Battery Box Replacement

[Tawney1]

Can't put off the need to replace our battery boxes any longer. Any help or advice on the subject will be appreciated. I have looked around and found 8D boxes at Sams Marine, Moeller and Todd. This is what I found:

1. Sams has replacement fiberglass 8D double battery boxes (similar to OEM) for $595 each;

2. Moeller Rotomoulded (whatever that means) Marine double boxes are about $120 each; and

3. Todd double boxes are about $150.00 each.

The Moeller and Todd boxes state they are USCG Reg. compliant. I assume those from Sams are also.

I don't want to pay $595 each for 4 boxes if there is a viable alternative. I am inclined to go with the Todd boxes. Anyone have experience with any of the above?

Also, what did Hatteras use to attach the original boxes to the deck? Are they easily removed?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[J's Dream]

Paul,

Todd boxes are good quality at a decent price. If you want to stay with fiberglass, try a call to Tom Slane...he may even have a few old ones out back.

www.slanemarine.com

Jason

 

[Tawney1]

Thanks Jason. I am not wedded to fiberglass.... Just want some decent quality boxes that are serviceable.

 

[REBrueckner]

Try looking for battery boxes at a camper supply store..That's where I bough my Todd 8D's....quite a bit cheaper than "discount" marine at the time...

 

[Bill Allen]

If my 8 d boxs ever go bad which I doubt since you can't even hardly get near them I'd make new ones out of plywood. Put a nice glass finish on them and some paint. Did that with my inverter bank. Like them way better then plastic. The inverter banks sits between my engines I hinged the lid in the middle use the box as a step. Bill

 

[Boatsb]

TODD are fine. I have had other products from Moeler and they were great when I had a question so I would think their boxes are fine too.

Making new ones is too much time for no real savings. Buying the fiberglass ones may be "original equipment" but I think the rotomolded ones are more than adequate and more modern.

 

[sgharford]

As my 4 year would say - check out these handy dandy's (todd and Moeller for under $100)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Todd...6681634QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...temZ250627279307QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f100

 

[GJH]

Do you have 8 volt batteries or 12 volt. If the former, the dimensions on most of them are quite different from an 8D.

On my boat, the fiberglass battery boxes are screwed to the sole on the outside of each engine, up against the hull, leaving standing room next to the engines.

I have Todds for my two 8D 24V thruster bank and certainly wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

 

[Avenger]

I put in a pair of Todds about a year ago. They're okay. That's about all I can say at this point, they're just okay. They certainly don't seem as good as a set of Hatteras fiberglass boxes, but they're a vast improvement over what I had before, which was batteries sitting on a shelf.

 

[saltshaker]

Blue Seas makes decent ones also.

 

[dastahl]

The Hatteras OEM boxes are not USCG approved cause they do not have covers that restrain the batteries if the boat rolls over.
The Hatteras boxes in my LRC where fiberglass molded then epoxied onto a 3/4 plywood support. They had to be pryed off when the plywood went bad. I made replacements out of plywood and fiberglass with tops to replace them. However I think the store bought ones are better, made entirely of plastic.
Skooch
Worotn Creek MD
42 Hatteras LRC

 

[Tawney1]

Thanks all. Anybody else removed and replaced these boxes? What was your experience?

It does look as though the old fiberglass boxes are epoxied to the deck. They are very solidly attached, that's for sure. These boxes are original to the boat (1985). Epoxy sounds reasonable and I assume there are no screws in the bottom.... It does not appear that the plywood deck under-layment is segmented. Therefore, it doesn't look as though the boxes and plywood under the boxes could be removed in panels.

In order to get out the old boxes, do you have to cut-out the old plywood altogether and replace?


Paul

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I had to pry the old boxes off with a hammer and a big pry bar. They came off in pieces and took some plywood with them. It looked like Hatteras just set them down on a piece of wetted out roving to mount them.

 

[Walter P]

Years ago I removed four 8-D original boxes from the plywood floor between the engines on my then 1980 43 DC. I used some long shanked wood chisels to pop the boxes off the wood. There was some plywood on the bottom of the boxes and some fibreglass still attached to the plywood floor. Epoxy and fibreglass cloth soon took care of both issues. I fabricated new platforms outboard of each engine with 3/4" plywood encapsulated in fibreglass and re-attached the rebuilt OEM boxes on a layer of wet (with epoxy) glass cloth. It worked fine.

Walt

 

[newinlet]

Just curious what happened to your old bat boxes that require replacement ?
Jim

 

[takefive]

The boxes in my 79 46c were all molded fiberglass glassed on plywood shelves. Odd thing is shower sump pan under v-berth was exact same box, just had a bilge pump in it. Replaced mine with Blue Seas boxes. Also relocated centerline boxes in E/R too outboard of stbd. engine. Replaced shower sump with Rule plastic shower sump assy. Very pleased with Blue Seas boxes.

 

[Tawney1]

Many thanks for all these replys! I am going with the dual Todd boxes.

Jim, the tops of the battery boxes are pretty much in shambles -- one was missing when I bought the boat nearly 4 years ago and the others are in poor condition. So no tops. Also, a couple of the boxes are actually split somewhat in places. Overall they're in poor condition and look pretty crappy! I am having the engine rooms detailed (have newly rebuilt engines) and get things looking good. Its been tough finding someone to detail the rooms.

Any other comments or suggestions (even on engine room detail) will be most appreciated.

Paul

 

[GJH]

Paul,

I see from your profile you are in New Bern, as am I for the time being. I can reference you some former Hatteras guys, one in particular who can help you with you engine room detailing, and could have built you new boxes quite economically.

BTW, your boat uses 12 volt batteries?

 

[flydixie1415]

We had all of ours on our 56' made out of starboard. Hinged lids and vented the whole works. Looks very nice and the batteries are very easy to access and to maintain. Replaced all the old stuff about 5 years ago.