battery location

[jfair1954]

I am planning to use a deep cycle battery...right now I only have a crank battery and it is located on the factory built plaform under the starboard cokpit locker...Where did you instal your battery # 2 ?. I have a outboard engine on port weighing 95 pounds...
I was thinking starboard main cabin just behind the movable sink against the bulkhead ?
Tks for your comments

[brackish]

Prior to this year, I had two batteries on my 23.  They were installed at the selling dealer at the direction of the previous owner and both of them were in the starboard cockpit locker on that platform oriented fore and aft.  Also in that area was the battery selector switch and the onboard charger.  When I changed motors to a Sail pro with no electric start I got rid of the start battery and reconfigured one group 29 house battery oriented port and starboard as was recommended for increased battery life.

The switch to the 59 lb. Sail Pro from the 104lb. motor that was there with the elimination of the start battery really helped reduce the cockpit aft end weight.

[Bristol14]

When I replaced my outboard with a heavier electric start, power trim and tilt, I moved the house battery and new starting battery under the vee berth where some place their porta-potty. Moving the weight midship provided better weight distribution and compensation for the added stern weight IMO. 

[curtisv]

Due to covid I have not yet held funeral services for my 8D battery.  A bit overkill for a CP23 but it never ran down much.  I didn't sail in 2020 and that is when I noticed it was deceased.  Not bad considering I bought the battery in 2005.

I put the battery box under the companionway stairs.  CP23 already has too much weight aft and this is as far forward as there is any room.  I have no outboard to add weight to the stern (and 27lb anchor and 80 ft chain forward) and still she sails better when I'm all the way forward in the cockpit (where I can't reach anything so only works with tiller locked).  Too much weight aft slows the boat in moderate wind and causes excess whether helm (one of the causes) when wind picks up.

Some photos at http://localweb.occnc.com/remote-access/projects_E_C.html.  The solar panel was later moved to the stern rail and kept there all the time, summer and winter.  That constant float charge is probably why the battery lasted so long.  I never used the water towed generator except to try it out.  With LED bulbs and no other load and oversized battery I never needed any other charge source.  Probably not good to draw the battery down and then take many days to bring the charge back up but it didn't seem to affect the battery lifespan.

I'm considering group 31 Li-ion (27 lb) but at $899 for 100Ah the initial cost is a bit steep.  That should last longer than the boat and I recently bought a larger boat so may not have the CP23 much longer so that is pushing the decision toward a group 31 AGM (more than 27 lb - maybe 80?).

To answer your question - under the companionway stairs was my pick.  No starter battery for me.  No motor to start.  The box I used will hold two group 31 batteries (or a 4D or 8D) so you could put both starter and house battery in the same place.

Curtis