Battery Box Removal

[Vincentc]

I would like to remove and resize the (4) 8d battery boxes located between the engines; 43 DC 1983. They are very securely attached to the deck, above the centerline water and fuel tanks but I cannot tell how. I could not find any evidence of fasteners.

Can anyone tell me just where to look and what to look for?
Thanks

 

[eze2bme]

I believe that they are glassed in on my 1979 43DC.

 

[fissioneng]

I believe that they are glassed in on my 1979 43DC.

Mine too. I believe Hatteras spread a big gob of resin on the plywood and then set the box on it. To remove, some of the plywood usually comes with the box.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

On mine they laid a big piece of wetted out matt down and then set the box on it. To remove, I used a big prybar and destroyed the boxes and the plywood underneath.

 

[Vincentc]

Ouch. Reminds me of the difficulties removing the bow pulpit to repair the deck.

Thanks

 

[sgharford]

Vincent, you probably know about this but thought I would throw out there. Battery boxes on my 43DC are 2 x 8D to port of port engine and 2 x 8D starboard to starboard engine. Fiberglass boxes glassed to small wood shelves which are glassed to interior lower freeboard and bottom of hull. It leaves the center wide open which is very handy, especially as you can use small access door behind galley stairs to crawl all the way thru without lifting up floor boards, which I do not like to do with people on board for fear they will fall in (well, mostly my two little boys). Since you are going through trouble, thought maybe you would want to consider relocating there.

 

[Vincentc]

Thanks for the suggestion regarding opening up the space between the engines. The thought of someone falling through an open ER hatch is recurring; however, I do not see where out boat has an access under the steps to the galley. In addtion, if there is one, the new generator is in the way. It is located on the centerline just aft of the fwd ER bulkhead.

Perhaps that is why we have a stb list.

 

[sgharford]

That's interesting difference between 1983 model and 1976 model. They put the generator in front of port engine on mine, and in front of generator are two AC condensing units. The starboard engine has hot water heater in front of it. Perhaps I should not have used word galley as mine does not have one (just a kitchen - words are kind of interchangeable I guess). In laymen terms - do you have model with kitchen table and bench seating next to kitchen? That would probably explain different engine room layout.

 

[Vincentc]

On our 83 you step down from the salon floor to the area between the galley and the dinette. The galley with stove fwd, sink stbd and refrigerator aft is stbd of centerline. There is a void space below the galley which was not accessible until I cut a hatch in the floor to see if that bilge area was holding water and accounting for my stb list. It was not.

The Dinette which folds into a double berth is on the port side. Under the dinette and forward of the ER bulkhead is the hot water heater, the ac compressors and the battery charger. There is evidence that the generator used to be located just forward of the port engine but when it was replaced, the new generator was located on the centerline. Just how they got the generator in that space amazes me.

There is no indication that any equipment was ever located fwd of the stb engine and aft of the ER bulkhead.

 

[eze2bme]

On my 1979 43DC the original generator (7.5 kw Onan) is located on the centerline between the two engines (6-71N's) sort of partially under the steps down to the galley/dinette as is your 1983. There is a fair amount of space forward of the port engine. Hotwater heater, AC units, water pressure systems (fresh and house), battery charger and inverter are located in area under dinette. Batteries are located between the engines ... and I can't imagine them outboard of the engines ... what a nightmare to get to to check water levels!

 

[Bill Allen]

Mine is laid out as sgharford says. I recently moved a couple of the braces that suport the salon flooring and moved the water heater a tad outboard and now except to change batteries I can crawl all the way around without lifting the hatchs which was always a pita. The other upside is I now can store oil and stuff over there as well since it's not that hard to get there. SInce I have a battery box with 8 golf cart batteries between the engines it was really nice to gain acces for some storage. Bill

 

[sgharford]

... and I can't imagine them outboard of the engines ... what a nightmare to get to to check water levels!

You are oh so right about that! Guess everything is a trade off, but I would still prefer having centerline free, which wouldn't be as handy if one didn't have small access door in galley which it sounds like dinette models do not have. From what I gather, sounds like 43DC models with dinette’s have their batteries on centerline while those without have them outboard of engines.

 

[Bill Allen]

SInce i'm now able to get outboard without lifting hatchs I'm glad the main batteries are where they are. If I had the room I would have put the inverter bank out there as well as I like the centerline open as well. My inverter bank is in a plywood box with a removable hinged lid so it's not bad I can still get at anything I need to it just makes for a tighter space. Yesterday I changed out the port starter and it was nice to not need to move everything in the salon and lift the hatchs. SInce these improvements I even wound up adding lighting and most of my tools are now hanging in the engine room. All thats left tool wise in the living space is a small tool tote. One tool box in the engine room for hardly needed stuff the rest is hanging, all the socket wrenchs etc. Bill

 

[sgharford]

That's interesting note about tool placement and something I have been wondering about what others have done on 43DC. I added plywood wall to exterior of soundproofing of starboard bulkhead forward of the starboard engine and hung my inverter and battery charger on that. I use 2 x 8D starboard starter/house bank as my inverter bank too (not most ideal granted but at least I used Rolls for it). All my tools are in the 2nd closet to right as you walk down stairs in master stateroom in misc caddy's. I even used two drawers out of 6 for all the bulk extra wire and misc terminals. Bill - what section of engine room did you use to store tools?

 

[Bill Allen]

Repond to bill@northeastscubasupply.com and I'll send picts., not great but you can get the idea. My charger and water pump sit on the bulkhead in front of the stbd. engine. I also have two plywood bins screwed to the bulkhead and reating on the top of the water heater, a set of wrenchs are also there. On the port is where all sockets 1/4 trough 1/2 are, on sears holder held with aluminum angle. Where I moved the floor braces I also have two more bins hanging off the braces. Have better acces to them then rooting through tool boxs, but the motivation was mostly get the tools you don't use in the living space down below where i would use them. Admiral enjoyed getting them moved and i'm not constanly looking for a tool since they now have a home. My extra oils, and some hard parts now live outboard of my house battery banks. Bill

 

[jim rosenthal]

My 36C had two battery boxes forward of the engines for one 8D per side. I took the stbd one out, left the port one in. The port one houses three Gr24 batteries two of which are used for engine starting and one is for the generator.

I wish I had kept the stbd box. They are useful for storage if you don't have batteries in them; they are very sturdy and bonded to the stringers. I had to destroy the stbd box to get it out. Now the space is mostly wasted. It would be a good place to keep oil, pumps, etc- all that engine room stuff.