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1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 7:01 pm
by Big Oak
For owners of c.1988 Montauk 17 boats: where [is the boat battery located]?

I was told at my boat dealer that it's traditional to put the battery inside the console on a Montauk 17.

I doubt that.

Where would you store life jackets?

That's not how I bought the boat

Any thoughts?

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 8:19 am
by BWbert
If I'm correct, originally the battery would be located in the stern of the boat.

My father had a 1975 STRIPER 17 with the battery in the stern, but we re-located it inside the console. This helped to keep the battery dry and it made for less mess in the stern.

Your dealer might think this battery placement is traditional because that is where most boat manufacturers generally place their batteries.

The new 190 Montauk also has its battery placed inside the console.

We're currently restoring a 1981 STRIPER. I'm positive we'll do the same modification.

I would not worry about battery coming in the way of your life-vests. Your console should be big enough to store everything inside.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 8:57 am
by jimh
The existence of perhaps 100 threads discussing the movement of the battery in a classic era Boston Whaler boat to be inside the center console from the original location at the transom is certainly strong evidence that the battery was not “traditionally” inside the center console. Among the three classic era Boston Whaler boats I have owned their battery was always at the transom and remained there.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 10:33 am
by Dick E
My 1998 Montauk has starting battery in the console from the day I bought it in 1998. I store my life jackets in the front cooler. You could store your life jackets in a bag which you then put in the console also .

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 11:36 am
by jimh
Re the existence of a 1998 MONTAUK with battery in the console: the 1998 catalogue notes as a standard feature "Battery box with hold-down strap in console." A similar mention is made in the 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 catalogues. In the 1992 catalogue the standard features includes "Battery box with hold down strap," but no mention of it being in the console. The 1991 catalogue barely mentions the Montauk.

The 1990 catalogue mentions "Battery box kit." In 1989 the "Battery box" was mentioned under a general section on options. In the 1988 catalogue--one of the best and most comprehensive--the MONTAUK features include "Battery box with hold-down strap."

In the 1987 catalogue--another great one-- a standard feature of the MONTAUK is a "Special Boston Whaler battery box with heavy-duty hold-down strap," and there is an overhead view of a MONTAUK that shows the aft cockpit:

1986BostonWhalerCataloguePage29.jpg
Page 29 from the 1987 Boston Whaler catalogue; overhead view of a MONTAUK 17 showing location of the battery.
1986BostonWhalerCataloguePage29.jpg (55.47 KiB) Viewed 9937 times

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sun May 27, 2018 4:33 pm
by roguewave
Dick E wrote:My 1998 Montauk has starting battery in the console from the day I bought it in 1998.

Same [1998 MONTAUK 17] boat, same [battery location, that is, inside the console] here.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Sun May 27, 2018 4:36 pm
by roguewave
If that factory hold down strap is anything like mine, it’s a Rubik’s cube to make work. Hah!

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 5:39 pm
by Whal
I have a 1999 Alert 17 which is the same hull as a Montauk. When I converted it to a center console this winter I moved the battery to the center console from the starboard stern. My boat has a Tohatsu 6-HP auxiliary engine mounted directly to the transom on the Port side and it weighs 59-lbs. After I moved the 60-lbs battery to the center console I had a list to Port side. When under power with my main engine with the added propeller torque the list got even worse.

I got to say it now, I should have listened to what Jim always says " the battery on a Montauk 17 hull belongs in the rear." Needless to say I went home from that shakedown cruise and did as Boston Whaler and Jim always said and moved the battery back where it was in the rear starboard side and on my next cruise everything was back to normal.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 10:40 pm
by jimh
roguewave wrote:If that factory hold down strap is anything like mine, it’s a Rubik’s cube to make work. Hah!


I have two battery boxes with the OEM hold down straps. If one gets goofed up then I always have the other one as a guide to figure out how the strap and the handle are rigged. Otherwise it can take a hour to figure it out.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 9:40 am
by jimh
Whal wrote:...I should have listened to what Jim always says " the battery on a Montauk 17 hull belongs in the rear."

I don't recall saying exactly that, and especially in regard to any particular model. Generally my thought about moving a battery to be farther away from the principal electrical load for the battery--in most cases on small boats that principal load is the outboard engine cranking motor--is there are electrical circuit considerations that have to be overcome. For a discussion of the electrical problem that occurs when making the distance from the battery to the outboard longer, see

Recommended Battery Cable Size
http://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2153&p=12498

Conductor Size for Power Distribution
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/powerConductorSize.html

As made evident in this thread, the location of the engine cranking battery on a MONTAUK 17 evolved during its production, and clearly in the later years of production the factory was locating the battery inside the center console.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 1:34 pm
by Dutchman
A battery inside the console is less prone to be in the way and splashed on; cables out of the way.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 5:05 pm
by jimh
A battery inside the console takes up space inside the console that could be used to stow gear. It's not like the space inside the console had no prior use or was of no value until a battery was put there.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 5:15 pm
by Phil T
OEM location was the stern.

I moved mine to the console. Cut the floor so it sits on the deck.

Life vests should be worn, every time and not stowed in the console. Store them in the front cooler when docked or trailered.

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 11:10 pm
by dtmackey
My last 17 Montauk project (25 years ago) I moved the battery to the console to keep the aft deck space clean. Like Phil, I cut the console floor so the battery box sat on the deck and was very pleased with the results and clean stern area.

D-

Re: 1988 Montauk 17: Battery Location Survey

Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:52 pm
by 4whaler
Console for mine. Had to make custom length cable to get back to engine thru tunnel but no problem. I did not cut the console floor but put a block of wood under the battery and floor and screwed the strapping lugs thru the floor into the block which sat flush on the deck underneath. That allowed no movement or bend of floor due to weight of battery and box. I had SCUBA tanks on each side so needed all the space I could get in back.