battery changing

[labrador]

Larry, Where are you getting hauled this winter? When I had my boat hauled the contract also said they had to take the batteries out. When he saw I had 8ds he said to leave them in and he would charge them every 2 weeks. Guess what happened when spring time came. Thats right, new batteries! Be sure to check them yourself if they say they'll charge them.

[MicroKap]

It looks like I'm going to Winter Yacht Basin in Brick, NJ as it's the only place in the area that can handle my size and has the room. Maybe they don't have a 32 Volt charger, but I'm sure that they have an 8 volt charger. Yeah right.

[SKYCHENEY]

It looks like I'm going to Winter Yacht Basin in Brick, NJ as it's the only place in the area that can handle my size and has the room. Maybe they don't have a 32 Volt charger, but I'm sure that they have an 8 volt charger. Yeah right.

They probably do have a 24v charger and they'll just hook three in series at a time.

[cenger]

I am a new owner of a 1981 55' Hatteras with 12V71s. The Starboard engine batteries are fine but the Port requires me to use the parallel switch to start the engine. I have three questions for the experts; is it safe to assume the four 8V batteries next to the port engine are for the port engine and the 4 batteries next to starboard are for the starboard engine? What are the dimensions of the batteries so I can order new ones? Can you recommend a good quality brand that is not ridiculously priced?

[Briankinley2004]

I have a 85 model 55C with 12V71-s. Your port bank should be for starting the port engine as well as your house bank for 32 volt lights, pumps, etc. The starboard bank should be for starboard engine and generator cranking if your generator is still of the 32 volt type. Mine had a 12 volt system added for the new generator and electronics except autopilot which is still 32v

[SKYCHENEY]

I am a new owner of a 1981 55' Hatteras with 12V71s. The Starboard engine batteries are fine but the Port requires me to use the parallel switch to start the engine. I have three questions for the experts; is it safe to assume the four 8V batteries next to the port engine are for the port engine and the 4 batteries next to starboard are for the starboard engine? What are the dimensions of the batteries so I can order new ones? Can you recommend a good quality brand that is not ridiculously priced?

You are correct. Rolls 8HHG25P was the original equipment. They are not cheap but no 8V battery is. My last set did go 12 years, however, so it turned out to be a deal.

[mike.s]

I'm in the middle of this right now. I know its been discussed before and people say it won't work but I'm not interested in spending $5,000 for batteries. I am thinking about going to 3 12 volt batteries. I have a sentry charger and I'm waiting to hear back from them if it can be turned up to charge a 36 volt bank, they are going to try. They know it will go to 40 volts for sure not sure if it will do the 42.5 the 36 volt bank will require. My mechanic says the alternators will not be a problem as the voltage regulators can easily be cranked up. I talked to a friend of mine that has a shop that only rebuilds starters and alternators and vehicle wiring and electrical repairs, he says the starters, and windlass will not have any problems with the extra 4 volts. My 12 volt systems all run off Newmar 32-12-50 converters which say they will work on 20-50 volts. So as of this point the only potential problems are the charger and the bilge pumps, Im not sure how they will react to the extra voltage. So worst case i switch over to 12 volt bilge pumps and 2 3 circuit 12 volt chargers.

[Boatsb]

The rolls are the best long term value.

A quality 819 (size) would be the second choice.

[SKYCHENEY]

Will the less expensive 12v batteries really save you money in the long run? I doubt it. Not if you don't get a good smart charger. And will they fit into your battery boxes?

Re-engineering is probably not the best way to go.

[mike.s]

Will the less expensive 12v batteries really save you money in the long run? I doubt it. Not if you don't get a good smart charger. And will they fit into your battery boxes?

Re-engineering is probably not the best way to go.

Why would I need a smart charger? This same model charger did fine on my last boat at 24 volts and on this one at 32 volts. The batteries in my boat are 9-11 years old, the date card wasn't punched on them but they are somewhere between 07-09. If Sentry checks the charger and says it can be safely turned up to 42.5 volts whats the problem? I've been building classic cars for years and I can't tell you how many6 volt cars myself and people I know have put 8 volt batteries in and adjusted the voltage regs without problem. 6-8 volts is a 25% increase without problem this is only a 11.2 percent increase. If it was running sensitive electronics it could be a problem but not for basic electric motors. Even the bilge pumps should be fine as long as they don't run dry for hours, which that can be a problem for them at standard voltage anyway.