Have that awful job coming up : Change on board batterys.

my 214ah AGM was 61kg. I had to use a block and tackle and the boom to get in on and off 6 years later. The replacement is 16kg and I carried it under my arm. It's got effectively 50% more capacity.
 
The three 85AHr in my boat could be replaced by a single battery in the same physical space. Just not sure I could lift it. Plus 3x Exide are £222 vs the £560 for the Rolls.

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Thankfully my batteries are reasonably accessible. The domestic bank seems this week to have suddenly reduced its capacity so new batteries on order. They are 5 years old so not a bad life.
 
I have just put two 100 aH batteries in my lazaret ....I plan the move meticulously....every part of it from when the batteries are delivered until the final installation....I have trolleys of every shape...to get to the car (my first lift...no twisting)...on to the dock (out of the car ...no twisting)...absolutely no carrying....they are on a wheeled device for any forward motion.
I then constructed a small table that goes over the battery box and means that the lift from the cockpit deck into the lazaret only goes down exactly the depth I need. Then I slide the batteries on the table to their boxes under the floor and where they are at their most mechanical disadvantage. So I have air bags in the battery boxes so that the batteries are slid in and not a twenty kilo crash...the air is let out and the batteries settle into place.
The advantage being that when I want to remove the batteries I can pump up the bags and they will rise up to a height that I can reach.....
Always remember the first rule of battery lifting....when it’s time to do it again, your back will be five years older
 
Part of the solution is to ensure that a comfortable means of holding the batteries is used. If the batteries don't have stout handles, you will be left with the only option of gripping them with both hands from underneath. Some sort of bag or arrangement of straps will give a range of options which might include carrying with one hand. My old tape recorder weighed 56lb and had a single carrying handle, maiking it heavy but luggable.
 
Bouba said:
I have just put two 100 aH batteries in my lazaret ....I plan the move meticulously....
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Yes my back is 5 years older. But I have in recent years been lifting things with greater pre planning and care. Lifting with the legs not with the back. I do get some back pain occasionally but on the whole this is less than it was a decade ago. Unfortunately the ift out and in of the boat batteries is never going to be without some element of bad lifting methods.
 
I would love to have a lithium set up....but I don’t like the idea of a drop in lithium...and I don’t want a mix and match system....and I don’t have the knowledge to do it myself. So the cost of rewiring the whole boats charging system would be prohibitive.....and the batteries only fail in singles or pairs...so the cost of keeping the same lead acid set up is negligible. The affect on the back is unfortunately not....
 
Before the advent of solar i took mine home for a top up on a regular basis. I was on a swinging mooring and had an inflatable. The boat engine was not running long enough to keep up with the use so an overnight charge in my garage was often needed.
 
Bouba said:
I would love to have a lithium set up....but I don’t like the idea of a drop in lithium...and I don’t want a mix and match system....and I don’t have the knowledge to do it myself. So the cost of rewiring the whole boats charging system would be prohibitive.....and the batteries only fail in singles or pairs...so the cost of keeping the same lead acid set up is negligible. The affect on the back is unfortunately not....
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You almost never have to rewire the "whole boats charging system" and if you do it's likely because it was a dangerous mess to start with. For your boat, it should be fine. Chances are, all you need, in addition to the battery/BMS is a fuse and a DC-DC charger.

Lots and lots of myths and old wives tales about Lithium on boats.
 
PaulRainbow said:
You almost never have to rewire the "whole boats charging system" and if you do it's likely because it was a dangerous mess to start with. For your boat, it should be fine. Chances are, all you need, in addition to the battery/BMS is a fuse and a DC-DC charger.

Lots and lots of myths and old wives tales about Lithium on boats.
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I know you are correct....unfortunately with my lack of knowledge on the subject, I will be at the mercy of a man with a screwdriver....
 
Refueler said:
Two 75 Ah batterys on way today to me ... to replace the domestics on my 38.

No I am not interested in LiFe batterys until the price is better ... the two Varta's I just ordered came out at total 172 euros delivered.

Will have lovely job of getting them onto the Yacht Harbour pontoon and then along deck to cockpit etc. Just glad its a job that only comes up 5yrs or more .... and then old ones off boat !!
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I can still remember carrying my 130ah battery accross a beach and crossing gulleys knee deep in water. Gruelling.
 
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