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32-200 strappin down the batterries

mjn

Member I
Anyone have a pic or a good description of how their batteries are held down? Our bracket is long gone and before I start cobbling something I thought I'd ask.
 

markvone

Sustaining Member
mjn,

I've got eye straps mounted on each side of each pair of batteries and 1 inch webbing straps with over-center latches like this:

https://www.etrailer.com/cargo-tie-downs/boatbuckle/imf05343.html

My battery shelf is wood and accessible under the quarter berth so mounting any setup was easy for the PO. With stainless eye straps, you could also use any standard webbing tie down strap with a spring buckle and cut it to length.

Mark
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Battery hold-down

The factory battery space in our model was molded out for a pair of group 24 batteries each in a plastic box, but it had room for a more substantial plastic box for two golf cart batteries.
I used a piece of line going over the top of the lid, to an eye strap on each side secured with #12 screws deep into the frp lay up. For access there is a bronze snap shackle on one end.
Different location than your boat, under the bottom step of the engine cover, but perhaps the idea is worth something.

There are probably several good solutions to this, but one thing to remember is that once in a great while any sailboat will experience a knockdown and whatever we do must function at 90 degrees, or close to...
:rolleyes:

I believe that battery boxes come in various sizes. I found ours at a good-sized battery vendor in my city.

Plan B would be to mold one out in cloth and epoxy, to exactly fit your batteries and your boat's location.
 

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toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
One-inch webbing, strapped down tight. But my batteries rest on a platform tabbed in above the shaft log, so the strap can go all the way around and cinch down tight. I think it's actually a motorcycle handlebar strap.
 

Kevin A Wright

Member III
I just switched the house bank to a pair of golf cart batteries on Hydro Therapy. Found a plastic battery tray on Amazon which fit almost perfectly (just needed to add a 1 1/2" wood strip as a spacer). Came with 1" straps and screws down to the battery compartment floor. These trays come in a variety of sizes for the different battery sizes and are non corrosive and inexpensive.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
 

redbeard1

Member II
Hello,

Our boat (34-200) has built in recess for two batteries. It is located in the forward port side of the aft cabin, under the mattress, covered with a wooden panel (wood panel not shown but is similar to the cover for the drive shaft access shown in the picture).
 

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HerbertFriedman

Member III
redbeard1, very nice installation. I have an 87 E34 with the same battery arrangement but I did add another starting battery just on the other side of the twin battery compartment inside the access for the dripless shaft log. But my installation is very messy, lots of other connections to the minus battery terminals. I have a inverter connection, two refer connections, a bilge pump connection, battery charger connections, etc, all going to the negative terminal and not through the DC panel. All are properly fused but still mess. Did you find any space for a minus battery terminal junction strip for all these connections?
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I put my main grounding bus in the engine compartment. At times I think it should have gone in the battery compartment. But the historic trend was that POs scabbed ground wires all over the engine. So at least those are gone.
 

redbeard1

Member II
Herbert,

Short answer is - I'm not sure if there is a negative junction strip but I don't think so. I spent the last 9 months going over most systems on the boat except for the final electrical connections to the battery. That will be this fall's job.

I can tell you we don't have a separate starting battery, nor inverter. We do have one DC refrigerator (wired through nav station neg bus) and one electric bilge pump (wired direct to batteries i assume as the battery selector switch has no effect). I think the shore AC trickle charger is also wired direct to batteries as the battery selector switch has no effect on battery charging status. The alternator charger is effected by position of battery selector switch.
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
redbeard1, thanks for the clarification. I think the only circuit that I may re do is the two refer connections. I think the PO connected them directly to the battery so that they would be active at the dock when the battery switch is off. But looking further, I see that there is a switch on the AC/DC house panel (at the nav station) for both port and starboard refers so I might just as well connect the two refers to the DC side of the house panel, using a spare circuit breaker. That reduces two connections (and their fuses) from the battery compartment. I do wish there was sufficient room in the battery area for a minus battery strip.
 
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