Where do you guys put your battery?

[Jamesiv1]

Where is the best place to put the battery? And how do you guys secure it?

I accidentally drilled a hole in the hull trying to put it where the winch cable goes through… Then tried to glue down the battery strap clamps with 5200, and that was a bust. So where does the darn thing go?

 

[ShawnL]

Mine is in the storage area under the V-berth. I built a wooden "box" (no top, short sides) for it. Coated the box inside and out with epoxy so it wouldn't soak up moisture. Also added a tie-down. When it was dry I glued it into the v-berth with some blobs of thickened epoxy. The box stays there, and I remove the battery in the winter.

I believe Jim from Jim's little boat https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfltdKRNYewG_OILLzGAyMg/videos has a really nice video of making a custom-fit battery box.

Otherwise, the battery goes below the keel winch next to the volcano. That's where mine was originally. There were 2 blocks epoxied to the hull that held a strap for securing it. They disintegrated when I looked at them. The biggest reason I moved mine forward was so that I could install a larger battery.

 

[Leeward Rail]

The boats after 1986 have a molded recessed area in the starboard lazarette. The battery sits in a removable plastic battery box. Original models, it was mounted near the winch. Many people get larger batteries and mount them under the v berth, which has the advantage of putting more weight in the bow, to better balance the boat. C22s have a tendency to sit low in the stern.

Edit: here is an original design C22. This owner beefed up the mounting by epoxying a big piece of plywood to the Hull and adding 2 pieces of metal angle. The non modified ones I have seen, simply have 2 smaller pieces of wood for screwing down the battery strap.

 

[AaronD]

One under the winch and companionway step, one under the V-berth. A couple pictures at: Sailing and restoring #9874

 

[Jamesiv1]

Thanks for the replies guys. At the moment I have it next to the winch cable, mainly because I already had wires run to that spot.

@Leeward Rail - You mentioned C22's have a tendency to sit low in the stern, so I had a good look at mine today and for sure, it was considerably lower. Like 4-5 inches lower than the bow. Does that sound way out of line? I don't have much stuff in the forward part of the boat.... Maybe I just need to move some stuff? At first I thought maybe she's taken on some water but I had a look in the storage lockers and she's dry as a bone - as far as I can tell.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Does that sound way out of line?

Totally normal. The battery in our 87 "New design" was still in the back by the transom in it"s specially moulded locatiilon but we put gear in the v-berth to help level it out. We never used the v berth for sleeping. Cushions were stored at home, rubber mat where the cushions would be, and storage nets on each side. Even then: that light gear didn't get it to sit level. 2 decent sized batteries mounted up there would really help and the locker under the v berth was a perfect size. We sold the boat before I got a chance to do the battery upgrade.

 

[Jamesiv1]

Totally normal. The battery in our 87 "New design" was still in the back by the transom in it"s specially moulded locatiilon but we put gear in the v-berth to help level it out. We never used the v berth for sleeping. Cushions were stored at home, rubber mat where the cushions would be, and storage nets on each side. Even then: that light gear didn't get it to sit level. 2 decent sized batteries mounted up there would really help and the locker under the v berth was a perfect size. We sold the boat before I got a chance to do the battery upgrade.

Nice. Thanks for confirming that. Had me concerned when I first noticed it yesterday. I've got the anchor in the forward-most locker, and that's about all I have stowed north of the beam. I'll move some stuff forward and see how she looks.

 

[Jamesiv1]

What is a good, general purpose epoxy for securing a battery box underneath the v-berth? Or for securing anything to fiberglass?

 

[AaronD]

What is a good, general purpose epoxy for securing a battery box underneath the v-berth? Or for securing anything to fiberglass?

Quoting myself:

I use West System epoxy and their fillers / hardeners to thicken it. I've mostly used their Colloidal Silica (406) because it's a compromise between strength and sandability. But you might select a different filler depending on the job you're doing. I buy epoxy in 1 gallon jugs, and a gallon seems to last me a couple years.

There are cheaper epoxy systems than West System, but it's a reliable brand; they've run lots of experiments to evaluate how it behaves in different situations and have it really well documented on their website. And I'm willing to spend a few $$ more to support a company that's done as much for boating as the Gougeon brothers (founders of West System).

 

[Jamesiv1]

Quoting myself:

I use West System epoxy and their fillers / hardeners to thicken it. I've mostly used their Colloidal Silica (406) because it's a compromise between strength and sandability. But you might select a different filler depending on the job you're doing. I buy epoxy in 1 gallon jugs, and a gallon seems to last me a couple years.

There are cheaper epoxy systems than West System, but it's a reliable brand; they've run lots of experiments to evaluate how it behaves in different situations and have it really well documented on their website. And I'm willing to spend a few $$ more to support a company that's done as much for boating as the Gougeon brothers (founders of West System).

Awesome. Thanks @AaronD

 

[Davidasailor26]

I’m not sure how much success you’ll have epoxying directly to the battery box if that’s what you have in mind. Some plastics aren’t that sticky. Not sure if that’s true of the battery box plastic so your mileage may vary. My preference would be to bond some plywood to the hull with thickened West Systems or TotalBoat epoxy, then screw into that.

Edit to add: By the way, you can get West System Six10 or TotalBoat Thixo, which are basically pre-thickened for jobs like this.

 

[Leeward Rail]

What is a good, general purpose epoxy for securing a battery box underneath the v-berth? Or for securing anything to fiberglass?

Plastic battery boxes won't bond well to much of anything.

Look around your boat and you will see that Catalina bonds wood+epoxy/glass blocks to the Hull, and then attaches things to those blocks. Check the oem pop top supports for example.

My preference would be to bond some plywood to the hull with thickened West Systems or TotalBoat epoxy, then screw into that.

Yup. That is how boat mfg do it.

I am building a new battery box for our current boat.

It will be a removable plywood/epoxy box, bolted down to a plywood shelf that is epoxied to the hull. (I could simply epoxy the box to the Hull, but I prefer that it is removable)

 

[Jamesiv1]

I've got a 9x12 piece of 1/2 inch plywood I'm gonna seal and then epoxy to the hull under the v-berth, got a couple of strap guide thingies screwed into the plywood through which the battery strap runs.

 

[Jamesiv1]

Look around your boat and you will see that Catalina bonds wood+epoxy/glass blocks to the Hull, and then attaches things to those blocks. Check the oem pop top supports for example.

Thanks for that. Went to West Marine and bought some West System 105 Epoxy, 206 Hardener, and 403 thickener. Hope that does the trick

How many coats of epoxy on this piece of plywood do you think?

 

[Davidasailor26]

The last time I was doing something like that I was hitting some spots on my keel with Interlux epoxy barrier coat at the same time. I just put one coat of the barrier coat epoxy on the plywood to make it nice and white and give it a little protection. After it dried I mixed up the thickened epoxy and glued it to the hull.

 

[Jamesiv1]

The last time I was doing something like that I was hitting some spots on my keel with Interlux epoxy barrier coat at the same time. I just put one coat of the barrier coat epoxy on the plywood to make it nice and white and give it a little protection. After it dried I mixed up the thickened epoxy and glued it to the hull.

Nice. Thanks @Davidasailor26

 

[Jamesiv1]

They disintegrated when I looked at them.

lol