sailboat balancing act

[Culwatty]

Morning all!

steel ebbtide with counter stern and wheel steering.

So am looking at expanding/moving the house bank T105s

where am best to put the weight? saloon is the lowest central area but the bank would be over the starboard side and she leans a bit starboard resting already. im measuring up the port side settee but i dont think a substantial bank will fit there....

EDIT I do also have 2 empty keel boxes..... still need a venting solution. but that would act like extra balast! haha

also what do you do about venting? is there a special "box" I can vent into? assuming acid and steel boat wont go very well!

[tkeithlu]

OK. The keel box with battery boxes idea is appealing. All batteries should be in acid proof boxes. Add some baking soda in the bottom of each to neutralize spills. Batteries vent hydrogen when they overcharge. Use a good automatic charger/maintainer, and realize that hydrogen, having very low density, will come on up and dissipate pretty easily with reasonable ventilation. Just don't block its route to dissipation or expose it to sparks near the batteries.

But, a concern I've had for my house bank, which is under the floor of my main cabin and about as low as possible in my boat: That's the first place to flood with sea water when I have an OH S@#T moment. My answer is a rotary switch that isolates the instrument panel and radios, with a small battery that normally is part of the house bank hidden behind the panel in the wheelhouse. That way I will still have a battery to run the radios and call for help.

While you're moving stuff around, maybe you can make other changes to eliminate your list. Good luck with it.

[Culwatty]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

OK. The keel box with battery boxes idea is appealing. All batteries should be in acid proof boxes. Add some baking soda in the bottom of each to neutralize spills. Batteries vent hydrogen when they overcharge. Use a good automatic charger/maintainer, and realize that hydrogen, having very low density, will come on up and dissipate pretty easily with reasonable ventilation. Just don't block its route to dissipation or expose it to sparks near the batteries.

But, a concern I've had for my house bank, which is under the floor of my main cabin and about as low as possible in my boat: That's the first place to flood with sea water when I have an OH S@#T moment. My answer is a rotary switch that isolates the instrument panel and radios, with a small battery that normally is part of the house bank hidden behind the panel in the wheelhouse. That way I will still have a battery to run the radios and call for help.

While you're moving stuff around, maybe you can make other changes to eliminate your list. Good luck with it.

After a conversation with Alpha batteries (no affiliation) just good service!

Im actually going to seal the batteries in the keel with waterproof glands coming into the cabinto a bus bar. i will also have a "vent" tube fitted to the keel and exiting via one of the breather vents on the cabine sides.

Will be checked every month for security and any problems. i think it will save me a lot of space and cable!

If only someone would sponsor me with 1000ah of lithum lol

going to measure up today and see how many I can fit in!

Thanks for the tip on Baking soda!

[Pete7]

How many batteries are you thinking of?

Pete

[Culwatty]

Originally Posted by Pete7

How many batteries are you thinking of?

Pete

Well, I have just stumbled across 435ah 6v's that are a taller version of the T105's

So Im going to have a measure and see if i can fit two or 4 of them in the keel. if the 230ah ones make more sense then I will go for them.

you sound like you have an idea

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Culwatty

Well, I have just stumbled across 435ah 6v's that are a taller version of the T105's

So Im going to have a measure and see if i can fit two or 4 of them in the keel. if the 230ah ones make more sense then I will go for them.

you sound like you have an idea

I was thinking more about the weight. What are you going to do with a 870AH bank if you go for the 4 option on a 34ft yacht? You could go electric cooking I suppose, or run a washing machine.

Pete

[hpeer]

Culwatty,

What is your displacement? I’m gonna guess right around 8 tons.
A couple of hundred pounds of batteries isn’t that big a deal weight wise.
Here is an idea, with your boat at a dock on a calm day have someone first stand on one toe rail and then the other and measure the difference in waterline. That will give you some idea of the boats sensitivity to the weight.

[Culwatty]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I was thinking more about the weight. What are you going to do with a 870AH bank if you go for the 4 option on a 34ft yacht? You could go electric cooking I suppose, or run a washing machine.

Pete

Well eventually run a rather powerful office suite, electric hob and oven, washing machine, power tools, and a good reserve of power. Right now it is planning.

Oh now here's a question, displacement is 7.8 ton

Thames is 11.72 (what does this mean)

Also a lot of weight saving going on as the floors etc are badly cut for acsess etc so will slowly replace with a lightweight alternative

[Culwatty]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Culwatty,

What is your displacement? I’m gonna guess right around 8 tons.
A couple of hundred pounds of batteries isn’t that big a deal weight wise.
Here is an idea, with your boat at a dock on a calm day have someone first stand on one toe rail and then the other and measure the difference in waterline. That will give you some idea of the boats sensitivity to the weight.

awsome!

Thanks i will try this, should work on a trot mooring with 75kg of water tanks? I can then move to the other side and measure again? The water has its calm moments here!

[hpeer]

Yup, should work. Will just give you some sense of things.

We have your big sister, a SteelMaid 44’ also by Pape.