Overnighter battery move forward

[mikesne]

Anyone have experience moving batteries forward on a overnighter? I’m thinking about moving mine to the storage area between the front seats. The reason is to move the weight front in the likely event that I hang a new heavier 4 stroke on the back.
I‘ve read some posts about putting a heavier power plant on and how it has put the scuppers below the waterline and this is what I’m trying to overcome.

 

[seasick]

If you relocate batteries, you will most likely need larger sized conductors and you will have to relocate the battery switch or switches as well as any direct connect equipment like auto bilge pumps.
All that aside, adding 100 pounds on the transom is not going to be compensated by moving 2 - 40 pound batteries 4 feet forward.
If you want to get an idea of how the boat will sit with a heavier motor, put somebody as far aft as possible while you are at the helm and see how the scuppers look. Alternately, having someone about the same weight as the new motor difference either stand on the motor LU or sit on the cowling will give a good picture. Of course, the motor won't be running

 

[DennisG01]

A better, and easier/cheaper, solution would be to add weight under the v-berth cushions. Lead shot in reinforced bags for example. Moving the batteries forward also increases the vibration/pounding that they "feel".

 

[seasick]

A better, and easier/cheaper, solution would be to add weight under the v-berth cushions. Lead shot in reinforced bags for example. Moving the batteries forward also increases the vibration/pounding that they "feel".

Of course the farther away from the stern, the better the leveraging effect but my suggestion was a way to determine if you may need to add forward ballast at all at least with respect to scupper height relative to the water line.
On another note, I recently priced out lead shot and was surprised how much 100 pounds would cost. Figure about $3 per pound of clean shot

 

[Holokai]

For fire/aft balance we’ve found that sandbags in the place of the portapotty in will help to balance the additional weight of a 4-stroke and help get up on plane faster. You can also use sandbags on the rear jump seats to mimic the additional weight of a 4-stroke. Reduce the overall payload of your hull accordingly as you add more sand/shot/static load.

If you move batteries forward plan to upgrade to AGM to account for the increased pounding. Factor in the items seasick mentioned above like larger conductors to the engine. You likely also need to add some sort of protective device (fuse/breaker) to the engine feed per ABYC since the leads will now be longer.

The Overnighter has a pre-SV2/Hunt hull which I believe has less deadrise in the stern so it might respond better to additional weight versus the pre-2006 208 hulls. From 2006 on the 208 hulls are heavier and supposedly balanced better for heavier engines.

We can all share as much from our own experiences but your best bet is try things out on your hull as they are hand laid and we do not know the exact layout/loading you have.

 

[DennisG01]

Seasick - I wasn't responding based on anything you said - just a direct response to Mike.

But... ooof! You're right - shot is more than I remember! At least you wouldn't need much of it by using it way up front. The plus is that it doesn't take up much room. I'm sure new, heavy gauge wire ain't all that cheap anymore, either... plus the labor/time.

I agree with the idea of "try it before you buy it", though. This could be as simple as using jugs or Rubbermaid containers that you fill with water. They wouldn't even really have to be put inside the cabin - just in the approx area up on the bow - just enough to get an idea of what "X" amount of weight placed at "X" spot would do.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

The first questions that I have would be what year of Overnighter do you have, what size motor do you have on the boat currently and finally what size of outboard are you thinking you want to add to it? All sizes and manufacturers of outboards have different weights to them and depending on what amount of horsepower you're looking to get, you might be able to purchase one that doesn't add a ton of weight and where you don't need to move the batteries at all.

 

[family affair]

But... ooof! You're right - shot is more than I remember!

Triple bag pea gravel for the win! Cheap, easy to handle, readily available from a home store, and easy to dispose what you don't need.

 

[seasick]

I had researched the ballast issue for a post about a 208 or similar model hull a way back where I mentioned that for 'newer' model 208s the dry hull weight was 200 pounds more than previously and that the extra weight was ballast added up front to compensate for the extra weight of the new four strokes. Based solely on that info ( which may not be 100% accurate), I looked for ballast options. Other than depleted plutonium. lead was the next heaviest option
200 pounds of pea gravel would require more volume to stow than was available. By stowing I mean in the bilge area and not piled up on the berth. To an extent on the 208, a decent amount of bagged lead shot could be placed in the anchor locker which is accessible in the cabin but you wouldn't be able to store anchor and rode anymore.

 

[flstfixtures]

I re-powered my 228 with heavier 4 stroke a few years ago , contact Grady ,, they have a step by step for you that has recommendations ,, I followed it exactly and resolved any issues before they arose , including the scuppers.

 

[seasick]

I re-powered my 228 with heavier 4 stroke a few years ago , contact Grady ,, they have a step by step for you that has recommendations ,, I followed it exactly and resolved any issues before they arose , including the scuppers.

Can you summarize what you had to do?

 

[wrxhoon]

If you want to go the ballast route why not use lead sheet. A lot of guys here use it on their sailing boats for bottom ballast.
You can put it anywhere and it won't take much space at all. They use old flashing from demolished buildings or even new flashing . I buy flashing to use for heavy sinkers, I normally pay under $1 per lb ( AU$).

 

[Byram]

Can you summarize what you had to do?

yea !! what he said

 

[flstfixtures]

Re-powered my 228 w/a new heavier 4 stroke GrW had recommendations ( we followed all) included , moving both batteries to port, I had the scuppers raised ( professionally at a reputable fiberglass shop , not as expensive as I thought) Grady sent me instructions FOC ,, I would encourage you to contact them , they are very helpful.