[Salty Cracker]

I have two 4D batteries under the settee that have to come out. They weigh 130# each.
Something needs to be rigged that will take the load. I have lifting straps and two halyards.
They can't come straight up and out though.
I feel like I'm about to do something stupid.
Would anybody like to chime in?

 

[paulk]

We load heavy batteries by running sail ties through the fittings on them and having several people lift together. You may need some long straps so four or five people can work together. That will mean at least two six-packs of beer afterwards. Once they're under the hatchway, the halyard and winches can take over.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

True story: I went to the local gym and hired a gym junky. The guy was built like a concrete toilet block. He tossed my batteries about like toys. And they were not easy. Had to be lifted out/put back in whilst lying down and twisting. Those twisting movements can really injure.
Then tossing them up/down the companionway was simple too. Took him 15 minutes, cost me $30. Terrific.

Mark

 

[Michael Bailey]

I had a similar problem on a boat we used to own. I was much younger and stronger then but realized that in a situation with a lot of motion and only a dingy to transport such a battery well it would be next to impossible to deal with. I replaced them with smaller batteries in parallel to get the equivalent DC power. It worked just fine. If you have paid crew then maybe big batteries make sense. If you may have to deal with them yourself, "not so much."

 

[SanderO]

You lift them with a halyard and winch or the mainsheet. You can rig a block and tacks with 6:1 or more purchase on the boom and rig it over a hatch. I have the same issue. They were installed by a very strong young brute.

 

[jtsailjt]

I just replaced my house bank consisting of 4 4D AGM batteries. To raise/lower them down the companionway I used a 4X tackle hung from a strap around the boom. As I pulled them up from my position in the cockpit, my helper guided them so they weren’t bashing into the steps or bulkheads. Once I got them down on the cabin sole I used a small movers dolly on wheels with layers of boards between the dolly and battery to raise the battery to the height of the shelf I would slide it onto. This avoided any awkward lifting to get them into position. Once on the shelves they are pretty easy to slide.

 

[Barquito]

Yikes. I need to keep this thread in mind when I upgrade my batteries.

 

[SanderO]

My plan... involves main sheet, halyard and two people:

 

[Jeff_H]

What separates humans from lesser mammals is the ability to make tools, I had to deal with this for a friend who injured his back at a time when my back wasn't so good. The batteries were under the quarter berths under the cockpit seats. We rigged a piece of 2" steel gas pipe that was hung at one end from block and tackle off a 4x4 that spanned the companionway and was held from sliding by the winches on the cabin top. The other end say on a 2x4 on the quarter berth bunk flat. The pipe was lowered until the two-blocked tackle touched battery handle. Then using the block and tackle on the 4x4, the end at the pipe at the companion way was tilted up until it touched the under side of the deck and the blocks were two blocked at the 4x4. The battery was pulled forward until it was on over the bunk flat where it was lowered on a scrap piece of carpet, It was slid to the end of the berth on the carpet then the tackle on the pipe was reset so it was over the deck past the end of the head of the quarter berth and the process repeated so that the battery was now on the deck almost below the companionway. The battery was lifted to the deck level using the tackle on the 4x4 and then placed on the bridge deck. From there it was sung over the side on a tackle on the boom and lowered to the trunk of the car below.

It was easier replacing the batteries since we were able to hang the battery from the pipe and let the bridle slide down the pipe until the battery was over the battery box.

While it was a lot of Rube Goldberg-isms, It did allow this old guy to get the batteries off the boat and into the guy's trunk.

 

[SanderO]

What separates humans from lesser mammals is the ability to make tools, I had to deal with this for a friend who injured his back at a time when my back wasn't so good. The batteries were under the quarter berths under the cockpit seats. We rigged a piece of 2" steel gas pipe that was hung at one end from block and tackle off a 4x4 that spanned the companionway and was held from sliding by the winches on the cabin top. The other end say on a 2x4 on the quarter berth bunk flat. The pipe was lowered until the two-blocked tackle touched battery handle. Then using the block and tackle on the 4x4, the end at the pipe at the companion way was tilted up until it touched the under side of the deck and the blocks were two blocked at the 4x4. The battery was pulled forward until it was on over the bunk flat where it was lowered on a scrap piece of carpet, It was slid to the end of the berth on the carpet then the tackle on the pipe was reset so it was over the deck past the end of the head of the quarter berth and the process repeated so that the battery was now on the deck almost below the companionway. The battery was lifted to the deck level using the tackle on the 4x4 and then placed on the bridge deck. From there it was sung over the side on a tackle on the boom and lowered to the trunk of the car below.

