20 gallon holding tank in an Albin 25? It can be done!

[DesertAlbin736]

Just in, after weeks of blood, sweat and tears, the new holding tank is done!

To recap, our A25 came with a 9 gallon holding tank next to the battery well. Good for a weekend before needing to be pumped out, but that's about it.

Old setup

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Obviously, the only way to fit a bigger tank was to move the batteries to the storage locker under the starboard bench seat. Of course that means losing a large portion of stowage space, but boating is always about compromises.

Ronco Plastics makes a 20 gallon tank (model MB181) that is 10.5" high, 18" wide, and 30" long. Just the right size to fit in this space, and they will install thermo welded outlets where ever you want them.

This is size comparison between old and new..

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Of course moving batteries opened another whole can of worms. Since the two house batteries were 8 years old, I decided to go with sealed AGM batteries since they'll be living in the former storage locker. That meant upgrading to a new smart charger, external alternator regulator, and solar panel controller. Also the shore power wiring was woefully obsolete and almost downright dangerous, so I also upgraded to a new breaker panel. While at it I re-did the DC terminal blocks and buss bars.

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Old DC wiring.

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New DC terminations..

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Having spent weeks doing wiring (routing wires is very time consuming) it was on to the plumbing.

Space prepped for new tank with support platform

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Fitting the new tank. Note the new master switch location at right.

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Inside the head compartment with plumbing hooked up to the new tank. The vanity sink was long gone, removed sometime in the dim past by previous owners, replaced by a shelf unit which I removed while working on this project and plan to re-install tomorrow.

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Then it's off to the lake on Saturday for another raftup with our sailing club friends. While the East half of the country is getting hit with another "polar express", the West is baking with a premature heat wave, upper 80s here in Phoenxi well into next week.

[Northern Spy]

Looks good, will the deck end up higher than it was originally? it's hard to tell. How about a picture of the battery relocation?

[DesertAlbin736]

No, the deck above the new tank (floor board in front of the driver seat) is same level as before, flush with the top of the engine box. The old tank was 10 3/4 inches high, the new one is 10 1/2. Could not have been a better fit. In the 2nd to last photo you can see the supports where the floorboard rests, and there's about a 1/2 inch clearance between the top of the tank and the underside of the floorboard. That's one of the things about A25's that's so great, from stem to stern there are removable floorboards that allow access to the very bottom of the boat. The only "surgery" needed was that the upper and lower inlet/pumpout fittings are an inch closer together vertically on the new tank than on the old tank. So I had to cut the upper opening in the wall a little larger. You can see that if you look closely at the picture. As you might imagine that was easier said than done. I used a type of reaming router bit in a drill, since cutting a half circle overlapping an existing hole with a hole saw doesn't quite work, and near impossible to get in there with a jigsaw. I'll have to take some pics of the batteries this weekend. Have three Group 27 AGMS, that is one start and two house. And, by the way, the cabin lights used most often and the anchor light are low amp draw LED bulbs.

The way I did the support shelf for the tank, which is 3/4" exterior plywood, was to re-install the old battery platform where it was before, then used pieces of 2x4 set on edge as spacers. Among the many tools I have inherited from my wife's former husband, a professional piano tuner and rebuilder, who passed away of Leukemia in 2005, are a drill press and a large collection every drill bit known to man, including some very long twist drill bits, some over 12 inches long. So to attach those 2X4's I used the drill press to drill small holes all the way thru, then larger holes, about 5/16th or so, part way though and used 3 inch #8 deck screws that seat halfway thru the 2x4 and attach firmly to the old battery bed. Then it was a simple matter to screw the tank base in place. The plywood is unpainted, but is treated with water seal.

[DesertAlbin736]

How about a picture of the battery relocation?

Battery location pix. Start battery at left mounted cross ways, two house bank batteries mounted side by side at right. I need to cut the openings in the box lids larger to acomodate the cables & fuses, then will strap them down.

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This is the type of battery being used.

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[Northern Spy]

I like the idea of moving the batteries, but I had a battery fire once and the only way I saved a nice Mustang from a total loss was to be able to access the battery and pry off the positive terminal. I worry about moving them to the locked and putting them in boxes! I also like the extra storage I get in the lockers.
I was thinking about using one start battery in the stock location and one in the starboard locker. I just haven't figured it all out yet.

Nice work on yours!

[DesertAlbin736]

I like the idea of moving the batteries, but I had a battery fire once and the only way I saved a nice Mustang from a total loss was to be able to access the battery and pry off the positive terminal. I worry about moving them to the locked and putting them in boxes! I also like the extra storage I get in the lockers.

Each battery is fused at the positive terminal with 250 amp MRBF fuses. Single fuse from start battery to main switch, and double fuse block for house battery to main switch and fuse between house battery #1 and paralled house battery #2. In addition, both the new external smart alternator regulator and the ProNautic shore power charger have temperature sensors attached to the batteries that will limit or cut off charging voltage if the batteries start to overheat. Also the main battery cables were all replaced and up-sized to 1/0 gauge.

