New Guy new boat question

[Dwinn11]

1990 2587 Allegra, new to me. Almost time to winterize and we just bought the boat, haven’t been able to explore as it much as I’d like. The engine compartment has a power lift that raises the back seat for access to the engines. But is there a release so you can lift manually in case of dead battery? And I usually remove batteries for the winter so need to be able to close and then open it in the spring with no power. How do we do that?

[Viper]

Usually when the boat is plugged in and the charger is on, it will provide the 12 volts needed to operate the hatch if things are wired properly. Some manufacturers also incorporate a by-pass somewhere in a wall behind a small door in the cockpit. This is two terminal posts that you hook up a booster pack to for operating the hatch. Failing either of those, at the top of the actuator where it fastens to the bottom of the hatch, there should be a pin that you can pull out. This will allow you to disconnect the actuator and lower the hatch by hand. Some OEMs incorporate an access plate in the hatch that you can remove and reach in to get to this release pin. Because there is no way to then lift it under power with no batteries in there, rest the hatch on a few pieces of 2x4s so you have room to get your hands in there to lift the hatch again. Some of these hatches can get pretty heavy so having a buddy to help makes it much easier.

On another note, why are you taking the batteries home? That's old school now and isn't really necessary if you put them to bed properly before the winter. If you do that and they're good batteries/in good condition, they will be fine come Spring launch. In fact experience has shown that taking them home usually causes more harm than good. People tend to put them on charge and forget about them which often results in ruined batteries. Check their fluids, ensure they are fully charged, disconnect the negative cables, clean the terminals and the top of the casings, and leave them in the boat. Batteries have a natural discharge rate but this slows way down in the cold. Come Spring time, test their condition, and if they didn't make it through the winter they were probably on their last legs anyway. I haven't taken batteries out for the winter in decades. Marinas used to do that ages ago but not anymore. Some boat owners still do and if that works for them and makes them feel more comfortable then so be it, but don't put them on charge and just walk away for the whole winter.

[Dwinn11]

My dock has no electric, so no shore power and also no battery tender in place. Plus I can’t imagine in event of being dead in the water, literally, that there is not provision to get into the compartment. Boat will not be in slip anyway for the winter but rather trailered, again no where to hook up tenders.

[Viper]

There is usually a way to get the hatch up with no battery power, I described a couple above. Check and see if they apply to your boat. Will you have her on your property during the winter? Will she be covered for the winter with a tarp or shrink wrap?

Yours is similar to a lot of cottage runabout owners; no chargers, no power at the dock, etc. A lot of guys use small portable solar powered maintainers to keep their batteries topped up, they simply plug them into their cigarette lighter. Might be worth considering.

[g36]

Watch those fingers!!!

[Dwinn11]

Ok for those who come after, we found the trick. The port sundeck is a hinged lid to a storage bin, in the bottom of it is a large access hole. Remove cover and reach into engine bay, the large T handle lock pin can be pulled which frees the engine cover from the lift strut. Then just break your back lifting the heavy thing and prop open.

[bud37]

Thanks for posting....there had to be a proper way around that problem......