Hull 467 need to change out batteries

[wcconway]

Would appreciate suggestions on changing out our factory batteries after owning our boat for nearly 5 years. We have no experience in performing this type of exchange, but would like to do the job ourselves.

[jking]

Hi,
I got two 4D batteries from NAPA in #7266 $168.77 (they come with posts) and bought $5.57 post to terminal kits #728204 and they were exactly the same size. To take them out and put them in there is a bit of a trick, you have to tilt the battery on its long axis to about 30 degrees. It took me about an hour to figure this out so hopefully this will save you time. Otherwise simple.
Jan #303

[saileagleswings]

Those batteries are heavy! I rigged a block and tackle to the boom to ease the batteries to the deck and onto a slide to get them to the dock. It was easier than I thought it would be.

[TBOT422]

Wally,

A pretty simple job. Like the others said, getting the 4Ds out of the settee is a bit of a trick. Tilting them length wise is the key. They are heavy. I had a piece of 3/4" plywood shelving that I put over the hatchway stairs and with 2 people (1 pushing from below and 1 pulling on a rope from above) they slid into the cockpit pretty easily. Then I moved the shelving to dockside and slid them down the ramp while holding the rope around the batteries.

One thing be sure to wear old clothes and cover as many surfaces on the boat as you can to make sure you don't get battery acid on something.

There are also several other posts on changing out the batteries with golf cart batteries or AGMs that you might want to peruse before taking the plunge. Now is a good time to review how you use the boat and what type of battery system is best for your needs.

Good Luck

[KenKrawford]

I'm a huge fan of golf cart batteries. The only modification you would have to make is to have a couple of cables made that combine a pair of 6V batteries into a 12V set. I used Trojan T-105's purchased from Batteries Plus. They delivered them to my marina and took the old 4D's away. Here's what my setup looks like. The short red cable on the far left side of the image combines all 4 batteries into 1 large bank. I also have a dedicated starting battery.

[Copacetic]

Wow, five years for lead acid? Since I'm a live-aboard, I opted for the AGMs. Downside: expense, weight and awkward size. Upside: still running after nine plus years with no out-gassing when they need periodic maintenance for water. Neglecting that could be costly (and I did do that once). Lifting 80 pound batteries...what am I thinking?

[Copacetic]

Wow, five years for lead acid? Since I'm a live-aboard, I opted for the AGMs. Downside: expense, weight and awkward size. Upside: still running after nine plus years with no out-gassing when they need periodic maintenance for water. Neglecting that could be costly (and I did do that once). Lifting 80 pound batteries...what am I thinking?

Whoa, I just checked out Trojan website and they have 6V AGMs. This may be the way to go next time because lugging around 4D anchors is not appealing to me. Just gotta get the extra cables and check the dimensions although they look roughly similar to 6V installations. Just a thought.

[ps23435]

Quick question....for those who have converted to 2 6V golf cart batteries in series, what was the size (gauge) of the battery cable used to connect the 2 6V batteries?

[wolfe10]

Pete,

Cost difference between different gauge interconnector wire is minimal. I would use the same gauge as the wires to/from the batteries. Clearly, you don't want to limit amps because of too small a gauge wire in the interconnect.

Most places that sell batteries offer short large-gauge battery cables. That is what I would use.

Brett