starter/bilge/blower/lights/horn! AHH HELP!

So I go to start my boat yesterday and nothing. No electrical power anywhere. No starter, bilge, blower, lights or horn.

I got a new blue top last year in hopes of avoiding this moment, but it looks like it didn't hold its charge through the winter. I bought it because all the marketing hype said "holds a charge for 6 mo., etc." Oh well.

So my question is how long do I need to run jumper cables from my truck to the boat (on the driveway - not at the lake) to give the boat a decent enough charge to start it?

You need to carefully charge the battery back up, not going over 15 volts. Disconnecting the battery is the only way to store it for a long period of time.

you might could check your circuit breaker around the engine, when they get flipped all electrical will go down. might not be your problem just a thought...

Lakeski:

Batteries will self discharge, but it is a slow process. A standard lead acid battery should still have a significant amount of charge even after sitting 6 months. Maybe not enough to start an engine that has been sitting 6 months but it wouldn't be totally dead.

On top of the self discharge inherent to the battery the boat's electrical system will continue to draw a small amount of power. The stereo will draw a small amount to keep its memory alive and so that it can respond to remote inputs. The amps will draw a small amount. The boat's clock will draw a small amount. If you have the type of bilge pump that cycles on every few minutes then that will draw a LOT over a 6 month period. If you have a keyless ignition system that draws a small amount.

The best thing to do when you aren't going to use the boat for an extended period is to disconnect the battery, either by turning the master battery switch to off or by simply disconnecting the battery cables from the battery.

Now that your battery is dead you should put it on a charger. The jumper cables from the car to the boat is okay to start, but not a good idea for charging. An inexpensive 10 amp charger connected overnight should get the battery up to at least close to a full charge.

It would be a really good idea to charge the battery up, then wait a day or two and see if the battery still has enough to start the boat. It is possible that discharging the battery to zero and leaving it that way for months has damaged it and it might not be any good. Better to find that out now than at the lake.

Rod

might check the power lead from alternator to battery? we had our wire fry in the old boat and it took a good hour or so to diagnose, same symptons you speak of. some are prone to come loose or fail either through bad splice, moisture build up or excessive jarring..

also, do you have an accessory switch or safety lanyard that needs to be "on" or attached in order to operate electrical systems? my buddy's old supra had one of those acc switches on the dash that needed to be on or electrical would not work?

downtime sucks... good luck.