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On sunny days, which is to say most days in the Caribbean, the solar panel alone keeps the bank up around 13V. In general I don’t let AGM’s get below 12.2V, higher when new. But these past months, as they’ve lost the ability to hold a charge, they drop nightly to the mid-low 11’s no matter how charged up they get during the day – even after motoring for many hours or running the 60-amp battery charger (via the generator) for a few hours in the evening to charge them up. They simply crash during the night. I’ve just had to deal with it until I got back Stateside.
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Thanks, Steve. I gather that 6-volt golf cart batteries
may be the best value, but I think I have to stick to
sealed batteries for my location.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Thanks, Bob. Gee, I guess it has been that long. My,
how time flies. So, I got 4-1/2 years from this set,
which are used almost constantly (I’m almost never
dockside). Not bad considering the Port Supply price, I
suppose.I have all my charging systems – battery charger, solar
panel & wind generator – set to their AGM settings. I
guess it’s just time.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Hey Quent,
How long have you had those Sam’s Club batteries now?
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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I have not had good luck with West Marine’s AGM
batteries. They only last a few years, at best. My
present batch – 5 Group 31’s and 2 Group 27’s – won’t
hold a charge anymore and I’m going to replace them (in
the fall, just before I take off cruising again). I’d
be interested to hear this group’s thoughts on what
would make an ideal replacement, keeping in mind that
my main battery bank is inside the boat, under the bunk
aft. I’ve always understood that lead/acid batteries
must be located outside the living quarters because
they vent gasses.Quote:
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Never honk your horn.
And never yell.
When I need to get the instant attention of a crewmember at the opposite end of the boat, particularly when I’m on the bow working the ground tackle and my mate is at the helm chatting with the other crew or gazing off at something more interesting than me, I never yell. I just say, “psssst!” Even with the wind is howling and all kinds of distractions around, that sound somehow slices through like a knife and gets their attention every time, guaranteed. Very discreet, very effective.
😉
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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This is the first boat of mine on which I have not used
a conch horn. Just haven’t come across a clean,
unbroken shell yet. Meanwhile, I’ve got the next most
reliable horn I can think of, a red plastic
mini-trumpet that came with the boat. I always was a
sucker for the sound of a kazoo.The boat also came with an canned-air horn, but it has
died from non-use. I actually can’t recall the last
time I sounded a horn on a boat.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Ken,
Here (4 photos attached) is what Silverheels has. When
I first got the boat I cut & hinged that access
bulkhead (photo #4), which originally had to be
laboriously unscrewed to get into that area. Now it
just flips up.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Bob,
Interesting idea. In terms of weight, locating
batteries just aft of the mainmast seems ideal. The
trade-off, of course, is a larger voltage drop on the
longer cable run to the control panel, but I’m sure
you’ve considered that.I like your idea of rails, too. Perhaps you could then
make a simple steel frame tray, a “car,” for each
battery that slides/glides/rolls on the rails. Extend
the rails from abaft of the mast as far aft as possible
above the deep sump, so that you can roll all 3
batteries forward and aft together once they’re all
strapped into their rail cars. That way you can get at
them from above, together, to initially connect them to
each other, and thereafter to service and maintain them
regularly without it being such an ordeal. It’s a bit
of engineering, but the result might be downright
functional.Remember there is also space at the bottom of that
little hanging locker abaft the nav table. I have a
dedicated group 27 engine starter battery there.
Another G27 battery under the V-berth feeds the
electric windlass and saves running 00 cable all the
way forward.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Mark,
What do you mean by “rudder assembly?” What exactly is
leaking, and where?Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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If your blow-back idea doesn’t solve the problem, try
tightening every hose clamp in the system with a
ratchet wrench before you tear everything apart. I’ve
remedied similar issues this way more than once, even
when there was no evidence of water leaking.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Steve,
My tank measures 13″ x 13″ x 38″. This 6,422 cubic
inches, I just discovered with an online conversion
table, is a tad shy of 28 gallons, not the 40-gallons
my spec sheet said. Live & learn.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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Hey Pete,
Silverheels’ ss holding tank is around 40 gallons, I
believe. To remove it I disconnect the hoses in place,
remove a retaining fiddle-block at the aft end, and
manually slide the tank back until its aft end can be
tilted up and through the floorboards hatch.
Considering I have not used the holding tank in 5 years
it would certainly be more functional as a spare diesel
fuel tank, but I figured in the unlikely event I ever
want to sail in US waters a holding tank would be
required equipment. Anyway, the 110 gallons of diesel I
carry has proven adequate for the Caribbean cruising
that I’m doing.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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I set mine up like Thatcher’s, with a simple redirect
valve. I’ve only ever used it for seawater dishwashing,
but can instantly switch it over to the freshwater
system if the pressure water pump dies.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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