Seafari batteries forward advice?

[SailorChlud]

Hi, all:

Have any Seafari owners on the forum installed 2 batteries into the forward storage space under the cabin bunk shelf? I wanted to get them well forward for weight distribution, but am not sure if they will fit yet, and then there are considerations of where to locate the battery switch, bus bar, etc. and of course, cable routing.

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by SailorChlud

Hi, all:

Have any Seafari owners on the forum installed 2 batteries into the forward storage space under the cabin bunk shelf? I wanted to get them well forward for weight distribution, but am not sure if they will fit yet, and then there are considerations of where to locate the battery switch, bus bar, etc. and of course, cable routing.

I believe Ben had put batteries in the cabin under the hinged lid that would cover the portapotty. Plenty of room to make a compartment. Personally, I'd prefer them closer to the cabin bulk head right before footrests. Moesly's originals used a small single battery (24's or so) in an era of much lighter motors. A pair of 27s is getting more common as our insatiable desires for electronics have grown. That's 80 or 90 lbs that the old Seafaris just don't need astern, especially if you have a 400 lb motor.

Fuses blade boxes, or cicuit breakers from Blue Sea Systems in cabin, Blue Sea Add-a-battery switch with isolater inside or outside the cabin bulkhead or in the stern locker would be fine. Wiring runs fine from cabin electronics behind combing t motor well. Bus bar in stern locker or near batteries.

Recognize that Seafari's keel sits a bit lower as you move forward, and more so with extra weight fore so consider putting a bilge pump up there, too.

[Fr. Frank]

Originally Posted by McGillicuddy

... Moesly's originals used a small single battery (24's or so) in an era of much lighter motors.

My first Seafari 20' (a '69) in OEM configuration used a Group 3ET battery in a fiberglass battery-box below the deck just forward of the motor well. I think it was about 600 CCA, if I remember right. It was held in place by a rubber strap.

My best friend had a '70 Seafari sterndrive, and it also used a 3ET battery mounted in a factory fiberglass battery box right in front of the front motor mount of his Mercruiser 140, but his battery box only came about a third of the way up the battery sides.The box was glassed in between the motor mount and the fuel tank.

I recall that my '69 had a 47 gallon fuel tank and his sterndrive model only held 27 gallons.

A 3ET battery is long and narrow; about 20" long and only 4" or 5" wide, and about 9" tall or so, and the terminals were set side by side in the middle of the battery

[McGillicuddy]

thats ineresting info, thanks, Padre i stand corrected. mine is a 72 and has a little tray in the aft starboard locker that barely fits a grp 24. Due to its length, It would be a bit of a pita to fit a 3ET in there w/my current config.

[Bushwacker]

I've seen a Seafari with a couple Group 27 batteries in the compartment up under the center hatch below the bunks. They were mounted on a shelf mounted between the stringers and would need to be well secured due to the G loads they'll see up there when you get into rough seas. I believe a Group 27 battery will just fit through that hatch, but I'd make sure it's a marine battery with a built-in lifting strap because otherwise it'll be a bear to lift in and out of that hatch! You would probably have to use larger cables to avoid excessive voltage drop due to a total cable run of ~ 35' or so from batteries to engine. (Have to use total length of both + & - cables when using voltage drop tables!) You could run the cables under the bunks back to the bulkhead, where you could mount + and - buss bars behind the instrument panel. I'd be inclined to mount the battery switch on the aft side of the bulkhead, maybe below the helm, where it's easy to access. (Mounting a battery switch under a hatch is a bad idea. A friend of mine lost a 36' Viking sportfish due to that! His boat developed an electrical fire shortly after he left the inlet on his way to the Bahamas, and his automatic Halon system went off and killed the fire and the twin diesel engines, but when he opened the engine hatch to turn off the battery switch, the fire re-ignited! Boat burned to the waterline and sank just a couple miles outside the inlet! Fortunately the black smoke attracted lots of boats so he and his family were able to get off the boat safely!)

[SailorChlud]

MicGillicuddy: I have a 1972 also, and have the small tray in the stern locker, but while a group 24 battery will fit in the tray, it will not fit if I want to put it into a box, as the vertical clearance will not allow for the box cover.

I am mulling over keeping the starting battery and switch (and ACR relay from Blue Sea) in the rear tray, and the house battery in the forward compartment. I am thinking maybe a sealed unit, well secured, for the house battery.

I do need the porta-potti space for that purpose, as my first mate (and my 3 nieces) will likely be on board at various times. So, the possibility of turning that space into a battery locker is out.

My other alternative is one battery in the starboard stern locker, and one in the port live well on a custom shelf.

[Bushwacker]

My boat is a '72 also; you will find that, if you dig out the foam between the stringers on the stbd side, that there is enough room for a large battery box and Group 27 battery between the stringers. I'm also able to stow 100' of anchor line between the batteries and a 9# Danforth stern anchor and about 8' of chain on top of the battery box. Attached picture shows my battery setup - at the time I was using an Optima Red Top battery in the stock location out at the chine, and you're right, there isn't enough room there for a battery box. I used the Optima because it's sealed and only weighed about 37 lbs. A big group 27 battery in that spot made the boat heal to stbd, and that was a problem with my roller trailer because the roller system has so many degrees of freedom that the if the boat was healed to one side in the water, it tended to come on the trailer the same way! That problem went away after I installed the Galley Seat and a 6 gal water jug on port side. The Optima battery eventually died after 7 years, so I replaced it with Group 34 wet cell battery that's about the same weight because I concluded that it wasn't a good idea to mix AGM and wet cell batteries in the same system, as they like to be charged at different rates and voltages. I often use the live well under port seat for bait so didn't want to to put a battery there, and I also have a port-a-pottie, so that location is also not an option.

Putting a house battery up front is a good compromise, and would probably not require heavy cables if you don't ever plan to use it for a starting battery, although I would want to keep that option. I probably should consider doing that, as my boat is quite stern heavy with the bracket + 427 lb motor, but with the combination of a 4B prop and AV plate fin, it has acceptable (~12 mph) low speed planing performance, and I also use that space under the bunks for storage on long trips, so I will probably stick with the current configuration. If you stick with a sub-400 lb motor and use an AV plate fin and 4B prop, I think you will find that the forward battery location isn't really necessary. However if you go with a 500 lb 4-stroke motor you may want to consider it.

[SailorChlud]

Thanks, Bushwacker - I have a few more months to mull this over, and will probably not make a final decision until after the winter is over in NJ. Then I can take measurements from the boat, and move the batteries around before I decide on final placement.

I don't fish, so I really do not need the livewell, but am hesitant to put a battery in there, in case the next owner wanted to use it.

I am going to put a rectangular access hatch in the angled surface of the splashwell so I can make better use of the area underneath that, and access the bilge pump under there more easily.

[Rufneck]

I just positioned battery boxes in the center hatch aft of the cabin bulkhead. That is prime real estate, but I didn't want them aft and just didn't feel comfortable putting them inside the cabin bulkhead. The battery selector switch is under the steering wheel.

The only issue that I see is losing the storage space, but it is just something I will work around. I built one each seat box port and starboard and both of them have storage. I also gained a lot of storage space when the transom was enclosed. I am more concerned without having a built in insulated fishbox, but I got a big ol 250 quart YETI cooler that fits nicely across aft end of the cockpit if necessary.