battery placement

[steplift20]

I would not put the battery's up there, I would put in a hatch and use it for storage for something light, I don't like the weight and corners of the battery's resting on the hull , that's just my opinion

[jvitiel]

So how much room is there between the top of the battery and the underside of the deck? Obviously don't want to just drop the battery into a hole with an uneven bottom - will need to fabricate a base with a built in angle to compensate.

I'm thinking maybe a sandwich made up of 1/2" rubber mat on the botom, 3/4" plywood, expanding foam to make up the angle and a 3/4" plywood top for the battery to sit on. That means that a minimum of 2" of clearance in the shallowest corner. Is there enough?

Could probably get away with a 1/4" mat and 1/2" ply for a total of 1.25" if need be..

Follow up question - do you see any reason why I couldn't cut the access hole in the side of the step down rather than the top of the deck? Harder to get to but I have milk crates bolted to the deck in the cuddy and wouldn't want to move them, even occasionally for battery access.

[Slightly_Twisted]

Hey Jvitiel, Sorry I haven't been working on the boat the last few days. I did and few things today. and looked at what you asked. You could cut the side of the step-down to access that void. Maybe if you put some drew hardware in you could make a battery drew there. you have a good amount of room there, I have about 4-5 extra inches on top of the battery to work with.

Originally Posted by jvitiel

Follow up question - do you see any reason why I couldn't cut the access hole in the side of the step down rather than the top of the deck? Harder to get to but I have milk crates bolted to the deck in the cuddy and wouldn't want to move them, even occasionally for battery access.

Bradford, Thanks!! yeah I'm hoping to do a 100% refit on this one, stringers, transom, the whole deal. I'm going to wait until the seadrive dies and then its game on!!

[jvitiel]

Awesome. For me, side access is the way to go and four inches is plenty of clearance for brackets, shelves etc. Thanks Twist! I appreciate your detailed due diligence on this. Now I have to start looking over how to lay out the trolling motor so that it doesn't interfere with my pulpit...

I look forward to hearing about the progress on your project. Good luck and please keep us updated.