I've been kicking this idea around for a while and finally got around to doing it. Trying to solve a couple issues, first to increase my 270 AH house bank and second to hopefully correct the typical H34 starboard list.
The house bank on my boat was in the starboard locker (aka dungeon) and while down there to service the batteries I saw some space between the fuel tank and aft berth wall and decided I could take that space and a few more inches out of the aft berth width and have a space that could accommodate an extra battery or two. This led me down a rabbit hole of researching batteries and a conclusion that 3 firefly batteries would give me 220% more usable AHs than my 2 FLAs and started designing the space. I drew it in SketchUp then started building.
First I cutout the aft berth wall and discovered the gap between the tank and wall seen at the tank perimeter was reduced by the plastic tank bulge when full. I initially thought I could just take 7" from the aft berth width but had to increase to 9" after this discovery. I built a plywood plank and wrapped it in fiberglass to support the. batteries. I also cut out a section of the floor and installed a support member for the cut edge and battery plank. My intention was to have the batteries enclosed with cabinetry so I installed wood dividers between the batteries to support the cabinetry and found some hardware that would allow the front panel to lift off and the top to snap in place.
I'm also taking this opportunity to upgrade the battery wiring and add fusing per current standards. A previous owner put in an inverter that calls for 2/0 wire but the factory battery wiring is #4. But the real impetus for this project getting new cushions for the aft berth. I didn't want to redo afterwards so got this project finished then ordered up new foam. New cushions coming up soon!
The house bank on my boat was in the starboard locker (aka dungeon) and while down there to service the batteries I saw some space between the fuel tank and aft berth wall and decided I could take that space and a few more inches out of the aft berth width and have a space that could accommodate an extra battery or two. This led me down a rabbit hole of researching batteries and a conclusion that 3 firefly batteries would give me 220% more usable AHs than my 2 FLAs and started designing the space. I drew it in SketchUp then started building.
First I cutout the aft berth wall and discovered the gap between the tank and wall seen at the tank perimeter was reduced by the plastic tank bulge when full. I initially thought I could just take 7" from the aft berth width but had to increase to 9" after this discovery. I built a plywood plank and wrapped it in fiberglass to support the. batteries. I also cut out a section of the floor and installed a support member for the cut edge and battery plank. My intention was to have the batteries enclosed with cabinetry so I installed wood dividers between the batteries to support the cabinetry and found some hardware that would allow the front panel to lift off and the top to snap in place.
I'm also taking this opportunity to upgrade the battery wiring and add fusing per current standards. A previous owner put in an inverter that calls for 2/0 wire but the factory battery wiring is #4. But the real impetus for this project getting new cushions for the aft berth. I didn't want to redo afterwards so got this project finished then ordered up new foam. New cushions coming up soon!
