TomCat's Battery Charger

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject:

Mike,

I just caught up on some of the beginning questions here re: batteries.

I have the baitwell in the aft seat area so my engine batteries are right inside the cockpit doors and set outboard. The main 12V switch panel is Starboard, just amidship to that engine's battery and the Port hatch opens to one of the house batteries which is amidship to the outboard, Port engine battery. The second house battery is in the cabin in the back of the aft dinette cabinet, in a box.

I bought a set of those vinyl tubes with a bulb pump for filling the batteries. You just put the open end into a bottle of distilled water and quick connect the other end to the top of the battery cover (the original equipment plugs are replaced with plugs that connect to this bulb pump. Then, squeeze the bulb until it becomes firm and your battery cells are all full. I use these on my motorhome also.

You have to be careful not to connect the water fill tubes to batteries in different circuits. e.g., you need a separate filler set for each of the three 12V circuits, but it is OK to use one set on two batteries if they are in the same circuit. Safest is to use a separate battery filler tube set on each battery so you can evaluate the individual fluid levels as you fill.

Anyway, I think one could move the house batteries forward easily into several different areas if you needed more aft room. However, putting a hot, gassy, exhausty genset inside the hull is costly and risky. It'd be easier just to install a marine unit.

My dock neighbors are constantly having to clean debris out of their seawater coolant intake and I have no such problems using the Honda in a box.

John

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject:

Re: Access to aft bilge

Mike, I think Warren cut out round hatch holes in the back of the each fish box to aid in seeing all that equipment/pumps back there. I keep saying I will do that each time I am working in the area, but stop the train of thought once the project at hand is done.

I am also thinking of cutting out that middle support, or at least making it removable, on the sink cabinet. It is tough to clean out that hair filter in the shower sump. You have to take out the screws by feel on the inside corners of the cover.

John

Mike... · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:55 pm Post subject:

Mike... · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject:

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:57 pm Post subject:

Mike,

That's interesting about your sink cabinet having no middle support. I should be keeping up on these things by checking out everybody's albums, I guess.

I am going to either beef up the horizontal top frame member and cut out the middle vertical bar, or make the middle bar removable with hand screw knobs to tighten it. I have to leave something in the middle to fill the space between the doors, or attach the cut out support to one door which would need to be closed first.

If you have that much space under the sink cabinet, I'd think about moving two closed cell house batteries up there. My boat tends to be Port heavy and, if I had the room, that is what I'd do.

Right now, all my electronic gear, autopilot and electric over hydraulic steering is mounted in that cabinet. It would be a bit scary to put some batteries in there with all that expensive, delicate stuff.

Thanks for posting the info! John