January 12, 2017. Mike Friel, Makarios, Yankee #241 sent in the following report (mnor edits)

Hey Ron,

Your email finally got me in gear to send some pictures of a completed project on Makarios. As you know we are running the rather large, heavy, 4 stroke Johnson outboard she came with. We could see from the "slime line" when we acquired her that she must have sat low at the stern.

The original battery location was a bit of a mess with tangled wires and a really dicey battery hold down arrangement. Deciding to move the battery forward to help in overall balance, it seemed like the large, unused space below the water tank compartment would be a good place. I removed the water tank and cut an access port in the bottom of the compartment. I then formed, and epoxied in place, a base on the inside of the hull for a proper battery box and hold down strap. (photo at left) For the long battery cables I visited the local auto salvage yard and for $5.00 each bought two stock battery cables from an early '90s BMW. These are really quality heavy cables with built in terminals and lugs at either end. And they fit my set up perfectly!

The pictures show how they were routed under the cabin sole, exited at the centerboard tube and ended at a new cutoff switch. The picture (above right) shows the cables laying flat on the sole - that round port covering has nothing to do with the cable routing - just happened to be ajar when the photo was taken. After the cables exit at the centerboard tube, they take a hard left turn and are secured to the bulkhead (below left) where the switch is located, and then enter into the old battery box compartment through holes with protective grommets. A new fuse panel and associated wiring completed the installation.

Overall, I'm very happy with the modification.

Mike

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