[C320-list] New skipper seeks advice on battery issues

[Michael Shirley]

Hello. I am new to the Catalina 320 Association, and this is my first
post. It's a long post, and I appreciate your patience. In October I
acquired a 2000 Catalina 320 after selling my Beneteau. Really like
the Catalina! The boat has been stored on land for 2-3 years and
neglected. Needless to say, there are issues I must address that have
resulted from lack of use and inattention to routine maintenance, and
I seek your advice about how I might prioritize what needs to be done
factoring in cost and how I plan to use the boat. Except for the
initial sail from the Patapsco River down to my slip in Annapolis, I
haven’t used the boat. The upcoming sailing season will be an
extensive shakedown to determine what needs to be replaced and what
added as an upgrade. I will be spending some weekends at anchor and
there will be the occasional 3-4 day trip. In May I hope to take a
week-long cruise. Ultimately I plan to go down the ICW to the Keys and
over to the Bahamas, but I’m still a coastal cruiser. Here is my first
dilemma. The 4D batteries are not holding a charge, so they must be
replaced soon with new 4D deep cycle. I do not believe any changes
have been made to the original set-up to the batteries and charging
system. My electronics guy believes I also need a 40 amp battery
charger (Mastervolt Power Charger) at a minimum, an external regulator
on the stock 55 amp alternator, and a separate Group 27 engine start
battery.  He proposes to relocate the battery charger out of the port
cockpit locker to be nearer the batteries and locate the new start
battery in front of the house bank.The biggest load is refrigeration.
I will be adding a stereo system soon (high priority as I must have my
tunes and Orioles baseball while at anchor). I will be replacing all
cabin light bulbs with LEDs. I have the standard Raymarine electronics
including autopilot but no chartplotter. I agree with his
recommendations but I need you to help me prioritize. The new
batteries right off the bat seem a no-brainer, but what else, the
battery charger or the external regulator on the alternator? Does the
battery charger really need to be relocated? The engine start battery
can wait, I think. Following all I have read here about installing an
engine start battery, I think I can do that myself. I also believe I
can install a new battery charger, just changing out the old charger
(plug and play, I hope). I’m hesitant to do too much immediately
having not yet spent time on the water with this boat. Any thoughts
you have to share and guidance to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
"Further"
Annapolis