Engine stopped mid passage. Why?

[O C Diver]

[About a half hour into a very upsetting situation Ifound a single fuse on the main engine battery labeled Smart Craft, the plasticfuse holder had broken. It was a single roundglass fuse and the $2 holder broke so the internal spring pushed it apart. About half a role of electrical tapeand a lot of swearing and the boat fired right up with no issue.

Had a similar failure in January. The Guest 450 amp house bank battery switch failed from plastic fatigue. Happened to be in the engine room doing something else and my eye caught the anomaly.



There was still some connection, but could have been ugly if I'd been running the inverter. Was able to Rube Goldberg it together with a 1/4" bolt, nut and spring until I could get a replacement. Other than the bilge pumps and the engine, everything else 12 VDC goes through that switch. Does give you pause to think something that simple and seemingly reliable, could cripple you.

Ted

 

[rgano]

Small failures, big results

I have seen the failure of smallish items hold up the sailing of ships until the replacement was found in the ships' stores or delivered to the pier. And lots more small items stop gear from working once at sea where ingenuity had to prevail. It was funny how there was so much more can-do attitude at sea than there was tied to the pier.