26X battery installation question

[Rambler]

New member here. Several weeks ago, I bought a 1998 26X which had been sitting on a trailer for a few years. I have spent several hours off-and-on cleaning and sorting out various systems, for which I relied heavily on past discussions on this site and YouTube videos. (This site is great!) New freshwater plumbing from end to end, revised wiring, chasing down rain leaks, repairing or improving modifications from previous owners, replacing the battery cables to the 25hp Evinrude, scratching my head a lot, removing a lot of mildew, etc.

I have it mostly sorted out but have a question about the standard battery installation. The previous owner, a lake sailor, had a very large (about 120 pounds) 12V battery sitting directly on the inside surface of the hull. I’m going to be doing some Gulf Coast coastal sailing and was not comfortable with that and am going to a Group 24 battery, which seems to have been the original design. Is it supposed to sit on the hull or on the fore-aft stringer? Was there a shelf, platform, battery box, or cover of any type?

(A little personal background. I have not sailed in many years. When I was a teenager, my family had a yard-built, wooden-hulled sloop. We always thought of it as a 36-foot sloop, but about 6 feet of that was bowsprit, and having a staysail and club-footed jib would probably classify it as a cutter today. It had a wood mast, wood boom, canvas sails, and not a winch to be found anywhere. I’m having to learn a lot of new things about current sailboats, but I’m getting there.)

[dlandersson]

My batteries are located under the forward table seat with the perko switch immediately to their left.

I have it mostly sorted out but have a question about the standard battery installation. The previous owner, a lake sailor, had a very large (about 120 pounds) 12V battery sitting directly on the inside surface of the hull. I’m going to be doing some Gulf Coast coastal sailing and was not comfortable with that and am going to a Group 24 battery, which seems to have been the original design. Is it supposed to sit on the hull or on the fore-aft stringer? Was there a shelf, platform, battery box, or cover of any type?

[Be Free]

Rambler,

Flooded lead acid batteries should always be in a box and all batteries should be strapped so that they cannot move about.

Whether the box is sitting on the hull or across the stringers is up to you. My batteries are in a plastic box that is inside a shallow wooden tray that sits partially on the floor partially on a stringer.

[dlandersson]

Ditto plastic box

Rambler,

Flooded lead acid batteries should always be in a box and all batteries should be strapped so that they cannot move about.

Whether the box is sitting on the hull or across the stringers is up to you. My batteries are in a plastic box that is inside a shallow wooden tray that sits partially on the floor partially on a stringer.

[closehaul]

Rambler, Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your selection and purchase of a Macgregor. In response to you question on ‘How the Mac 26X battery was initially designed/installed?’ I concur with prior postings, ‘it should be in a battery box’, but I do not think that was Rodger’s factory design (light, simple, let’s go sailing). Original design was for a Grp 24 battery to sit on top of the ballast rail and restrained with the SS U bracket and (2) bolts. It may have had a tray (but I have no evidence of that). This was the house battery - the engine battery was Dealer installed and located in various locations (or connected to the single house/engine battery). Below are some iterations I have gone thru on my 2000 26X that you may find helpful.
GEN 1: PO had the house battery in factory location and the engine battery in a box bolted to the cockpit floor under the helm seat. House only charged when dockside.
Gen 2: I built a plywood platform in the factory location and extended port to support (2) Grp 24 batteries (used 2” Styrofoam trimmed to match contour of hull to support the platform). Used longer bolts to restrain both batteries with the SS U bracket and polycarbonate sheet (cut from political signs) between batteries and between the FG wall and 1st battery. Used a Blue Seas Automatic Charging Relay to charge both from engine – but this had challenges if both batteries were not same age.
Gen 3: Separated the engine and house circuits (I carry a set of jumper cables (never have used)). Engine battery stayed in the compartment aft of the galley. House battery upgraded to Grp27 AGM and relocated forward of the starboard dinette (in a battery box). Not under the seat but the next compartment forward – plenty of room to sit on the ballast tank and bolted to the FG vertical bulkhead. This was a noticeable improvement in weight distribution. House charges with 180 Watt solar.
Gen 4 (future, still pondering): Change the House to a 200 Amp-hr Lithium to support an induction cooktop (get rid of propane below deck). Relocate the Engine battery to the starboard stern below deck (in a box) where cables come out below (poor accessibility and bad for weight distribution). But this frees up the battery compartment for a Reliance 7 gallon Aqua-Tainer (fits perfectly in this compartment).
Longer answer that you asked for – but hopefully stimulates some ideas. Welcome, Closehaul

[Rambler]

Thanks to all for the recommendations, and no info can be too much. I did find the stainless U-strap, which is how I figured that the factory installation was a group 24 battery. However, the strap won’t fit on the outside of a group 24 battery box, and won’t work inside because of the limited clearance. What I am going to do for Gen1 is put the group 24 battery and the attachment strap inside a longer, group 27 battery box, with the attaching bolts going through holes in the side of the box and then through the factory holes in the well. That give me a secured battery in a box with a cover. That will be the only battery for now.

For Gen2, I am thinking of installing a motorcycle battery in the steering pulpit as the motor start battery. My V-star 650 has a 40hp engine and starts easily with a battery that only weighs 8 pounds. I already have a small solar panel which would recharge the larger battery but would need a larger one eventually. Battery switches as needed. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks again.

[closehaul]

Rambler, Your plan sounds solid and well thought out. Owners modify to their intended use - single battery is great if just day sailing on the bay, gunkholing up the Old Fort Bayou for a weekend may require separate house battery with solar. I spend a lot of time on the hook and am at Gen 3.5 with a Grp 31 AGM house replacing my former Grp 27, that replaced its former Grp 24. My 'amperage appetite' seems to continuously expand.
One consideration with the single battery scheme: I had problems with my depth sounder going fluky after extended periods of motoring, hypothesis was that I was over charging the battery (may be a unique engine regulator issue). Regardless, when I separated the house from the engine, the problem went away. Only mention because with a battery in your pedestal, it will be tempting to grab that source to power a pedestal mounted chart plotter. OK to use engine battery for electrical demands - but not recommended for electronics. Closehaul