inline fuse in the power lead from each battery to the switch. I originally intended to run power for the battery charger directly from the 110 volt outlet under the breaker panel. (I put a small shore power panel next to the 12 volt panel) I could not find a good way to get the wire through the foam and back to the back of the boat however so when I want to charge the batteries from shore power I run an extension cord around the aft berth. Most of the time the boat is docked at my house where I do not have shore power so the batteries are kept charged by a solar panel. The solar panel is mounted on a piece of plywood. I used spring clips designed to hang up tools, brooms, and such to attach the plywood to the sternrail (about the same diameter as a broom handle) so it can be quickly slipped on and off. The other end rests on the cockpit floor and the power lead attaches to a plug I put in the fuel locker. Since the boat docks facing south this provides the perfect tilt for sun exposure. It's position is not suitable for when the boat is in use since it interferes with the tiller but since I set it up as quick connect I can pop it on and off quickly and have it out of the way when we are using the boat. The charger is only used when we are on trips and staying in a marina. It is also used to top off the batteries after I pull the boat in the fall. With 2 batteries I have plenty of power to last for several days aboard even without a recharge.
S
Steve O.
Perko
When I did this project I bought a Perko selector switch and it had a diagram enclosed with the install directions. Also, as Steve D. pointed out, WM has a diagram in their catalog and probably on their web site as well. It's a fairly simple project-- the hardest part is trying to find a place for the 2nd battery.
When I did this project I bought a Perko selector switch and it had a diagram enclosed with the install directions. Also, as Steve D. pointed out, WM has a diagram in their catalog and probably on their web site as well. It's a fairly simple project-- the hardest part is trying to find a place for the 2nd battery.
G
George Kobernus
Dual Battery Wiring H260
Just completed this project plus shore power. First, I read all the stuff in the archives to get an idea of what others did. The WM catalog was a great help also. Others in this group coached me along the way. Read Don Casey's book on sailboat wiring. Great help. Checking battery water under the aft bunk is a pain and I wanted to use the space for storing stuff, so I moved the starter battery to under the galley, installed the new house battery in the port settee locker. This takes more wire and is harder than just adding an additional battery in the existing location. Of course, buying two Gel batteries and leaving them in the aft storage locker under the deck is a lot simpler and probably cheaper. And, you can forget about checking them. However, you are adding a lot of weight to the stern, moving the batteries forward and balancing them makes more sense to me. Casey and WM recommend using three mini switches rather than the all-in-one. Was a pain to figure out the wiring but I've got it down now and it works great. If you want to go that way I can send you the wiring diagrams and pics of what I did. Installed charger and shore power and several cabin AC outlets at the same time. This latter part added a lot of complexity to the job but I'm glad I did it. Works great. Bought one of those big 50' cords for the shore power before I realized that my orange exension cord works just as well for what AC loads I have. I Keep the big cord in the gas locker just in case. This is really where there are a lot of different solutions. Depends on how elaborate you want to get. gkobernus@chartermi.net
Just completed this project plus shore power. First, I read all the stuff in the archives to get an idea of what others did. The WM catalog was a great help also. Others in this group coached me along the way. Read Don Casey's book on sailboat wiring. Great help. Checking battery water under the aft bunk is a pain and I wanted to use the space for storing stuff, so I moved the starter battery to under the galley, installed the new house battery in the port settee locker. This takes more wire and is harder than just adding an additional battery in the existing location. Of course, buying two Gel batteries and leaving them in the aft storage locker under the deck is a lot simpler and probably cheaper. And, you can forget about checking them. However, you are adding a lot of weight to the stern, moving the batteries forward and balancing them makes more sense to me. Casey and WM recommend using three mini switches rather than the all-in-one. Was a pain to figure out the wiring but I've got it down now and it works great. If you want to go that way I can send you the wiring diagrams and pics of what I did. Installed charger and shore power and several cabin AC outlets at the same time. This latter part added a lot of complexity to the job but I'm glad I did it. Works great. Bought one of those big 50' cords for the shore power before I realized that my orange exension cord works just as well for what AC loads I have. I Keep the big cord in the gas locker just in case. This is really where there are a lot of different solutions. Depends on how elaborate you want to get. gkobernus@chartermi.net
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