Rhodes 22 battery location...

Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
Hi guys, new member, old sailor. I recently acquired a 1976 Rhodes 22 Continental, and for the life of me, can't find a battery location. The boat has interior lights and running lights but no fuse/switch panel or battery switch. I have searched every nook and cranny and come up empty handed. The previous owner is deceased, and I bought the boat from his daughter who had no interest in sailing. It has not been used since '84 and is actually in pretty good, unaltered condition. Is it possible that this boat came with no electronics? I worked in the boat repair business for 35 years and have never seen a boat with lights installed but no electrical system... any ideas?
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Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
I will look again under the V berth. Currently, there is no plywood on the V berth, only the flotation foam. The water tank was pulled out, and I am assuming that the previous owner was repairing it. I haven't seen any wires from the lights inside and as it has a molded interior, you can't see the back of the running lights. I have no interest in upgrading the lighting systems as I don't plan on sailing at night. My long distance cruising days are over, excepting an occasional overnight in a gunkhole, and I have an anchor light I can run up the mast...
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I have an old Rhodes that I have been slowly repairing. I plan to give it to my kids. Here is an album with a few repair pics and I have many more if you find the useful.


On my Rhodes I plan to use puck LED lights for the interior and clamp on nav lights for the rare occasion that I sail at night. For an anchor light I hang an LED camping lantern from my boom. I don't trust some 5:00 AM fisherman to look UP at my mast in the fog so I like to keep my anchor light on the boom. Regarding insurance, I assume you are only going to get liability. You will not need any inspections for that.

On the interior, I am not going to reinstall the galley. I've been gunkholling on various boats for 20 years and almost never cook in the cabin. My recommendation would be to get a nice bimini and a cockpit table and clamp a BBQ to the stern rail. At anchor you will want to cook outside to keep the cabin from getting hot... and then just make sandwiches for lunch underway.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
BTW:

I still have the switch box I pulled from my Rhodes. It is wooden... could be a homemade job but it is yours if you want it.
 
Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
The running lights are on the cabin sides near the cockpit, and I am not going to change them. In my 60+ years of boat ownership and cruising, I have never been inspected for light compliance. Now I have had inspections for life jackets, throwable boat cushions, horn, bell and flare expiration dates, but not lights. Thanks for the offer of a switch panel but I actually have one. The whole point of this thread is: where was the battery located and why is there no switch panel? I can't imagine it came from the factory with non-operational lights...
 
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Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
Update... I just went out to the boat and searched again from bow to stern, and wouldn't you know, I found this in the last place I looked! Couple of 16 gauge wires with an inline fuse, and a couple of battery hold down cleats. This was under the stbd cockpit seat with one wire just sticking out of a hole in the bulkhead. Still no switch panel... I can't imagine you had to attach the wires to the battery to turn on the running lights...
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Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
By the way, I looked at your Rhodes album and was planning on spraying my hull "flag blue". Is that the color that you used? What brand of paint did you use? (Or is that gel coat...)
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
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The blue was on the hull when I got it. I stripped and barrier coated and painted the bottom roll and tip with oil based (in the can) rustoleum enamel paint. The red and white are rustoleum.

I've used rustoleum on several boats and have always had really good results. The other think I like about rustoleum is that 5 years later, when I scratch the hell out of it... I can still find an exact color match for the touch up and a spray can is good for the touch ups on the bottom.

The bottom of this boat is also rustoleum...
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If you are going to trailer sail, you don't need anti-fouling bottom paint. Just rince off the bottom after each sail. I've done many week long trips in my boats and a simple wash down once it is back in the driveway is enough to keep the bottom clean.
 
Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
Actually, I am going to keep the boat in a slip at our neighborhood marina. I have "Wet Edge" polyurethane marine enamel, and am going to do the boot stripe in red and white in keeping with the boat being built in the bicentennial year. I will do the bottom with red anti fouling paint.
 
Mar 15, 2021
18
Rhodes 22 Chesapeake Bay
Just ordered a Seadog switch/fuse panel. Believe it or not, Home Depot has the best price with free shipping. I have a depth finder and a VHF radio that I am going to install... I also need to find a home for my O'Day 17 day sailor.
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