[C320-list] Ultimate Battery setup - seeking suggestions.

[Warren Updike]

Whoa, boy, get ready for a deluge (maybe.) Battery power is one of those very controversial topics. Personally, I mostly followed the Part 2 recommendation on the web site with a few modifications. Compass Marine http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects has lots of good battery info. The same guy is a featured forum contributor on sailboatowners.com and there is tons of good stuff there. I urge you to dope out your boats battery wiring (know what each cable is for and how it runs,) document it, study the available information, plan a solution - on paper -, review it with someone you respect, research tools, techniques, make time for the project and go for it. Allow double the time you estimate. If you don't do it right, you'll regret it. We did it and have been very happy. 

One of the things you will (likely) learn is that the starting battery doesn't need a "priority charge from the alternator/or AC battery charger." Starting the engine actually takes very little from the start battery. It's the house bank that should have the priority charge. The start battery can be kept at full charge with an echo charger or like device.

Warren and Pattie Updike
1994 C320 "Warr de Mar" #62

-----Original Message-----
From: Gavin Gorazdowski [mailto:gavin at gav7.com] 
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2015 12:26 AM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Ultimate Battery setup - seeking suggestions.

hello.

I have recently purchased a C320 and am slowly working my way through the
inevitable To Do list.

My boat came with 3 batteries - I assumed 2 were house batteries and one
was a starter/cranking battery... I was wrong and found out the hard way,
when we ran the batteries down too low to start the engine!

There doesn't seem to be a separate, isoalted starter battery... so, i was
wondering if any owners have gone through the process of designing the
ideal battery setup...

I imagine an isolated Starter battery that gets priority charge from the
alternator/or AC battery charger, and a split house battery bank.

I also imagine an emergency override to use house batteries in emergency
cranking situations and maybe a kill switch to totally cutoff the starter
battery when the boat is not in use, to prevent any leak from the starter.

I'm sure there are other ideas/considerations...

Gavin

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*Gavin Gorazdowski*
​C320 Hull #485​- Sydney, Australia

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