It was easier replacing the batteries since we were able to hang the battery from the pipe and let the bridle slide down the pipe until the battery was over the battery box.

While it was a lot of Rube Goldberg-isms, It did allow this old guy to get the batteries off the boat and into the guy's trunk.

I thought about using a pipe and some scissor jacks to raise the 8D from the batt box...once out of the box a halyard takes over and it is lifted and moved from the aft cabin to the companionway... then the mainsheet takes over and lifts and the boom swings over to the dock.

But I decided I can use the mainsheet through a portlight in the cockpit well to raise the battery... the halyard takes over.

If I do this at the yard new batts will be delivered there and yard can recycle to old ones.

We'll see.

 

[capta]

Round about 50 I starting hiring help with jobs like movingt 4D & 8D batteries. Twenty bucks each and the old ones are out and the new ones are in, and my back is just fine

 

[Salty Cracker]

Round about 50 I starting hiring help with jobs like movingt 4D & 8D batteries. Twenty bucks each and the old ones are out and the new ones are in, and my back is just fine

That would be the best idea. I'd pay 30 bucks each. Where would one look for battery lifting labor? It's already been suggested I could hang out at a gym flashing cash and trying to pick up muscle men. I could drive through Lowes parking lot looking for day labor or troll the underworld of Craigslist too I guess. Just teasing. Point taken though. I'm a DIYer where I can be but it's okay to hire out too.
I think I'll be able to do it with a called in favor, the boom vang and lifting straps. I can't get them out of the forward hatch. I'm going to reposition the vang to clear the dodger, lift them up and out then swing the boom over to the wobbly 2' wide finger pier.

My plan... involves main sheet, halyard and two people: View attachment 143923

I'm going to blow your diagram up so I can get a closer look. This is kind of what I'm trying to imagine.

 

[Salty Cracker]

If I do this at the yard new batts will be delivered there and yard can recycle to old ones.

Ahh, good idea!

 

[MarkSailor]

I think that the interior layout of my '95 C320 is similar to your C36. Last time I replaced my 4Ds I put a 2X6 across cabin, resting on the shelves above the settee. I used a 4-part block and tackle slung from the 2X6 to lift each battery from beneath the berth onto the seat of the settee. I slid each battery back along the seat, and then did the only "dead lift" in the whole project to get them from the end of the settee onto the floor by the companionway. From there the same 4-part block and tackle hung from the boom got them onto the cockpit floor. I have an outboard crane on the transom from which the same block and tackle lowered the batteries from the cockpit onto the ground below. (I was in the yard for a bottom job at the time.) None of it was fun, but all of it was doable by myself, and I'm definitely not a muscle man.
I'll admit I was very happy when the yard manager agreed to have one of his guys lift the new batteries up to the cockpit using the yard's lift truck. From there it was the same steps in reverse to get them back under the settee.
When these batteries die, I'll probably replace them with 4 smaller 6V golf cart batteries. But with some planning, you can do just about anything if you need to.

 

[jtsailjt]

My 4D Lifelines were 7 years old so don’t owe me anything but now that they’re out of my boat and no longer connected to each other I want to see if there are any differences between them. So I began by checking their voltage which should be all the same since they were all part of the same house bank and all were disconnected from any load at the same time when I turned off the battery switch prior to removal. Three of them were between 12.5 and 12.6 volts but one of them read 11.56 volts on my meter. Hmmmm
Now I’m charging each of them for at least 8 hours at about 15.5 volts ( recommended equalization voltage) and once I’ve finished with that (now on #3) I’m going to operate a small electric motor from each of them for a fixed length of time and then measure each batteries voltage so I can compare them. I’m just curious whether they’re all bad or if that one outlier was dragging down the whole bank. But whatever I learn, the new ones are all in place and will stay there. What a difference in the current they’ll accept and how the voltage stays up after an evening of use along with running the Webasto heater all night with refrig and freezer! 😊 Also, when I leave the boat for a few days with the refrig and freezer running, my 350Ah solar (with negligible contribution from KISS wind generator in sheltered harbor) has the batteries within 30Ah or less from fully charged when I return. I think we all sort of get accustomed to our batteries (except LiFePO4) performance slowly declining over the years so when you replace them it’s such a pleasant surprise to see how much better the new ones perform!

