Battery Box

[NewMoon]

I built battery boxes of 3/8" Starboard. They're held together by a mess of 2" SS oval head countersunk screws. Starboard was easy to cut, round edges with a router, and drill, using jigs for drill positioning. Batts are a pair of G34 AGMs for starting, and a pair of g31 AGMs for house. The main battery switch is inside the box holding the starting bank, accessible via a round Bomar locking deck plate. Batts are held motionless by pieces of wood (could have been starboard) screwed into the wall and floor of the boxes. The Starboard was fairly expensive, but the boxes are strong, and quite satisfactory for our needs.

Since we cruise mostly the PNW, I haven't paid much attention to extra ventilation to keep batts cool, but the temp sensor reports no worrisome temps. Since the boxes are out in the cockpit, I was more concerned about keeping the batts clean and dry. They do that, even though they're exposed to plenty of rain, and salt water from the wash-down hose (they're often splattered with fish blood). 14 years old by now, and zero deterioration.

[bmm32005]

Do a search for allbatterysalesandservice. They have a all sorts of boxes in all sizes.

[Suijin]

Plastic battery boxes are a total PITA; they take up more space than necessary, and the lids are for the most part useless unless you route your cables along their (usually too small) channels. If your batteries are sealed there is really no good reason to use them IMHO.

Defender sells battery hold-down kits that are shallow "trays" that you screw down with rods and top frames to hold the batteries in place. They are expensive, relatively speaking, but easier to manage in a tight space than brackets and straps.

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by NewMoon

I built battery boxes of 3/8" Starboard.

Correction - it is 1/2" Starboard. And the bottom is a double layer.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Defender sells battery hold-down kits that are shallow "trays" that you screw down with rods and top frames to hold the batteries in place. They are expensive, relatively speaking, but easier to manage in a tight space than brackets and straps.

Yeah, that's what I've got. A downside is that there's no built-in load-bearing "seat" to use for some chores in the vicinity

-Chris

[Nicholson58]

I would consider Starboard mechanically inadequate but this would depend on you installation and how much battery weight you are dealing with. My two banks are 6 & 8 batteries wired 24 VDC; 320 AH each. Without consideration for the mass of these bricks I am afraid the battery box would be crushed in big weather.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I would consider Starboard mechanically inadequate but this would depend on you installation and how much battery weight you are dealing with. My two banks are 6 & 8 batteries wired 24 VDC; 320 AH each. Without consideration for the mass of these bricks I am afraid the battery box would be crushed in big weather.

Starboard will compress?

I've been thinking of a Starboard box, mounted on the same plywood platform where we have plastic trays now. With batteries installed in such a way so they can't slide around within the box...

-Chris