2003 SANTE battery compartment enlarging

[core-rider]

So against everyone's better judgement I went ahead and started my battery compartment enlargement project in my 2003 SANTE. A little background, this is to install 2 batteries in the port side compartment for stereo power and enlarge the starboard side so a Group 27 will fit for the house side. I made the port side large enough to fit Group 27's as well. After making some careful measurements before and after I removed the carpet all that was left to do was start cutting.

PSA - For those of you that are squeamish turn away now!!! What you are about to see my disturb you...

Measuring and taping off cut lines...





First cuts... I used a Ridgid "Jobmax" to make the cuts with. It did a great job but goes through batteries every 30 minutes so 2 are a must! I tried a jigsaw at one point but this fiberglass ate through blades like crazy. 6" of cutting and the blades was useless.


First few pieces removed... I used a hacksaw blade to cut the foam by hand, but later mover to a drywall saw...



All the sides gone on the starboard box...


All the foam removed on the starboard battery box. I wasn't originally going to remove all the foam to the hull, but I ran into some moist foam at the very bottom and wanted to investigate more. Never figured out where the moisture came from, but the further back toward aft I went the more I found.


Now to start on the port side...





I ran into a surprise on the port side that gave me a bit of a scare, but I was too far gone to stop now. A lock washer made its way into the laminating process somehow and just happened to be right in the middle of one of my cuts. My heart sank a little when I heard the multi-tool change pitch at first.




All the fiberglass and foam now gone on the port side as well... The tube is a piece of PVC that goes through the stringer into the bilge to allow water to drain. I will cut it back during the laminate process.



At this pint all the cutting was done, foam removed, and I took a step back to see what I had accomplished. That's when the feeling that a person gets in any project hit me... "What have I done?!?!"


More pics to come as the laminating process begins... Time to ring in the New Year and have a drink... or a dozen!

[TxJole]

Looks good, see you havent got that trans valve on yet. Did you get it?

[core-rider]

Yeah I got it, just haven't gotten around to putting it on yet. Thanks again...

[2004196]

Great job Jason! I'm impressed with your courage and workmanship. I also tackle things such as this and know the feeling well of that first hole/cut and whether or not it will end up as an "OH SH*T" moment! Once you cross that point of no return you can only proceed slowly and with confidence. When things go well, the satisfaction is well worth the risk. Thanks for sharing the pics in such detail as this will no doubt help others have the confidence to take on like projects.

Ron

[n3]

Jason,

Great work and I can't wait to see the finished project.

Mark @ N3

[mnwakerider]

Really looking forward to how you finish this up. Its a great start so far. I have an 03 SAN and this is on my winter list as well.

Thanks!

[TX-Foilhead]

How's this going? It's got me thinking up all kind of things to do.

[core-rider]

Unfortunately not much progress has been made because my schedule has been too full. I did get new foam sprayed in place though. I just need to trim it down a bit and then I can start with fiberglass layup.

[h2ohangtime]

Jason, I just finally caught this (I've been slacking on my PN attendance lately). It looks great. I wish our SAN had dual battery boxes in it like yours did originally. We only had one on the port side. Just goes to show that CC didn't have a standard for them coming out of the factory. Anyway, keep up the great work and post up the progress. As long as you do a good job with the lay-up, you'll really enjoy the extra space for the batteries. Nice job...

[core-rider]

Been busy the past few weeks and haven't gotten much accomplished. I did get some new foam sprayed in and trimmed it back down to the dimensions I need. Now I need to fill just a few voids in the foam and start cutting the fiber mat to get ready for lay-up. Few more progress pics...

[core-rider]

Progress made! Got the voids in the foam filled... I was a bit worried if I could layup the fiberglass strong enough to hold up the weight of the batteries so I added a piece of 1/8" HDPE to the bottoms of both compartments. This will also allow for a nice flat base for the batteries to sit on sine my foam is just a bit uneven.



I cut out some 10oz. fiberglass cloth. I'm laying the cloth in two different directions to hopefully add strength to the floor while covering the walls. These pics only show the first layer before resin.



First layer with resin...



Now with the second layer of fiberglass mat resined in place.




I'm thinking about moving to some chopped stand mat just to build up the thickness of the layup some. I will make a choice once these layers have cured.

[DanielC]

Chopped strand is your weakest fiberglass available. I would continue to build with cloth, or woven roving, Put the next layer of cloth or roving on a 45 degree angle to the direction the other fabric is laid up.

[core-rider]

That's basically what I have found in my research. I'm sticking with the cloth and continuing to lay it in different directions.I checked it this morning and it cured pretty sturdy, just need to get more layers to build up thickness and strength.

[core-rider]

Added a layer of 18 oz. woven cloth to both boxes today.

Port box before resin...

Starboard box before resin...

Both sides after resin...



I will add at least one more layer of the 18 oz. woven cloth before going back to the 10 oz. cloth for final finishing.

[core-rider]

Adding some 18 oz. roving to the corners...