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Yes I lose that extra storage, but that's an acceptable compromise compared to having to find a pump out every other day when you're on a long cruise. Last year it was Chesapeake Bay. This year we hope to be up in Desolation Sound in BC come July, and there aren't many pump outs up there.

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[Brian]

Looks like Melanie / Laura Cove...

[DesertAlbin736]

Brian,

I'm glad you commented. The picture with the swimmers is off the internet. Last time we were in BC two years ago we only made it as far North as Ladysmith and we've not been up to Desolation yet but are very much looking forward to it. I see Halfmoon Bay is near Secret Cove, which will be one of our stops on the way up after crossing the Strait of Georgia from Nanaimo. Yes I know we'll have to dodge Whiskey Golf or catch it on a day way the military isn't doing ops. After trailering our boats up from Arizona we intend to cruise in company with at least one other boat, sailing club friends from Arizona also trailering their O'Day 25 sailboat with inboard diesel to launch from Bellingham, so our speeds will be limited to their 5 kt hull speed, not counting help or hindrance from tidal currents. The plan as it is loosely sketched out now is to come up from the San Juans leaving Friday Harbor either on July 2nd or 5th, then taking about a week to work our way up through the Gulf Islands, first stop clearing customs at Poet's Cove on S. Pender, thence to Telagraph Harbour on Thetis, then Namaimo, then cross the Strait to Secret Cove, then Hardy or Nelson Island, then Lund and finally Desolation. That gives us runs of about 30 NM or less per day and easy on the admirals. Any tips or suggestions would be welcome, and as always it would be great to meet other 'Albineers'. I'm still trying to find out if the Albineers of BC group is planning any rendezous this year, as they've not yet updated their website for 2016.

[Brian]

Hi DesertAlbin,
Yes we are next door to Secret Cove.
We have been up in Desolation a few times in our A25' but alas had outgrown her (family of 5!) so looking for a bigger replacement.
Do you prefer anchoring or marina tie-ups overnight?
We are "on the hook" people, and would recommend anchorages like Smuggler Cove, Musket Island and Copeland Islands for the trip up to Desolation.

Brian

[DesertAlbin736]

Brian,

Thanks for the tip. Yes, we prefer to anchor out whenever possible. That's a big part of the reason for installing the larger holding tank. We did get transient slips in Roche Harbor ($45US per night, ouch!) in order to attend the 2014 AOG Pacific NW rendezvous, and a few other places of course to get get access to showers now and then including Poet's Cove. But we've anchored in Inati Bay on Lummi, Fossil Bay on Sucia, Reid Harbor on Stuart, Fisherman's Bay and Spencer Spit on Lopez, Blind Bay on Shaw, Garrison Bay on San Juan in the San Juans, Maple Bay on Vancouver, Port Browning and Otter Bay on N. Pender, Bedwell Harbour on S. Pender (including running the Pender Canal), took a mooring in Montague Harbour on Galiano (& had dinner at the Hummingbird Pub Inn), and anchored in Winter Cove on Saturna and Telegraph Harbour on Thetis.

Will check out Smuggler Cove, Musket Island and Copeland Island for sure. Yes I could see where an A25 would be too small for a family of 5. Even for a family of 4 a 25 footer would not be good for much more than a weekend with kids. But for my wife and I alone the 25 is perfect for all these long distance trailering cruises.

Steve

[Northern Spy]

I took the plunge and followed DesertAlbin's lead. I ordered a Ronco B-172, 23 gallon tank with fittings and dip tube on top! I removed the batteries from below the helm and relocated 2 of them to a shelf I made inside the starboard gunwale.

I left the starting battery below on a small shelf near the tank. I also rebuilt all the supports for the helm deck to enclose the tank and battery and removed 40 years of crap from the bilge!

In the photo you can see the two new batteries and associated wiring, fuse and master battery switch. I now have the house bank completely isolated from the motor system. I plan to upgrade to an ACR or similar setup in the near future.

[DesertAlbin736]

Are those batteries you have sealed/maintenance free/AGM or ones that you're able to add water to, ie conventional "FLA-flooded lead acid" type? Hard to tell from looking at your photo. If the former you may need to think about installing an external voltage regulator for your alternator that can switch from "bulk rate" charging voltage of 14.4 V to "float charge" voltage of 13.4 to 13.6 so your alternator won't be trying to push 14.4V into a fully charged battery, which would shorten the life of a sealed battery. If the latter, you'd need to be able to have easy access to your house batteries to check the electrolyte levels & add distilled water as needed.

As you can see in this photo I added a Smart Charge One regulator from Mark Grasser's DC Power Solutions LLC, which after the engine has run awhile & the batteries are fully charged it drops the charging voltage down to "float mode" voltage of 13.4V when set for AGM mode for the type of batteries I have .

[Northern Spy]

They are conventional wet cell batteries. I have yet to iron out all the details, but I like the external regulator concept. I have a Motorola internal regulator on my universal diesel now. It will be easy access when I cut access on the inside of the gunwale. I found a nice teak panel to cover the ugly. I also need to figure out mounting and boxes for the batteries.