 

[SanderO]

My 4D Lifelines were 7 years old so don’t owe me anything but now that they’re out of my boat and no longer connected to each other I want to see if there are any differences between them. So I began by checking their voltage which should be all the same since they were all part of the same house bank and all were disconnected from any load at the same time when I turned off the battery switch prior to removal. Three of them were between 12.5 and 12.6 volts but one of them read 11.56 volts on my meter. Hmmmm
Now I’m charging each of them for at least 8 hours at about 15.5 volts ( recommended equalization voltage) and once I’ve finished with that (now on #3) I’m going to operate a small electric motor from each of them for a fixed length of time and then measure each batteries voltage so I can compare them. I’m just curious whether they’re all bad or if that one outlier was dragging down the whole bank. But whatever I learn, the new ones are all in place and will stay there. What a difference in the current they’ll accept and how the voltage stays up after an evening of use along with running the Webasto heater all night with refrig and freezer! 😊 Also, when I leave the boat for a few days with the refrig and freezer running, my 350Ah solar (with negligible contribution from KISS wind generator in sheltered harbor) has the batteries within 30Ah or less from fully charged when I return. I think we all sort of get accustomed to our batteries (except LiFePO4) performance slowly declining over the years so when you replace them it’s such a pleasant surprise to see how much better the new ones perform!

I will not be surprised at how new batts behave. It is exactly what I am expecting.

 

[capta]

My 4D Lifelines were 7 years old so don’t owe me anything but now that they’re out of my boat and no longer connected to each other I want to see if there are any differences between them. So I began by checking their voltage which should be all the same since they were all part of the same house bank and all were disconnected from any load at the same time when I turned off the battery switch prior to removal. Three of them were between 12.5 and 12.6 volts but one of them read 11.56 volts on my meter. Hmmmm
Now I’m charging each of them for at least 8 hours at about 15.5 volts ( recommended equalization voltage) and once I’ve finished with that (now on #3) I’m going to operate a small electric motor from each of them for a fixed length of time and then measure each batteries voltage so I can compare them. I’m just curious whether they’re all bad or if that one outlier was dragging down the whole bank. But whatever I learn, the new ones are all in place and will stay there. What a difference in the current they’ll accept and how the voltage stays up after an evening of use along with running the Webasto heater all night with refrig and freezer! 😊 Also, when I leave the boat for a few days with the refrig and freezer running, my 350Ah solar (with negligible contribution from KISS wind generator in sheltered harbor) has the batteries within 30Ah or less from fully charged when I return. I think we all sort of get accustomed to our batteries (except LiFePO4) performance slowly declining over the years so when you replace them it’s such a pleasant surprise to see how much better the new ones perform!

I'd suggest a lot bigger load than a small electric motor. If you remember the first time a car battery went dead on you, you noticed that the headlights were bright as ever, so you couldn't believe it was a dead battery. But when you tried to start the engine, the massive load of the starter turning the engine reinforced the notion it WAS a dead battery.

 

[jtsailjt]

I'd suggest a lot bigger load than a small electric motor. If you remember the first time a car battery went dead on you, you noticed that the headlights were bright as ever, so you couldn't believe it was a dead battery. But when you tried to start the engine, the massive load of the starter turning the engine reinforced the notion it WAS a dead battery.

Good point and I will do that but with 3 of them having been recently charged as I described and still working on the 4th, 2 of them are at about 12.8 volts with no load but one (the second one I charged) has fallen back to 11.8 volts with no load so it’s pretty clear that one is useless and much worse than the others are. I noticed that the new ones were at about 12.9x with no load so there’s clearly been some sulphation (as you’d expect) of the other 3 but I’d like to know about how much so I will try to think of a larger load I can use to give a better indication of how much they are degraded, at least relative to each other.

 

[jtsailjt]

I will not be surprised at how new batts behave. It is exactly what I am expecting.

Yes, my logical self knew that fresh batteries would perform better than old ones, but it still seems like a pleasant surprise every time I notice evidence of better performance than I’d gradually become accustomed to over the last few years. I’ll probably start taking this for granted in a few more weeks but for now it’s a noticeable positive improvement. It’s like when you buy a brand new car, of course you know that it’s going to be a lot shinier/prettier and run better than your rusty old clunker did, but that doesn’t stop you from feeling happy when you see it and when you experience it’s much better performance, at least for awhile.

 

[Steve Bateman]

Took out my pair of 250Ah x 75Kg Lead acids and went lithium can pick up the cells with 2 fingers Back likes me more now.