weekender battery question

[markfitz]

I saw a lot of threads talking about putting your weekender battery for your trolling motor in the front storage area for ballast, but I have a "non-ballast-related" question about that.  We bought sails from Stevensons, and they are very nice.  We haven't actually put them on the boat yet, but we cut and sanded all the rings for the main mast. On one one of the videos it shows them storing the jib inside that front-most forward compartment.  Will storing it in there with the battery have any negative effects on it?  I am wondering what (if any) sort of fumes a lead/acid deep cycle battery would put out.  I don't want to do anything to mess up the sail integrity.  Thanks for any advice. 

[Bikermouse]

Have you ever seen what a shirt looks like after a few shifts around a battery bench?  I'd avoid having anything else in that compartment if you're putting as battery there.  Many modern designs don't have liquid acid that can spill or spatter when the battery heats up, but they still get post corrosion if they're not cleaned regularly (and they never are).  That corrosion is almost as bad as the acid itself on fabrics.

[ChrisObee]

Batteries belong in a battery box.  Not exposed to the elements and certainly not stored with other items.  Especially sails. 

[Frank Hagan]

I always just folded the jib and put it back in the bag, then put it in the main cabin.  Only takes a minute or two.

The Weekender has to be one of the fastest boats to rig in the world, with the sail kept on the boom all the time and the mast folding over it.  That is one feature I miss with my production boat!  I could be in the water within 10 minutes of hitting the ramp ... in fact, I usually rigged right at the ramp. 

[Ray Frechette Jr]

First off the battery should be in a battery box with a cover.  this will contain spilled acid, and also protect terminals form coming in contact with metal.

Second of all,  the battery is only ever going to give off fumes when it is being charged.  The fumes will be hydrogen gas.

Now with aggresive charging you can get battery acid bubbling up to the battery top and that can cause problems...

Basically , pukk the sail out when you install and remove the battery,  and remove the battery to charge and you should be fine..

[markfitz]

Thanks!  We will definitely get the battery box.  I think the jib has clips, so rebagging it and tossing it in the cabin seems like a good idea.

[Bud_Wilson]

Rebagging and toss in the cabin is the best option you have been offered. Don't even let it touch the battery box. Get some good lugs and getting it off or down is no problem. Bud.

[Peter HK]

the battery is only ever going to give off fumes when it is being charged.  The fumes will be hydrogen gas

And if while you are charging you have a loose terminal that can spark if it is jiggled then you can have an explosion from the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. As there is lots of hydrogen in the top of the battery it tends to blow the top off. Battery acid can then easily leak out.

Don't ask how I know this but I strongly endorse the advice to use a battery box :shock:

Peter HK

[Frank Hagan]

The thing about sparking is that it can cause a fire, and burn your boat.  There was a guy who had the same production boat I have (Potter 19) who had a fire from a battery spark.  The battery is in a cabinet, and he didn't have it in either a battery box OR with the snap on protective terminals.  He had something in the cabinet that shifted and later, after the boat was safely parked on its trailer, fell down on the terminals. 

An unplanned fire on a boat is a bad thing!

[John Weigandt]

I put my battery in a battery box, in the seatbox in the companionway.  Central ballast is nice.  I put a lake style mushroom anchor and regular anchor in the front hatch area for weight.

You really don't want a battery up forward for a couple of other reasons.  You gonna shake rattle and roll it there, but more importantly is Ohm's law.  When you put that much distance between the battery and the trolling motor you are gonna have a lot of resistive loss even with very large guage wire.

I also made sure that my trolling motor circuit was protected by one of those automatic circuit breakers you can buy at the auto parts store.  (little brass looking box that fits on the battery terminal.. rated to 40 or 50 amps, but will cut out in a short or overload, but more importantly ... re set itself if you resolve the problem.)