Battery Security on old V20

Larryrsf

Larryrsf

Member
Hi all,

I just added the second battery the wiring schematic seems to recommend for my 1974 V20. There is plenty of room down in the battery well compartment. I replaced the two fiber hold-down belts.

But my boat will be stored in an open field behind my neighbor's house. Its free storage, so I will accept the risk, however it is remotely possible that someone could walk to the boat from the nearby busy road and not be seen from the nearby house. I want to eliminate the temptation to steal the batteries, which will be the only valuable items visible in the boat. So I plan to install two eyes with toggle bolts under the walking deck and on each side of the battery well. And then I will loop a locking cable between the eyes and over the two batteries. The cable is plastic coated and comes with its own lock. The eyes could not be twisted out once the cable was in place, of course.

Is there any risk to installing the eyes with toggle nuts that I will never see again? I see no way to even look under that deck. This hardware is NOT stainless, so I will coat the bolts and toggle nuts with heavy grease to forestall corrosion as long as possible.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Larry
 
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Not likely! I would sit up there with a sniper rifle and a night scope before I would allow that, ha.

But it is silly to tempt people who might otherwise be honest. So when they look into the boat and see that heavy cable looped over those batteries, they might just decide it would be easier to knock off the nearest 7-11 convenience store!

Larry
 
To begin with, I wouldn't ever install anything that's not stainless...sooner or later, you're gonna be sorry you did...sooner in Salt, later in fresh...

I spent time in security advising and selling to large chain stores & restaurants...and here's what's gonna happen...pecker head will come by one night, scope it out and see what he's up against, then come back a few nights later, equipped to overcome what ever you put in there...you already mentioned the best security when you said VISIBLE...outta sight, outta mind goes a long way in the security business...figure out a way to hide 'em...
Also, TIME is not on a theif's side...he wants hit and run...if you want to install some hardware to slow him down, that ain't a bad thing, but make it stainless...

And you said battery well on a '74...cuddy or Center Console?...I had a Cuddy and the only well mine had was the bilge, where I saw several batteries installed in other's '74s
 
I believe in the outta sight outta mind thing too.. Would hate someone to do several hundred dollars damage stealing a hundred dollar battery. Spray paint it hot pink or write with a marker or grease pencil "BAD CELL" to make some decide against it.

Plus salt water will rust tupperware.
 
bradford said:
Plus salt water will rust tupperware.
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LOL SOOOO true.

But as to the battery question, it's all about what you feel is an acceptable risk. Fact is, if it were me, I'd be more worried about someone taking my engine than some batteries. An outboard is held on by 4 bolts, and I remember vividly a news story some years ago where these guys would back a tow truck up to the back of a boat, hook the engine and be gone in less than 10 minutes. Only reason they got caught was some cop that was also a boater saw them going down the road at 3am with an engine on the back, knew there were thefts going on, got suspicious and pulled them over. My point is, if you're going to worry, take the batteries inside, sit them on a wooden board and put a float charger on them. That way they are safe, they are charged, and you'll have peace of mind.
 
In an old (1974) V20 Steplift, the bilge is also the best place for two batteries, with room for a bilge pump between them. The batteries are strapped down with belts. The security cable will loop over both batteries through eyes installed in the deck beside the battery/bilge well. The cable will prevent someone just twisting the eyes out, of course.

The cable is coated with plastic and I will coat the ends in heavy grease periodically, since this is NOT stainless steel. But the cost is also not prohibitive.

Larry
 
The original reasons I bought this particular boat was because I will have indefinite free storage--and because I could pay only $100 for boat, motor, and trailer, a project. I can pull the boat trailer up into my neighbor's vacant field and easily turn and back the boat trailer into a level place behind my neighbor's house. It will be invisible and 150 yards from the main street between our houses, but slightly visible from a busy road that if someone were to park there and walk to the boat would entail a 100+ yard walk through formidable growth (with snakes and coyotes and who knows what else?).

I may be able to install a "voice alert" motion detector in the boat that sends a radio signal to a receiver inside my house when the boat tarp is lifted up there. If so, I would be able to interrupt any vandalism or theft in progress.

I am probably being overly paranoid, ha.

Larry
 
If it ain't stainless, don't use it.

batteries weigh like 60 pounds, enough deterrent for most.
They can steal your prop, hell, your lower unit, and get away faster than stealing 2 batteries...

The determined scumbag is going to trash your boat trying to get those batteries
so he can sell them for $5.

Not sure of the configuration of your hull, but if you can cover them to make them out of sight, thats your best bet.
 
OK. I can rig up a decent cover for the battery well. That would make them invisible and if I can find a good way to lock it down, provide security too.

Thanks for the advice!
 
Larryrsf said:
OK. I can rig up a decent cover for the battery well. That would make them invisible and if I can find a good way to lock it down, provide security too.

Thanks for the advice!
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Keep in mind that's also your bilge...assuming there's a bilge pump down there, that's pretty critical water can get in there to be pumped out
 
Fact is, IF they steal your batts it will only be for scrap... They AIN'T gonna carry two batts 100 yards for scrap and load em on a busy street..... Just install in the usual way and if ur worried install a motion sensor light on the back of the garage.
 
Well, since then, my wife watched the trailer launch and recovery process of that big boat and suggested we get a Marina slip for at least the summer. My photo shows the boat there. Pretty handy! We can park in a owners-only lot, walk through a card-entry gate, and down to the boat sitting ready to go.

I suppose there could be theft or vandalism there, but not likely! There are many eyes on many boats with people living aboard. I don't tempt otherwise honest people by leaving expensive tools visible in the boat, but I don't worry about the batteries, etc. My boat is probably the least expensive in the whole marina! Most are 30' + sailboats and some BIG motor launches. Those owners have more invested in just the canvas than I have in my boat, motor, and trailer! ha

While the boat is in the water, I am having my trailer re-built. After the boat was off, I could really look at the trailer. I realized I was lucky to have made it to the marina! One spring was broken, rusted through, and all the rollers were frozen, the guide railings were about to fall off and the bunkers DID fall off! A local company is replacing almost everything but the frame, new hitch, new winch, new modern folding jack. The total rebuild will cost $2000, which seemed high until I learned that a new tandem trailer for a Wellcraft V20 would cost $5K+.

Larry
 
sounds WAY high to me..... I'd get a second opinion.... BTW there never were any bunkers on your trailer... bunkers are holes in the ground...


It's bunk as in bed IE where the boat sleeps.


You should be able to buy a NEW trailer for 2k or so
 
For $2000 you could definitely buy a new trailer for your boat or at least a good used one. It's easy to dump more money into a trailer than its worth. Five grand should get you a nice trailer with another V20 on it.
 
Striper80 said:
For $2000 you could definitely buy a new trailer for your boat or at least a good used one. It's easy to dump more money into a trailer than its worth. Five grand should get you a nice trailer with another V20 on it.
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X2

5 grand is WAYYYY too high. Hell, 2 grand is nearing my threshold for a new trailer. Check on Craigslist, I'll bet that you can find a really nice tandem trailer for less than $1500. It took me less than 3 minutes to find this one on CL. http://longisland.craigslist.org/boa/4482682005.html
 
Destroyer, that trailer is way too beautiful to back it down the ramp into saltwater.

A week ago I bought a "LONG" brand roller trailer like Skunkboat's for $500. Tandem axle, galvanized, electric winch, no rust except for some surface rust on the springs, built like a tank. Needs 3 keel rollers replaced and has one mismatched wheel.

I will say this, Working on old rusty boat trailers sucks and working on one that's not even your own sucks even more. I'll bet a good part of that 2 grand is labor.
 
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