Battery Location - best position

[5teve]

Hi All

As im getting more time to get to grips with the new boat I have a question regarding battery location..

I currently have 8x 100ah batteries under the rear deck in 2 boxes of 4. These boxes are mounted on plinths about 1.5ft each from the hull centreline and probably just about waterline level or below. - I am looking at reconfiguring things anyway - and using a house bank of 8, 2 starter banks (1 or 2 batteries each) and 1 genset bank - 2x batteries that I have from another project (smallish 75ah).

I have heaps of room to move them outboard of this position (to give me more storage and also get them out of the way) toward the hull sides probably about another 3ft sideways each, but they would sit slightly higher.

My question is.. is it more beneficial to have the batteries wider from the hull centreline albeit slightly higher (probably a few inches) or closer in together?

Thanks

Steve O

 

[sarabande]

Can we have some figures please ?

Displacement of boat
Beam at stern
Approx indiv battery weight

I suspect it's not going to make a great difference; much like having a person stand on each quarter, or both of them stand on the centreline. Yet there will be some extra structural stuff to hold the batteries firmly and safely in place, plus extra cabling and sensor/bilge pump wiring. Will the new location make it easy to check the batteries ? Ventilation ?

 

[5teve]

Can we have some figures please ?

Displacement of boat
Beam at stern
Approx indiv battery weight

I suspect it's not going to make a great difference; much like having a person stand on each quarter, or both of them stand on the centreline. Yet there will be some extra structural stuff to hold the batteries firmly and safely in place, plus extra cabling and sensor/bilge pump wiring. Will the new location make it easy to check the batteries ? Ventilation ?

The moving of the batteries will just involve moving the fibreglass battery boxes per side - there appears to be enough wiring already to cover the minor move, and there are plinths / storage platforms in place already

Each battery is 24kg - so 100kg per box

Boat weighs approx 11t

Beam at stern is around 3.9m

Centre to centre of battery boxes after the move would be be approx 3m and raised around 75mm above the existing location.

Ventilation is no major issue as the hull is vented close by on both sides.

The location will make the batteries slightly harder to check, however it will make storage a whole heap easier.

Steve

 

[gus]

Many people make the mistake of thinking that ballast/weight should be in the centre of the boat. This has the effect of the boat rotating around that mass as it rolls. By putting the ballast/weight out to the sides the boat has to shift that weight for it to roll. The rolling effect is thus much slower and makes the boat a little more sea kindly. So by all means move your batteries out to the sides. Before you move them, add some sandbags of about the same weight out to the sides and see the difference it makes. I am sure you will be surprised.