After a long layup, When I first put my dinghy in the water and turned the key, it failed to start right up. I have owned this dinghy for 10 years, having bought it here, from a TF member. This dinghy was a 2003 model, with a 2004 Honda 40. In all previous years, it has started right up.
From the noises, I diagnosed the difficulty as a battery issue, put the charger on over night and tried again the following day. Same problem, only worse. When I put in a new battery, worse still. By this time I wasn't getting any noise from the starter and even the power tilt wasn't working. As I know less than most of you about electrics, I called around for a Marine mechanic. I found one and my invoice tells me that the problem was simple.
In assembly, the battery was connected to the outboard with the usual 4/0 cables, but there was a connection hidden below the floor. This connection was, naturally, after 16 yrs, totally corroded and passing little power.
My first thought, naturally, WTF? How would any self respecting inflatable dealer allow this to occur? This isn't the first occurrence of this. Last summer our cruising companions had a similar issue with their 1 or 2 yr old inflatable.
My Q?: Do the outboard dealers send along a 4' long set of battery connections? Then do the inflatable dealers add whatever length will connect to their own battery location? Then they put a crimp connection in the bilge, where it hides until it fails, which is inevitable. In my case, 16 yrs or so. In my friend's case, 1 or 2 yrs. Watch out!
Makes so little sense.
From the noises, I diagnosed the difficulty as a battery issue, put the charger on over night and tried again the following day. Same problem, only worse. When I put in a new battery, worse still. By this time I wasn't getting any noise from the starter and even the power tilt wasn't working. As I know less than most of you about electrics, I called around for a Marine mechanic. I found one and my invoice tells me that the problem was simple.
In assembly, the battery was connected to the outboard with the usual 4/0 cables, but there was a connection hidden below the floor. This connection was, naturally, after 16 yrs, totally corroded and passing little power.
My first thought, naturally, WTF? How would any self respecting inflatable dealer allow this to occur? This isn't the first occurrence of this. Last summer our cruising companions had a similar issue with their 1 or 2 yr old inflatable.
My Q?: Do the outboard dealers send along a 4' long set of battery connections? Then do the inflatable dealers add whatever length will connect to their own battery location? Then they put a crimp connection in the bilge, where it hides until it fails, which is inevitable. In my case, 16 yrs or so. In my friend's case, 1 or 2 yrs. Watch out!
Makes so little sense.
