I, too, have an 86 and my batteries are in the port locker. However, there is some sort of shelf on the side where I keep 2 batteries and then have have 2 more down in the black hole. I store a lot of large fenders down in there so I took the other two and put them on top of the 2 fenders I use the least. I have 2 group 27 on the fenders and 2 group 24 on the shelf that runs lengthwise down the locker. I'll try to take a pic and send you. I have a lot of battery power I realize but I am always rafting up for days on end with a bunch of my sail mates and I run a percolator, the stereo, a hairdryer, etc. Plus people tend to party on my boat so I have all the ammenities. It's a pretty sweet set up with a smaller flexible solar panel that just rolls up and gets stored when not rafting up, Amy #6247
--- On Sat, 4/10/10, Andrew <[email protected]> wrote: From: Andrew <[email protected]> Subject: [IC27A] Inconvenient battery installation on Catalina 27 To: [email protected] Date: Saturday, April 10, 2010, 5:04 PM I have a 1986 Catalina 27 that I have had since 1990. I have always found the battery box at the bottom of the sail locker (portside) very difficult to reach. It's just too darn far down in the locker for me to reach easily during installation and removal of the batteries. The real challange is to hang my 69 year-old upper body over the lip of that locker as I try to reach the battery terminals to attach the cables. I use battery boxes to for each of the two batteries. I have thought of some kind of modification to raise the batteries up a bit. Perhaps I could build a false bottom into the battery well to raise the batteries up five or six inches. Or, I could attatch something to the bottom of the battery boxes to raise them up. Has anyone had a similar problem and, if so, what have you done about it? I would really like to hear of any solutions that you guys have employed. Andy Dalzell Catalina-27 #6298 Rebizak Sandusky Bay
