battery swithch

[Wanderlust]

My CD MK II could use some neating up of the wiring. I was thinking that it might make a lot of sense to move the battery switch (1-2-all- off) to inside the cockpit lazarette from its current location inside the cabin. My batteries are in the lazarette and also several heavy wires for a windlass, wind generator as well as other smaller wires for battery charger, etc. Do you ever notice that when its time to start the engine you lean over the companionway and switch from house to the engine battery and then after motoring for awhile to top off the the engine battery that you have to lean back down and switch to the house battery to charge it up too, IF YOU REMEMBER. Having the battery switch in the cockpit would save a lot of leaning. Anybody think of any downside to having the switch in the lazarette as long as theres room and it's relatively dry??

[Bob Condon]

The wet environment is one issue, with the second
being in a position to be messed with if someone came
on the boat while unattended.

Could some catch their foot on it when you are motoring
and "blink" goes the aternator/generator if turned off?

Not sure if that is a concern where you sail.

[Russell]

Rather then move your battery switch, why not just wire your boat to the more modern method, which involves zero switching? Ditch the 1/2/Both/Off switch. Wire your altinator directly to your house bank, the buy a battery combiner (about $60) to automaticly charge your start bank when a charging voltage is detected. Wire your start bank directly to the starter. Then install an emergency parellel switch (equivilent to the "both" setting) for the odd time your start bank is too low to crank the engine. You will find all modern boats are wired this way, for good reason, it gives all the benifits of the old system of a 1/2/Both/Off switch, but without the need to remember to actually do anything with the switch.

[Wanderlust]

Thanks for the reply. Ive been reading about paralleling relays in Calders book and considered it. What worried me was a kind of worst case scenario where I would motor several times a day but only for a short time each, a not unusual situation. If the alternator is wired to the house bank, and as the relay has a trigger point below which it would only charge up the house bank until a certain voltage is reached, then unless one kept the engine or other charging source running for awhile, the starting battery may never get any charging. Maybe this is fine for awhile as the relay combines the batteries during starting but it worried me that I might be slowly discharging the starter battery during the combine phase of starting and not really know it until one day when Ive run down the house bank during the night and the starter battery doesnt have the juice to start the engine either. Is this realistic and has anyone with a paralleling relay system ever come close to this scenario. Or am I missing an important point which makes this impossible?