On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:56:53 GMT, chuck wrote:

Well, if the six batteries are wired in series to get 48 volts,

8 volt batteries are not that common except on boats with 32 volt
electrical system like the older Hatteras motor yachts.

Much more common on sailboats are banks of 6 volt batteries wired in
series-parallel to yield high capacity 12 volt battery banks.

Four 6 volt golf cart batteries in series parallel will give you about
440 amp-hours of capacity but in actual practice it is a bad idea to
discharge below the 50% level since that will greatly shorten batter
life. You can get a rough idea of discharge level by looking at a
digital voltmeter when the batteries are under load. 12.6 volts is
fully charged, 11.6 volts is about 50%, and 10.5 is fully discharged.