MacGregorSailors.com

Well my 12volt house & start batteries gave up the ghost after 8yrs
so exchanged my 12vlt house batt to 2 x 6vlt golf batts
so now the two golf cart batts fit into the same spot the 2 old batts were

had too cut away bottom lip of battery box lid opening to allow for the taller golf cart batts
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... ni9zxv.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... am0jcy.jpg

cut off top 1/3rd off new battery boxes to get rid of the battery box handles " not required " needed the space to fit these were the only battery boxes I could find that were the perfect fit from "Walmart" go figure !
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... njmkn1.jpg

now need to raise the height of the battery box
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... bsm4ji.jpg

so made a cedar frame from 1 1/2" X 1 1/2"
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 6jwqeh.jpg

Installed rivit nuts
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... k5rs5l.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... umyjjj.jpg

make new battery box lid
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... rg9l4d.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... x6ow0b.jpg

paint edge trim black for 3 - D effect
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... lmacne.jpg

Painted cedar frame & while the paints drying changed this fuse panel box
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... caezew.jpg

to this one I made with a swing opening door as to a screw on one
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... izdci2.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... e6iedg.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 078vwt.jpg

new battery switch also
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 6jwqeh.jpg

will post pic,s of final install, in the mean time I,m making a new battery box mod to relocate the new starting batt under the aft Port side seat & of course this all requires re-routing a lot of wiring & battery cables but luckily when I install wiring I always leave an extra 2ft of wire or so , except for the battery cable,s for the start Batt ! . So that will have to b resolved once the start batt is installed

J

Nice mod but I have never liked wet cells in a tippy boat, too much sulfuric acid to leak out, especially with all your head sails
Give me some nice big AGMs

PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER USING SHOP! RETURN TOOLS!!

You left a big mess to clean up.

Which makes me wonder, what are you using for work space these days, John, now that you live in a group home, er, condo?

Or maybe John gave privileges to some of his neighbors to that big huge garage he has on the back of his property?

( he did not give ME any privileges, I guess I don't count )

BOAT wrote:Or maybe John gave privileges to some of his neighbors to that big huge garage he has on the back of his property?

( he did not give ME any privileges, I guess I don't count )

That big huge garage was before he moved to your coast. I didn't think he had one now. But I could be wrong.

What say you there, fuzzy britches? Feel like talkin'?

People on the west coast don't get out of bed very early - maybe he is still sleeping.

It's a conspiracy, that's what this is...

You don't think they finally caught up to him do you? Geeze, I hope he did not get popped for all those sailboat secrets he sent to Julian Assange - (I hear he and John are best buds).

I think it IS a conspiracy!

LoHo wrote:It's a conspiracy, that's what this is...

All is not lost the condo building has a tool/work shop down stairs in the underground parking lot besides the bicycle/kayak storage room
well I,m off back down there now to finish off my start batt box brkt,s & then off to the boat to install more pic,s to come later

J

latest up-date pic,s
Starter battery re location & new batt box install
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... jmgtm0.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... pzldvd.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 08ycxy.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... msmrpu.jpg

battery box sits on tapered closed cell block conformed to the hull shape so as battery sits level
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... c4zxnq.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... lkf6qs.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... mlhlhe.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 4rhvlc.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... npbqcw.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... thnpky.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... ltpe9y.jpg

J

new battery box lid & fusw box now installed
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 0pkdg1.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... p7q8ch.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... zlwx9b.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... pglwmu.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... p7sxho.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... dgmgsl.jpg

still to install these yet
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... xo03lr.jpg

J

2 questions about the battery isolators ( I think I saw one in the photos).

What happens if you battery on each side are mis- balanced, IE one is at 90% and the other is at 40%? Does most of the charge go in to the lowest one? Or is it split 50/50 even though one battery can't accept it? or is the whole system drops down the the "limiting factor" of the slowest charging( ie fullest) battery?

Also, I read that a isolator can have a .6volt drop from one side to the other. Are you able to measure this or are you otherwise concerned about it?

I am temped to have 2 separate systems 1 for starting and 1 for house load. And a pair of jumper cables should I ever need to connect them.

You need one of those fancy intelligent isolation switches that charges the start battery first and then switches over to the secondary battery, was looking at one myself just the other day but seriously doubt I will get that mod done in the short term, many other pressing things need to be done to get the boat better to sail before I worry about that stuff.