Mounting battery in the front?????

[69MyWay]

I'm moving the battery from the rear of my 84 viper to the nose to make room for the other 6 gallon gas tank on each side of the tilt/trim motor.

There isn't enough room to mount the BOX to the floor and have room to drop the battery in. I can put a strap hook on the floor - put battery in box...then move box to the spot and nylon strap it in. But the battery (27 series) would be bouncing all around in the box. I found a heavy duty marine battery mounting tray that locks it down. This would hold it in place - be easy to slide in - lock in- set the mount...and go. But, if it ruptured - acid would spill on the floor.

I think it was much more dangerous in the rear of the boat in the box where gasses from the battery and or tank with any possible sparks from the tilt/trim motor could have started a fire.

It seems to me though the lead acid battery gets the daylights beat out of it anyway - in the boat...slamming waves. But, I don't see a way to lock it in place - and put it in a container and be able to access it to do it (in a Viper).

A gel battery I'm sure would be best - but not ready to replace it yet.

Any other cool up front battery mounting ideas? Oh...I know a 27 is too much battery for this rig - but when it comes to amps I think some is good and more is better. A 24 would make mounting a bit easier.

[XstreamVking]

I have glassed a pc of wood up front with 1''tall strips on the edge to hold the batt in place. Using two 1/4'' threaded rods bent at a 90 deg on the bottom and put thru the 1'' tall pcs secured with a loc nut on the outside. At the top, using some starboard plastic (i don't like metal here) make a pc going across the batt top. Have the rod tops go thru the plastic secured with loc nuts. It won't go anywhere.

[69MyWay]

I have glassed a pc of wood up front with 1''tall strips on the edge to hold the batt in place. Using two 1/4'' threaded rods bent at a 90 deg on the bottom and put thru the 1'' tall pcs secured with a loc nut on the outside. At the top, using some starboard plastic (i don't like metal here) make a pc going across the batt top. Have the rod tops go thru the plastic secured with loc nuts. It won't go anywhere.

So, just the battery - no box...right? That's a great home brew solution!

I never thought of it before until now - that while movement is limited...just dropping the battery in the box (while the box is secured) just means it is bouncing all over the place in there.

I see how the box is needed and required in some situations - but doesn't look like it is always the best option.

I'm thinking I can modify the box though so that it covers it all to the point nothing can get on the terminals and arc - but it wouldn't keep acid from leaking out.

[phillnjack]

Mounting a battery up the front is the worse place you can put it. the front of the boat will get battered more than the rear.
you have more left right and forwards backwards motion up there and far more jerking and bashing going on. this is
extremely bad for the plates of a battery..
mounting as far back and central as possible gives far less movement and less strain on the battery plates.
have you not though why nearly every boat of the market puts them back there ?
now as for gasses simply put the battery in a box and run a pipe/hose to a vent on the deck or behind the boat as long as its above water level when stationary.
this is exactly how things are done on cruisers and is law in most countries around the world for boats over 20 foot.
Many years ago you were not allowed any box that could leak gases or fluids and most boats had a galvanised steel container for batterys and gas bottles, these had to be vented lower than the box but above waterline.
same can be done with a battery on a speedboat., but up the front is a terrible place to put a battery..

phill

[69MyWay]

Hey Phill,

Yep I get all that - and is part of my inquiry. Right now we put the spare gas can up front - and it never fails to drip fuel and stink and be an issue no matter what - and it bulky and tricky to move from the front to the rear to swap.

No matter what I do on a 15 foot boot I run into a space/safety issue.

I had a 1972 Checkmate V15 years ago that had more room than the Viper - but also had the tilt/trim on the motor so I didn't take up that space in the rear.

[phillnjack]

No matter how big a boat you get there is never enough room ha ha
and marine batteries is a myth, all a marine battery is , exactly the same as a heavy duty battery. heavy duty means thicker plates.
I used to fall for the marine crap, then I got speaking to someone who worked at EXIDE and VARDA. he told me to check out the numbers and check out the prices, but assured me they were the identical batteries just different stickers. one said marine one said heavy duty. Marine was obviously 20% more expensive, just like anything else that says "marine". All heavy dut battery's have thicker plates ( or should I say supposed to have thicker plates).

Have you thought about mounting your trim pump up and under the splashwell up high so it never gets wet ? or up in one of the corners.
this can save a lot of space and stop anything getting damaged.. /
again just an idea.

[olboatman]

I solved the "extra gasoline " problem on my Viper by finding a left over 8 gal Moeler fuel tank from WestMarine. They did a search for me and found some around the country and had one shipped to me. It fits like a glove under the port side of the splash well.
Gary

[69MyWay]

Have you thought about mounting your trim pump up and under the splashwell up high so it never gets wet ? or up in one of the corners.
this can save a lot of space and stop anything getting damaged.. /
again just an idea.

Yes - I even thought about making hard lines and moving it all the way to the nose (pump) - but...anywhere than where it is makes it nearly impossible to check and fill with fluid.

[Forkin' Crazy]

Use a gel cell and a really good mount like Eddie's. I have both batteries mounted under the dash with Eddie's billet mounts and have never had an issue.

[MattGreen]

You most certainly can run a battery under the bow successfully. I ran a setup very similar to what X-Stream described for 15 years on a tunnel boat I built. Absorbed glass matt (AGM) battery, no box, just two 1/2” SS threaded rods, 1” thick Starboard bolting bar, and plenty of washers and locknuts.

I took this a step forward a couple years ago on my Triad V21. I made a custom-molded battery box out of leftover 1708 glass and vinylester resin by using the battery itself as a “plug”. Worked great, snug fit; you can then bond/glass/bolt the box into the boat. It was an Odyssey battery I was using as an auxiliary for both the stereo and some port side weight to balance the boat when I drove solo.

Keep in mind you will need considerably heavier battery cables due to the distance (I.e voltage drop). They will be heavy, inflexible, and expensive if you use proper tinned copper marine cable.

Don’t rely on on the regular West Marine grade plastic boxes and straps for this application - could lead to a broken leg, hole in boat, loss of control, or some disastrous combination of the above.

Matt

[69MyWay]

So, there are various different AGM batteries out there. The most common would be the Optima - but they seem to have a terrible hit and miss set of reviews. I've owned two in hot rods over the years and didn't have good longevity out of either (a red and a yellow top).

I got good quality cables that came in yesterday. I've got a heavy duty try coming and will both screw and glue/epoxy it to the floor. I have also already been looking at putting some sort of cage in the footwell/nose area because as is anything I put up there ends up sliding back on your feet anyway which is a pain in the butt.

[69MyWay]

This would be the Optima choice - it has the small posts ready to attached to the smaller marine quick cables. https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-u...-starting/d27m

[JPEROG]

If you use an AGM Odyssey. They are not crazy expensive, small in size, weigh less then most, and have a great mounting bracket available. I have them in 3 boats and have had great results. https://www.batterymart.com/c-odyssey-batteries.html

Joe

[Will hedrick]

I bought 3 agm (exide) batteries from northern tool and equipment, they were 24 class and only way about 50 lbs, quite a bit lighter than any others I have seen, 900 + CCA as well

[idvette]

I built a hotfoot/deadpedal/battery mount for my 16' Hydrostream, looks like it's going to work out fine