Starting Battery placement

[Roc]

Those of you that have a MKII may be able to give me your advice on this.  Port side of the water heater is the factory location for the two 4D batteries.  Starboard of the water heater there is a space that I am able to fit a battery box for a Group 24 starting battery.  My question is this...do you think the starting battery being too far outboard (not close to the centerline of the boat), might cause problems when the boat heels??  (i.e. water leaking out of the caps??).  I like this location because it is near the 4D's (easy checking) and wiring would be simple to modify.

Thanks!

[Stu Jackson]

Roc

The further out board will NOT affect the angle of the top of the new battery.  Regardless of where the battery is on the boat, the angle will stay the same whatever it is.

I believe Jon Arck placed his start battery forward of the starboard water tank.  The put in a shelf.

Anything on the starboard side will reduce the port list   

As long as you can get to the top of the battery that's fine.  Means you'll check it.

Good idea to do that upgrade.

[Ron Hill]

Roc : Although some people have mounted a starting battery under the aft cabin sole, I agree with Stu and like your location for the same reasons.  Because of the distance from the starter solenoid, you might consider using #2 wire.   

[reedbr]

Roc-

You just saved me a lot of measuring on my MkII.  I had always wondered if a dedicated starting battery would fit there.

Next question: Are you wiring your 4D's in parallel on battery switch position #1 and putting your starting battery on position 2, or are you wiring a new switch?  Also, will the stock battery charger charge three batteries independently or do you need an upgrade?  (I've still got the original flyback)

Stu-  no starboard water tank on a MkII.

[Roc]

Good point about the angle of heel is the same....duh.....

Ron, I wasn't thinking of having to upgrade the wiring to #2 because the starting battery would be less than 24" of the original battery posts on the 4D's...what do you think??  I would be just rearranging the wiring that the two 4D's use and putting a small extension to the starting battery.

Reed, I borrowed a battery box from my marina store and it fits in right next to the water heater.  Of course, the top of the box doesn't fit, but neither do the 4D's already installed have a cover over them.  I did a rough measurement of how far up the battery posts would project over the battery box and it looks like the whole installation should not interfere with the wood cover for the settee cushion.  I like how Jim Moe designed the set up on the projects page.  I would follow his recomendation.  I don't have the original flyback. I have a Statpower 40 amp charger that has the capacity of charging 3 banks.  In this case, the (2) 4D's would be one bank, and the starting battery would be the other.  See my installation of this charger in the same location as the orginal flyback on the projects page.