[C320-list] Inadequate Dedicated Starting Battery

[P.F. Ross]

D'Oh!

Yes, 4D!  The ones that originally came in my boat!

Frank



On Tue, Dec 7, 2021 at 2:42 PM Jeff Hare <Catalina at thehares.com> wrote:

> Frank,
> I think you meant a pair of 4D batteries, right?
> 8D's don't fit in the C320 battery compartment. They're just a bit too
> wide and tall. I tried every possible way back in the day to modify that
> space to hold them but to no avail.
>
> -Jeff
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On Behalf Of
> P.F. Ross
> Sent: Tuesday, December 7, 2021 3:36 PM
> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Inadequate Dedicated Starting Battery
>
> Joe,
>
> I also had 8Ds last for nearly 8 years but that was when I had limited
> sailing area on an inland lake and spent one, maybe two nights on the hook
> somewhere.  I was also afraid to use my refrigerator for fear of not being
> able to start one morning (nearly happened early on in my ownership, having
> owned the boat since new).  Admittedly, I had no battery condition monitor
> at that time, so it was all guesswork.
>
> When I moved my boat to SW FL and was able to cruise farther, I looked
> into upgrading my electrical storage options.  There are tons of resources
> online, but this page in particular moved me to golf cart batteries, Trojan
> T-105s in my case.
>
> https://marinehowto.com/what-is-a-deep-cycle-battery/
>
> I also added other upgrades including a modern charger, battery monitor
> and automatic charging relay along with wiring modifications for an "always
> hot" bus and proper overcurrent protection (sadly lacking as OE, at least
> on my old boat).  I have yet to upgrade my alternator and engine charging
> system, but so far my setup allows me to spend three nights out without any
> worry.  It also helps that I have changed all lighting to LED.
>
> None of this is my original discovery, but instead I owe much to others on
> this list who have come before me.
>
> A final benefit to the golf cart batts is that they are easier for me to
> man-handle if need be since there are 4 smaller units rather than 2
> ginormous ones.  Doable 25 years ago, now at 69 not so much.
>
> Regards,
>
> Frank Ross
> Beta Wave #206
>
> On Tue, Dec 7, 2021 at 10:16 AM Hans Dose <hans.dose at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I know this doesn't directly address your issue, but one more thing to
> > keep in the back of your mind for anyone with a Yanmar 3GM30F... There
> > is a compression release on top of each cylinder.  Pulling one back
> > before cranking the motor makes it turn over much easier.  Then
> > releasing it once the flywheel has some momentum will make for an
> > easier start.  And the more cylinders you do that with, the easier it
> > gets.  I've often thought of making linkage from a straight piece of
> > metal that I could tie a line to it in case I ever had to do that
> > alone from the helm.  They are a throwback from when you could hand
> > start the engines with a crank.  I did it a lot on single  & two
> > cylinder Yanmars with no battery when I lived in the Amazon region of
> Brazil.
> >
> > Hans Dose
> > 1999 hull #569 "King's X"
> > Alamitos Bay - Long Beach, CA
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 7, 2021 at 6:58 AM Onat Dogruer <onatdogruer at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Bob,
> > >
> > > I tend to be very cautious before commenting without knowing how
> > > things
> > are
> > > wired on someone's boat. However, the issue doesn't sound like a
> > > wire
> > gauge
> > > issue. Typically older diesels have a higher cranking amp
> > > requirement, recommended 450-500CCA min starting battery. Our 1998
> > > has a Yanmar 3GM30F and starting surge is 283A.  The start surge is
> > > only for a second or two and once the engine kicks up, alternator
> > > starts feeding back. Our setup
> > is
> > > slightly similar; we have deep cycle golf cart batteries but we
> > > always start on that bank. Aux battery serves as an emergency start.
> > >
> > > G27 batteries should be more than adequate; even a good G24 will
> suffice.
> > > The issue might be the 'new' battery may not actually be in good
> > > condition.
> > > Alternatively, there may be a loose terminal (even a slight wobble
> > > will decrease output).  If I were facing this, I would start by the
> > > simplest
> > and
> > > check the terminals, go over the wiring of the house bank and of the
> > > starting battery, and lastly may do a load-test on the starting
> battery.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Dec 7, 2021 at 8:54 AM Bob Hoyt <rehoyt at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I recently installed a Duralast G27 Marine battery to serve as a
> > > dedicated
> > > > starting battery to go with my house batteries (4 six-volt golf
> > > > cart batteries in series). I installed it just forward of the
> > > > starboard
> > > battery
> > > > compartment. The existing cables are listed as 4 gauge, so I
> > > > thought
> > they
> > > > were adequate.
> > > > With a fully charged new battery and either a cold or warm engine,
> > > > the motor will barely turn over. With the battery selector on all,
> > > > it
> > starts
> > > > quickly. Is the group 27 battery underpowered or do I need to
> > > > change
> > the
> > > > wire from the battery to the main switch and wire from the switch
> > > > to
> > the
> > > > starter motor to 2 gauge? Thanks
> > > >
> > > > Bob Hoyt
> > > > Hull 154
> > > > 1994 C320 "Ikigai"
> > > > Pensacola, Fl
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > *Robert (Bob) Hoyt MD, FACP, FAMIA, ABPM-CI*
> > > >
> > > > *Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine*
> > > >
> > > > *Virginia Commonwealth University*
> > > >
> > > > *Richmond, VA*
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > *CAPT (Ret) USN*
> > > >
> > > > InformaticsEducation.org  <http://InformaticsEducation.org>
> > > > rehoyt at gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > Cell: 850-384-5235
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>