[Rhodes22-list] Solar panels and battery storage?

Mon Oct 26 16:30:29 EDT 2026

I have two solar panels that charge two deep cycle batteries.
I would like to:
- remove the batteries and trickle charge them over the winter
- tarp the boat for the winter

Normally I left the batteries in the boat and did not tarp it to let the
solar panels charge thee batteries.

Any issues with that?

Thanks
Bob Garrant
s/v Sail la Vie
Kent Island, MD

Bob

On Mon, Oct 26, 2026 at 12:41 PM Weiss, Robert L via Rhodes22-list <
rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

> I'm pretty sure the boat is unsinkable. As for a while, Stan had a photo
> online of one completely full of water and still not sunk. (Only Stan would
> do that.)
>
> Bob
>
> Dr. Robert L Weiss Jr.
> Director of Music
> First United Methodist Carbondale, IL
> Professor Emeritus, SIUC
> S/V Beach Spring
> ________________________________
> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
> Graham Stewart <graham at debgraham.ca>
> Sent: Monday, October 26, 2026 11:38 AM
> To: The Rhodes Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Cockpit Drainage Channel - Cracking
>
> [EXTERNAL EMAIL ALERT]: Verify sender before opening links or attachments.
>
> On my boat the lazerette bulkhead is sealed off but the bulkhead under the
> companion way has what I have always thought was a drain hole. As water
> intrusion below the sole is always possible, if not inevitable, it makes
> sense to me that it is there.
>
> The purpose of the foam, as I understand it, was to give the boat buoyancy
> should it be swamped so it was “unsinkable “. I have not heard of a case
> where that was actually tested.
> Personally, I would grind out the crack in the lazerette and reglass it -
> especially if your boat is subject to freezing in the winter.
> I would look for cracks or holes in the cabin sole where water might get
> in and fix them.
> If there is a drain hole below the companion way, I would make sure it
> isn’t blocked and then use a tube connected to a shop vac to blow air into
> the cavity for 12 hours or so to dry out the cavity. If the is no drain
> hole I would be tempted to make one. You don’t want water to get trapped
> there.
>
> If the cabin sole is very soft, you might cut it out to remove the old
> foam and replace it. That is not an impossible job but, personally, I would
> not do it unless the sole is so soft it was cracking.
>
> Not having full flotation makes the Rhodes 22  more like every other boat
> out there. Repairing fibreglass is a pita for sure but not particularly
> difficult.  I would be very reluctant to assume the boat is a write off if
> it is otherwise ok.
>
> Graham
> Agile, 1976
>
> > On Oct 26, 2026, at 2:10 AM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Otto,
> >
> > There is floatation foam under the cockpit.  The foam compartment is
> separated from the lazerette by the bulkhead you are asking about.  If you
> check in the cabin, you will find a similar bulkhead at the aft end of the
> cabin back up under the step.  If these 2 bulkheads are compromised, it is
> possible for bilge water to move from the cabin bilge to the lazerette and
> vice versa.  If your cockpit/lazerette bulkhead shows damage; then, it is
> likely your cockpit/cabin bulkhead is damaged as well.  If you have water
> infiltration into the under cockpit foam, this would be very serious.  It’s
> probably not a DIY repair job.  Does your cockpit sole feel “punky” or does
> it oil can?  It should feel as rigid as a concrete sidewalk.  You should
> have the boat surveyed.  This may cost more to repair than the boat is
> worth.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> > Sanford, MI  1978
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Oct 25, 2026, at 6:09 PM, Otto Ohngren <ohngreno at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello from Oregon,
> >>
> >> My Rhodes 22 was manufactured in 1992 and factory refurbished in 2012.
> It is sailed on the Columbia River near Hermiston.
> >>
> >> Cracking has developed in the cockpit drainage channel at the aft end
> of the boat along the bottom exterior of the lazarette. The cracks are on
> both sides of the scupper hole. They may be the result of a prior freezing
> event. On the inside of the lazarette the bulkhead seems solid.
> >>
> >> Visible from inside the lazarette below the bulkhead is a slightly
> recessed parallel secondary wall, which continues to the bottom of the
> hull. It is positioned near where the scupper plumbing comes through the
> lazarette. The aft end of the cockpit tub floor (my term) is above that
> thin secondary wall. There appears to be flotation material on the other
> side of the wall. The fiberglass fabric making up that secondary wall is
> deteriorated and torn.
> >>
> >> I’m wondering how common these two conditions are, how serious are
> they, and what is the best way to repair them? Are the repairs something a
> versatile owner with no prior fiberglass experience can properly accomplish
> or are they best left to a pro? Qualified marine fiberglass professionals,
> if any, are scant in these parts. I’m going to be selling her one of these
> days and want to ensure these two issues are properly remedied.
> >>
> >> Any insight or suggestions for the good of the cause will be very much
> appreciated. Photos are attached.
> >>
> >> Thank you,
> >>
> >> -Otto Ohngren
> >>
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> >> Sent from my iPhone
>
>