Philip R. McGovern wrote: > Our surveyor dinged us last year for not having a proper means for > holding the house bank (six golf cart batteries) down in the event of > a capsize. They are located in a single file row in the starboard > cockpit lazerette and there is no way for them to move laterally since > they take up all of the available space. They could get loose and > move vertically if we were to go topsy turvy but, since Sunshine is a > catamaran, I have not made this a big priority on my "to do" list. > Should I be more concerned about this? My thought is that, if we do > capsize, the batteries crashing into (or even through) the lazerette > lid will be the least of our problems. > > I'm not sure that belts or webbing would be strong enough to secure > them. Instead, I picture something like a 2x4 over the top of the > bank that is secured at both ends. I would not want to use any sort > of metal bar this close to the cables and terminals. Anything I might > put over the tops of the batteries would interfere with maintaining > them and space in the lazerette is pretty tight. REPLY The surveyor is using ABYC as his guideline. ABYC stipulates a positive batery restraint to prevent any battery ,movement in any direction. That includes vertically in the event of a capsize. Catamaran hulls are bi stable. So if you got capsized by a rogue wave chances are good you will remain afloat but upside down. Batteries going adrift should not have to be part of the collateral damage you ne dto deal with if you did capsize.
As for restraints. I go to Home Depot or similar hardware and get the cargo hold down straps with hooks at the ends and a ratchet mechanism in the middle. Eye bolts screwed into the deck along side the batteries are sufficient to restrain the batteries. You can usually do a double set like two Trojan 305 or a pair of L-16 together. As was mentioned in another email these straps are good for 2000 or more pounds of cargo shifting and pulling against them. Good enough for the size of batteries I install. Places like COSTCO now sell these straps in sets of three for under $20 One last thing. I have seen plaastic battery cases worn on the botom from continually sliding back and forth about half an inch or so on a fiberglass surface that was a bit rough. Guess what? It wore a hole in the case and it leaked acid. Bateries should be immobilized. regards Arild _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
