Going to Bed, part II

[bobk]

I've been trying to decide what to do with the GC2 and 8D batteries during the five month storage. They are only a couple of years old so I don't want to hurt them. The yard will plug the boat in monthly if requested for a fee as a way to keep the batteries up, but most of the time will be spent with out charging. My concern is the very small draws from who knows what might run them down in that time.

My alternative is to disconnect the leads and just let them ride it out unattended, but initially fully charged. At least this way there will be no surprises. I used to do this with boats which I left in the water over the minter and got decent battery life.

Comments??

Bobk

 

[Boatnut]

You could disconnect them and use a trickle charger to be turned on occasionally. Orther than that idea maybe call the battery company and ask them what's best.

Good luck and prayers for you, get well soon.

 

[magnawake]

Thats a good question Bob. BTW, I'm thinking about that guy who does Bow pulpit work. I think I lost his name. Can you tell me again? I'm getting layed off soon and will try to get as much work done as I can afford. We might go to the Bahamas instead of back up to the Carolinas. After a trip to the Islands, I might put mine to bed for a few months till next Sept when I need to go to the Turkey Pt. Nuclear Plant. Seems like a waste to go North then back down here Sept.

I was thinking trickle charge too. Get well Soon. Hey keep us posted.

 

[bobk]

Thats a good question Bob. BTW, I'm thinking about that guy who does Bow pulpit work. I think I lost his name. Can you tell me again? I'm getting layed off soon and will try to get as much work done as I can afford. We might go to the Bahamas instead of back up to the Carolinas. After a trip to the Islands, I might put mine to bed for a few months till next Sept when I need to go to the Turkey Pt. Nuclear Plant. Seems like a waste to go North then back down here Sept.

I was thinking trickle charge too. Get well Soon. Hey keep us posted.

Pate,

The guy who did mine is Bart Belknap. 772-631-3933. Remember my issue was pretty much confined to below the pulpit. I have no idea how well he will do if he needs to reconstruct decks.

Bob

 

[Beckytek]

Get a solar panel for about $90.00. Disconnect your batteries and Connect the panel to them. They will keep your batteries fully charged all the time your gone. I do this every winter and in the spring all is good. Ron

 

[bobk]

The trickle charger seems like a good idea, but the ones I saw are designed for much smaller banks.

Re the solar panel, the boat will be stored indoors in a climate controlled hurricane resistant building, otherwise it would also make a great solution.


Bobk

 

[magnawake]

Hey Bob, I was just thinking about doing the same thing. I will get laid off here this week and might go to the Bahamas for a month or so, then come back and pull her out for the summer. I then need will go back to SC for the summer for a few months and I need to be back South of Miami for the middle of Sept for the outage. It doesnt make much sense to go all the way to SC and then turn back in Sept. that just too much ICW traveling in the heat for me. Plus with diesel on the rise I would be wasting a bunch of money. A dry storage place would be a good thing. So I will be waiting and watching what you do. Thanks. Oh yeah, Where are you hauling out?

 

[bobk]

Oh yeah, Where are you hauling out?

We will haul at River Forest in LaBelle on the west side of Lake O. They also have a facility on this side, but it is probably booked. American is another popular place for the locals.
Bobk

 

[magnawake]

Thanks Bob.

 

[magnawake]

American Custom is running a three month special. Free haul out, block and splash, 8.50/ft. Its not inside though.

 

[Bugsy]

We disconnect our batteries (8D's) and leave them.....and they've lasted 7 years!!
We're on the hard for almost 6 months.

When are you hauling?

This will be our first year at River Forest (LaBelle)

 

[bobk]

We disconnect our batteries (8D's) and leave them.....and they've lasted 7 years!!
We're on the hard for almost 6 months.

When are you hauling?

This will be our first year at River Forest (LaBelle)

We will haul on or about June 1. Re launch about Nov 1. I'm seriously considering simply disconnecting the batteries.

