Battery orientation?

[jcpa]

My starter and leisure batteries are located athwartships. I need a new leisure battery, and am considering putting in something of higher capacity, but I would need to rotate both batteries fore and aft to get them both in the housing. I have had the comment that mounted athwartships, the battery plates would align along the keel, and be less likely to peek above the electrolyte when the boat heeled - preserving battery life. Can anyone advise on the choice of battery orientation?

One solution might involve moving the starter battery to a new housing under the bottom step of the companionway. This seems a good idea to me, but would it infringe any safety regulations?

Any advise would be gratefully received.

 

[BAtoo]

Unless you are coded as a hire boat there are no safety regulations, just good practice to follow. This is, essentially, to have the batteries in a ventilated place, secured down and adequately protected.
If you are worrying about plate exposure when heeled remember most boats are stationary and upright for the vast majority of their time, heeling will probably be largely even on both tacks, and whichever orientation you choose some bit of the plates may become exposed for some of the time.

 

[jcpa]

Thanks BAtoo
I realise heeling is variable, but having received the comment, I was mildly concerned about long tacks with the navigation stuff on - albeit drawing only a small current.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Fit gel batteries plates are covered all the time and they are very low maintenance.