Buzz Killington
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2010
- Messages
- 128
I have finally gotten my boat working after fixing some things the PO let go too long. I've had three enjoyable weekends out on the Potomac. It's my first boat that worked - I had a project that I never got into the water and wasted two years on (thread in the resto forum).
I was cleaning up some wiring and trying to troubleshoot a dead tach and radio this weekend. Finally got the radio working, and then moved some things around to make more sense, cleaned out dead/unused wires, etc., and in doing so moved the battery and tied it down. While trying to start the boat in the driveway Saturday morning, nothing worked. No radio, no bilge, just the faintest click from the starter solenoid. I carefully went over and cleaned all the hot wires and grounds again. Was just about to give up and started investigating some of the electrical taped wires for faults. The I got to the main hot from the motor and unwrapped a fistful of duct tape. This is what I found:
Someone had extended this cable - for reasons I don't know, because it was not necessary - by apparently placing them together and wrapping them. I am absolutely amazed that anything worked at all. I tore this crap off, used my grinder to cut the frozen bolt off, and then used the side to grind a new, shiny contact on the original connection, and hooked it up to the battery.
Big shocker, it started INSTANTLY. I guess in moving the battery around the corrosion finally broke everything apart internally. :facepalm:
Changing the subject, I have read a lot of the SHT threads here and laughed to myself. Now that I have taken the boat out three weekends in a row I am just blown away at the stupid things I am seeing at my local ramp. Yesterday I saw some guys in a nice, late model Sea Fox try to retrieve it. They did not tie it up. Just floated it in the middle of the ramp area. Then they GOT OUT and let it drift and tried to back the trailer into it...pushing the boat sideways and almost into my boat. This ramp also happens to be in a busy public park and so people come to watch. My last two launches/retrievals were interrupted by (i) some guys landing their rental kayak right behind my boat as I was about to back it into the water, and (ii) a mom and her baby posing for photos at the top of the boat ramp while I was backing up.
I have to laugh at all of this, otherwise I will scream my lungs out
Dave
I was cleaning up some wiring and trying to troubleshoot a dead tach and radio this weekend. Finally got the radio working, and then moved some things around to make more sense, cleaned out dead/unused wires, etc., and in doing so moved the battery and tied it down. While trying to start the boat in the driveway Saturday morning, nothing worked. No radio, no bilge, just the faintest click from the starter solenoid. I carefully went over and cleaned all the hot wires and grounds again. Was just about to give up and started investigating some of the electrical taped wires for faults. The I got to the main hot from the motor and unwrapped a fistful of duct tape. This is what I found:
Someone had extended this cable - for reasons I don't know, because it was not necessary - by apparently placing them together and wrapping them. I am absolutely amazed that anything worked at all. I tore this crap off, used my grinder to cut the frozen bolt off, and then used the side to grind a new, shiny contact on the original connection, and hooked it up to the battery.
Big shocker, it started INSTANTLY. I guess in moving the battery around the corrosion finally broke everything apart internally. :facepalm:
Changing the subject, I have read a lot of the SHT threads here and laughed to myself. Now that I have taken the boat out three weekends in a row I am just blown away at the stupid things I am seeing at my local ramp. Yesterday I saw some guys in a nice, late model Sea Fox try to retrieve it. They did not tie it up. Just floated it in the middle of the ramp area. Then they GOT OUT and let it drift and tried to back the trailer into it...pushing the boat sideways and almost into my boat. This ramp also happens to be in a busy public park and so people come to watch. My last two launches/retrievals were interrupted by (i) some guys landing their rental kayak right behind my boat as I was about to back it into the water, and (ii) a mom and her baby posing for photos at the top of the boat ramp while I was backing up.
I have to laugh at all of this, otherwise I will scream my lungs out
Dave
