Grant
Vancouver
03/29/05 at 17:34
Passage 42 battery bank . . Im hoping to upgrade the 2- 8D batteries (470 amp hrs) aboard my Passage 42 to more like 800 - 1000 amp hrs. Any ideas on how much battery capacity can fit in the standard battery area behind the engine? Is there another good place to stash additional battery capacity?


Terry Cox
Belle-Vie, P42, Everett, WA
03/29/05 at 19:01
Hunter 42. Grant, do you have a Genset? We have an Onan 8kw Genset with the two 8D batteries that came standard with the boat. Perhaps solar panels and/or wind generator might be a better alternative to a larger house bank.

Rather than upgrading to a larger fuel tank, I can easily store thirty gallons of fuel in the transom lockers. Just a thought.


Bradley Cavedo
Deltaville, Virginia
03/30/05 at 5:18
We have 500 amp hrs. in two 250 amp hrs gel cell batteries on the racks, but we also have a 9kw generator. Also have a gel cell starter battery. Run generator for an hour in morning and an hour in evening and puts back about 160 or - amp hrs a day. Over a long trip we will keep losing battery amps on a daily basis, so we will either need a long generator run or an overnight plug in to come back to full charge. But it is not a problem because we will tie up at a dock at least once over a five day period or it will be hot enough to run the generator for several hours at anchor for the air conditioning. The gell batteries are 5 years old, I think, and are in great shape.


John Richard
Newport Beach, CA
03/30/05 at 7:14
A suggestion your 8D batteries are taking up a lot of space and are very heavy. Itll probably take two gorillas to get them out of the boat. If you can find the gorillas, strongly consider going with several 6 volt golf cart batteries in two banks. Without knowing the exact type to refer you to, I have been told that Delta offers a suitable choice. I think you will be more than pleased with the outcome.

Personally, two years ago I changed our two OEM 4D batteries for four Trojan J250s. We went from 180 amp hours with the former to 220 per bank and have never had a problem with not having enough power. Then again, I dont have the use of a generator and am scrupulous about what I run off the batteries. I added a Link 2000 to keep tabs on available amps.


John Hromadka s/v Sojourn 92 p42
Miami, Florida
04/03/05 at 10:05
6 volt batteries is the way to go. I have replaced my 8ds with 6 volt golf cart batteries ... trojan t 105s...easier to handle (no gorillas needed), cheaper, better batteries and easier to replace and find in the caribbean. 220 ah per pair.

I also added 2 more in the area of the bilge below the ottaman giving me 660 ah. My amps used per day is around 170. I also have 2 75 watt seeman solar panels. Cruised the caribbean for 3 year with this configuration and it met me amps need with no problems.


John Nantz
Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
04/03/05 at 18:05
Golf Cart Heavy Duty = 245AH. The last time I changed batteries I went from the T-105s to Dyno Heavy-Duty that are rated at 245AH. Same size battery but a tad more AHs.

See the GC2B. Because of the added capacity I dont expect them to last as long and the T-105s did which was nine years. You might want to check if any other brands in your area make a heavy duty model.


Paul Cossman
Anchorage, Alaska
04/04/05 at 15:08
Extra battery in Passage 42. Grant, I added another 8G8D battery to my battery bank for a total of 3 8G8D batteries (I use Prevailer gel cell batteries). I put it under the aft bunk, just forward of the rudder quadrant area. Since it is a gel cell, there are no complications created by the necessity of enclosing the battery. I used pieces of 2X4 on the outside of all four bottom edges, and through bolted the 2X4�s to the floor area and bulkheads. I then through-bolted two eye bolts to the two bulkheads on the port and starboard side of that area, and strap the batteries tightly into place (in the event of a knockdown or rollover). I then ran 3-00 guage wire to connect that battery with the other two, and I run all three together as a single house battery bank.

My auxiliary power in the past has included a fourwinds wind generator and a fourwinds water tow generator. I now rely almost exclusively upon a small five HP diesel engine that sits in the top portion of my engine compartment. When its not powering my 130 amp generator, it powers my scuba air compressor. Its worked great for years.