Moving battery for’ard

[Milton.Audas]

I’m considering moving my battery to the for’ard compartment under the V-berth. Idea being to move weight forward to balance the weight of the outboard and gas tank in the stern. Has anyone a) done this, and b) noticed any improvement in balance of the boat, ability to point higher, etc. ?

 

[Joe]

Give it a try and see what happens. Instead of spending big bucks right away on longer heavier cables for the permanent solution, do some testing. Go out sailing and disconnect the battery and move it around to various areas of the boat.. forward, starboard, port... wherever... make some notes... then decide. I'm sure you can sail without your instruments, stereo and refrigerator for an hour or two while you fiddle with this experiment.

 

[Gene Neill]

I'd do what Joe said, and experiment with it first. I think you'll find it makes no difference at all.

 

[Justin_NSA]

on Joe's suggestion. Cabling that heavy and long is expensive. Only to maybe discover it didn't improve anything.

 

[LakeShark]

I’m considering moving my battery to the for’ard compartment under the V-berth. ......Has anyone a) done this, and b) noticed any improvement in balance of the boat, ability to point higher, etc. ?

Do you race? Is your boat stipped down to reduce weight? If your a racer, yes getting the weight forward will help quite a bit but you likely already know this as your crew is likely sitting forward downwind anyway. In fact if you race competitively likely you already have the lightest class legal motor on the stern as well. For cruising the difference will be marginal. You'll notice some improvement downwind particularly with the Genoa polled out or the Spinnaker up but going up wind your pointing angle will have more to do with rig tuning than the weight of a battery. Still the C22 is well known to be stern heavy so moving weight forward does help it just depends on how you use your boat.

As to whether or not others have done it; Yes many have and there is even an article or two on doing that in the C22 tech manual available through the C22 association on their website. Before committing fully for your sailing style a 5 gallon collapsible water jug or solar shower can easily be moved around the boat to find the optimal placement of the weight for your boat.

However if your goal is pointing then first invest time in getting the tune right, rudder balanced, good / new sails, inside tracks for the headsail, and a tension gauge. If your not there yet then moving the battery won't change much.