When do your haul? Indoor or out door store?

The only problem I see at LaBelle is the distance from Port St Lucie. Two hours each way.

Bobk

 

[Bugsy]

We're storing outside with electric for a dehumidifier. She was at Indiantown last year so that we could do the bottom. The year before that at River Bend in Lauderdale so we've had some experience in the results of being outside for the summer.

We're coming from Marco so River Forest is fairly convenient via Pink Shell Resort for a night.

 

[magnawake]

Hey Bob, Just wanted to check on you and see how things were going. Did you haul out yet? Did you disconnect your batteries? We are hauling out on Monday for 2 1/2 months and I guess I will disconnect the batteries. I might drop by harbor fright and see what a solar trickle charger cost. Man, I hate to leave the boat alone. We'll splash it back in water Sept 3rd and shoot down to Homestead for more work.

 

[bobk]

Hey Bob, Just wanted to check on you and see how things were going. Did you haul out yet? Did you disconnect your batteries? We are hauling out on Monday for 2 1/2 months and I guess I will disconnect the batteries. I might drop by harbor fright and see what a solar trickle charger cost. Man, I hate to leave the boat alone. We'll splash it back in water Sept 3rd and shoot down to Homestead for more work.

We delivered the boat to River Forest (Moore Haven) a few weeks ago. They hauled it while we were there and power washed it then set it up for bottom prep and hull cleaning followed by Finesett and AwlCare application. The hull looks GREAT. We saw it yesterday in the air conditioned shed. The battery switches are in the off position which disconnects everything and the inverter is switched off. We put the chargers on for a couple of hours yesterday and will do so again in three weeks when we go back down.

BTW, I'm doing well with the chemo. Side effects are reasonably mild. I'm half way through now. The biggest problem is going stir crazy in the two weeks following treatment. My white cell count goes so low, I have to be really careful to avoid infection. The Angler is just sitting because the North Fork is so polluted with bacteria that I'm concerned about the risk.

Bobk

 

[jim rosenthal]

Get well soon, and get back to boating soon, too.

 

[lake of the woods]

In Northern Ontario where the boats are hauled out for 7 months a year and the winter temperatures get down to -30 F for long stretches we charge up the batteries and then disconnect them. In the spring we reconnect them and charge them up. It seems to work pretty well. In warmer climates I would think the natural battery drain over time would not be very significant so long as the batteries are disconnected from the boat systems.

 

[bobk]

Updating the battery issue: All battery switches are off and there are no wires from the batteries to anything that doesn't flow through the switches except the dumb charger for the 8D batteries. We had been going to LaBelle at about three week intervals and found the batteries were down some each time. Three hour charge times did not bring them back to full. We extended the interval to six weeks the last time, and we got a 'low batt' light in the Victron inverter. So we extended the charge time to four hours and left after an hour or so on 'absorption'. My conclusion is the batteries are loosing charge, even though everything is turned off.

Health wise, my lymphoma in the left lung was gone as found in a PET scan after only four chemo treatments. However they found something else in the same lung which is not active via the PET and a biopsy showed it was not a cancer, but wasn't definitive about what it was. We are following that new thing with a pulmonologist.

Pate, we'll still be here when you splash. Look us up. We have free guest dockage for a couple of days if you want to come by boat.

Cheers,
Bobk

 

[drburke]

Hey Bob--great news about the lymphoma going away!!!! Keep us posted on the new item; I am sure you can whip that too.

Article on battery self-discharge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-discharge

DAN

 

[bobk]

Hey Bob--great news about the lymphoma going away!!!! Keep us posted on the new item; I am sure you can whip that too.

Article on battery self-discharge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-discharge

DAN

Thanks for the wishes and the link. Even allowing for the temperature effect (reactions usually double in rate for every 10 degree C rise) the discharge seems too fast as the batteries were fully charged when it was hauled and the switches turned off. We are going to go down every three-four weeks in the future.

Bobk