Replacing house / starter batteries on 29 Ranger Tug CB / 2021

[Gentoo]

How big a job and how difficult is it to replace the batteries yourself? I am pretty handy but the batteries are jammed up under the floor pretty tight. Checking with people who have done it. Thanks

 

[Mastercraft]

If you are more than 200 lbs, think about getting someone skinny to help. I did it in about 3 hours and it was a new experience. I thought the 75 lb batteries would be impossible to lift up and down. That was no problem. It was the crawling into the tight space. Take photos to keep track of wires. It is an octopus down there. Cover up bare wires and have heavy rubber gloves to prevent shock. I am 5'8" and 180 lbs and did it at age 63 on an R29 2017. Some people cut access hole under cockpit fridge to make it easier.

 

[Gentoo]

If you are more than 200 lbs, think about getting someone skinny to help. I did it in about 3 hours and it was a new experience. I thought the 75 lb batteries would be impossible to lift up and down. That was no problem. It was the crawling into the tight space. Take photos to keep track of wires. It is an octopus down there. Cover up bare wires and have heavy rubber gloves to prevent shock. I am 5'8" and 180 lbs and did it at age 63 on an R29 2017. Some people cut access hole under cockpit fridge to make it easier.

This is very helpful guidance, thanks so much. I will let you know how I make out.

 

[gswearin]

Check the other thread on this. Good advice. It’s a chore but doable. Consider cutting a hole under the refrigerator to get at the front batteries.

 

[S. Todd]

I did all six of ours on our 2021 R29 in July of 2023. 5' 6'' and 140 lbs and 67 years old at the time. I replaced them with West Marine Group 31 Dual Purpose AGM, 105 Amp Hrs. 69 lbs each. CCA = 800 MCA = 1000 Cost was about $356 each at the time. Performance was much better than what I obtained from the original equipment batteries.
It was a little cramped at times doing the unhooking and the hooking up of the cables. (I was careful to label everything.) I did not cut a hole in the floor under the refrigerator because it was not necessary, and I figured it would take more time to do that than it was worth. One issue I had was the multiple cables did not want to fit the studs on the new batteries in a few instances where there were multiple cables. I solved the problem by using additional stud adaptors and did not have to change any of the cables. With the weight of the old and new batteries, lifting them up to and off of the swim platform was the biggest issue I faced. The boat was on its trailer in the garage and the swim platform was about 5 feet off the ground. I decided to use a block and tackle hoist rather than risk a back injury.
I think the advice from the factory that you can slide the five on the port side out on their tray is not true. There was not enough cable length to the engine to do that on our boat. Perhaps removing the refrigerator and cutting the hole in the floor above the engine start battery makes the alleged slide work.