On a 1988 Newport 17 will the anchor well locker floor support two 12-Volt batteries for a 24-Volt trolling motor?
ASIDE: the boat has 1989 Evinrude E-TEC 90.
1988 NEWPORT 17 Battery In Anchor Locker
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Newportwhaler17
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:07 am
Re: 1988 NEWPORT 17 Battery In Anchor Locker
How much does each 12-Volt battery weigh?
What are the case dimensions?
A Group-24 battery, INTERSTATE MTP-24, weighs 44.4-lbs. Its case is 11-inches by 6.875-inches. That is a loading of
44-lbs / (11x6.875) = 44-lbs/75.625-inches = 0.58-lbs/square-inch
Now suppose a human that weighs 200-lbs stands on one foot in the anchor locker, on his tip-toes, wearing hard soled shoes. He might have a contact surface area of 5-inches x 2-inches, for a loading of 20-lbs/square-inch. Would you expect that the shoe will break through the deck and penetrate into the hull? Probably not. That is a loading that is about 35-times higher than the battery in my example.
Check the wood locating diagram for the boat to see if the anchor locker is reinforced with some embedded wood. If not, then install some wood on top of the deck and under the batteries to spread their load.
Also, I'd be more concerned about how the weight of two batteries and a trolling motor will affect the trim on the 17-foot boat, rather than worry about the loading on the deck. Putting all that weight in the bow seems like it will have quite an influence on the boat trim. As a general rule on ANY boat, keep weight out of the extreme ends of the boat as much as possible.
What are the case dimensions?
A Group-24 battery, INTERSTATE MTP-24, weighs 44.4-lbs. Its case is 11-inches by 6.875-inches. That is a loading of
44-lbs / (11x6.875) = 44-lbs/75.625-inches = 0.58-lbs/square-inch
Now suppose a human that weighs 200-lbs stands on one foot in the anchor locker, on his tip-toes, wearing hard soled shoes. He might have a contact surface area of 5-inches x 2-inches, for a loading of 20-lbs/square-inch. Would you expect that the shoe will break through the deck and penetrate into the hull? Probably not. That is a loading that is about 35-times higher than the battery in my example.
Check the wood locating diagram for the boat to see if the anchor locker is reinforced with some embedded wood. If not, then install some wood on top of the deck and under the batteries to spread their load.
Also, I'd be more concerned about how the weight of two batteries and a trolling motor will affect the trim on the 17-foot boat, rather than worry about the loading on the deck. Putting all that weight in the bow seems like it will have quite an influence on the boat trim. As a general rule on ANY boat, keep weight out of the extreme ends of the boat as much as possible.