Third Battery on CD 36

[Jeff Peterson]

We are thinking of adding a 3rd battery to our CD 36...has anyone come up with a good way to do this? Is extending the existing shelf aft the best idea? Other solutions? Thanks

[Jim_B]

I put four 6 volt golf cart batteries under the seat in front of the galley sink and left one dedicated starting battery on the original shelf. I put an echo charger between the house bank and the starting battery.

[jen1722terry]

Hi Jeff,

We have a 31, new to us last summer. We have three batteries, including two large, 70 lb. AGM house batteries installed by the prior owner. Rather than place all this weight on the shelf in the starboard cockpit locker, he custom-built a new rack for them under the cockpit sole forward of the steering quadrant and aft of the engine. A tight fit, and tough to get them out (we leave them in all winter on a solar charger). The PM was a retired Navy chief and made this and other thoughtful changes to our 31.

The PM was concerned about the batteries getting too hot, so he installed engine vent hoses connected to solar vents on the aft deck and installed a blower fan hard-wired to run whenever the engine was on. He also installed a battery temperature meter.

Our surveyor and several mechanics we've talked to think that the "always on" blower fan is over-kill, so we had a switch installed on the dash to use the fan prior to starting , fueling, etc. We'll keep an eye on the battery temps this summer to see if the PM's concerns were warranted.

The battery rack is made of angle iron and seems quite sturdy. It's nice to have this weight somewhat lower than before, and it frees up the old starboard battery deck (which we're thinking of mounting a second fuel tank on).

Having the weight lower and more aft is a mixed blessing. We also have a small dingy on davits, so the boat tends to squat a bit. We hope to correct this somewhat when we install some anchor chain and a small windlass, but I suspect she'll still have a bit of squat. Also, when those two big AGMs die, we'll replace them with two smaller, lighter house batteries, as we have little need for all that juice.

The starting battery is still on the original wooden deck in the port locker, easily accessible.

We're going to the boat next week down in Newington, NH, and I'll see if I can get some photos of the battery rack for you.

Hope this helps with your planning.

Jenn and Terry McAdams
Kearsarge, NH
"Glissade" CD 31 #33

[Evergreen]

Good day:

We have four AGM batteries on our Cape Dory 36 - Evergreen.

Two are on the port lazarette shelf in the general area of the water heater. The other two were added later in the storage area aft of the aft end of the starboard pilot berth. We had a platform built to accommodate these two new batteries. We picked that spot in order to attempt to balance the boat a bit.

This has turned out to be a pretty good setup.

Best wishes, Philip & Sharon

[David van den Burgh]

We are thinking of adding a 3rd battery to our CD 36...has anyone come up with a good way to do this? Is extending the existing shelf aft the best idea? Other solutions? Thanks

Where are your batteries located now? Our CD36, hull #7, has four 6-volt batteries plus one 12-volt starting battery in the starboard cockpit locker. That arrangement required removing the water heater, but we were willing to sacrifice something we rarely use - and didn't miss during last summer's month-long cruise.

[John Danicic]

Jeff Dave and all:

It is interesting watching this post which shows the variations of space available between the different years of our boats.

In our CD 36, hull 124 - built 1984, we put two Trojan 6 volt batteries port side on the hull-hugging battery shelf that also holds the water heater with the refrigerator unit low down but inward from the batteries. I put two more Trojan 6 volts in the deep starboard cockpit locker which also contains the 12 volt starting battery aft of the six volts. I built a removable tool box that fits over the starboard batteries that can contain small items like winch handles, snatch blocks and such. The six volt batteries are all in parallel and in series forming one 12 volt house bank of 440 amp hrs. Even with all the weight of three heavy batteries on the starboard side, Mariah still mildly lists to port when the aft water tank is empty.

Putting all the house batteries in the bunk storage space forward of the galley sink would be convenient for access and keep the weight low but would eliminate a very accessible and useful space to keep beverages and such. Jeff, where every you decide to put them, consider the length and size of cables you will need to connect them to alternator and distribution centers. Large, quality cables are pricey.

[moctrams]

I had a local craftsman remove the "flimsy" V-Berth plywood and replace it with a three (3) piece system with covers for the holding tank cover and a cover for the two AGM batteries to the rear of the hoding tank. The picture shows the covers and the hold-downs for the two (2) new AGM batteries.

[Bob Brown]

Jeff,

5 AGM Lifeline group 27 batteries located under the cockpit behind the engine mounted to a wood platform. Temp sensors are a must we also have a narco solar fan located in the aft hatch cover. Two house banks and one dedicated starting bank. Seems like overkill for the type of sailing we do however the electrical needed to be upgraded and we have the stock ice box, no insulation, with an add on fridge unit that just sucks the amps out of the system. Insulting the box is on the to do list. This set up makes getting to the rudder post and steering cable difficult unless batteries are removed. As always there are 10 ways to skin that cat and everything is a trade off. Good luck.

Bob

[moctrams]

Two 100 watt solar panels and regulator keep the four (4) Exide 34MDCORB Orbital Sealed Deep-Cycle VRLA AGM Marine/RV Battery topped off very well. I run the Adler-Barbour fridge all summer and the batteries are charged. I even leave them on the boat over the winter.