Alternative locations for starting battery C34 MkII

[Colonel Butler]

I want to convert my factory set up of 2 x 8D cell battery to a single bank of 4 x 6v golf cart batteries plus a starting battery. I have seen several examples of installing the starting battery under the aft berth. This requires a rather difficult and long cable run to the main isolating switch location. I was test fitting a battery box and found that with a bit of rerouting of plumbing, a starting battery may be able to be located outboard of the water tank which puts it in proximity of the main battery bank. This would require constructing and glassing in a battery box holder. The cable runs would be shorter than from under the aft berth. Just wondering if anyone has successfully accomplished this and if you could share some tips.

[mark_53]

Seems like your cable runs to the starter would be longer the way your planning.  Move your isolating switch closer to the starter (next to the raw water thru hull) and your start battery under the aft cabin.  That way you have the shortest cable runs and less voltage drop.

[Jim Lucas]

I'm relatively new to my boat but recently replaced my house batteries with 3 x Firefly (Carbon Foam) AGM's, a single AGM start battery and a new inverter/charger. All are located under the settee seats very easily with short run cables. This is where the flooded lead acid batteries where located so I just went with the same location.
These Firefly's are expensive but, I believe worth it, given the expanded capacity, life-cycles and savings in number needed.

Hey, just noticed we have the same boat name, just other end of the country!

[Jon W]

You're asking about locating a dedicated start battery, but maybe my reserve battery set up may be of some help.

I have 4 6V Trojan T105's as the house bank, and a Grp 24 reserve battery. The reserve battery is mounted FWD of the STBD water tank under the corner of the salon sette on a wood support that I glassed to the hull. No room to mount it outboard or aft of the STBD water tank closer to the battery compartment on a MK1. The reserve is kept charged up by use of a Digital Echo Charger connected with 10AWG wire. All battery cables are 1 AWG. It isn't a dedicated starting battery, but I can select it to start the engine and it does just fine. I attached a photo from my Tech WIKI project write up. (The blue transducer port is gone and it isn't that clean in there anymore ).

[Mick Laver]

My starter battery (Optima 8006-006-FFP BlueTop Group 34) is under the stbd settee in the compartment just forward of the water heater. I'm also using 4 Trojan T-105s for my house bank. A combiner (Bluesea 7610 solenoid SL series 120A 12/24 volt) lives in the same compartment as the house bank. I can send a couple of pictures if you'd like.