Rob V wrote:
Hello all,

I have a Tige 22v riders edition. Great wake boarding boat, we love it.

I have 2 questions - I hope someone can help me out w/.

1. It has a main power off switch in the engine compartment (A twist knob).
Ive noticed that if I dont turn this off at the end of the day and the boat
sits until the next weekend the battery will be dead. I cannot seem to
figure out where the draw is coming from. Ive tuned everything off in the
boat. How can I track down the "leak".

I'll have a go, at least the corrections of my attempt might help you:-)

Most things in the boat should be fused, either with one of those
placky inline fuse holders or often the fuse is part of or next to the
panel switch.

(i) Take the positive off the battery & put an ammeter in series. (a
cheap $10 multimeter is fine, most will read up to 10amps & the leak
won't be that big:-)).

(ii) Make sure everything seems to be "off"

(iii) Turn the main power switch on, the multimeter should not show
much flow, maybe a very low milliamp reading only.

(iv) Lots of things on a boat draw tiny amounts when "off" VHF radios,
the ordinary receiver you mention, some depth sounders etc etc almost
anything that has a memory, so a very small flow is not a problem of itself.

(v) If you get a largish reading say 2 or 300 milliamps it confirms
what you already know, that there is a "leak"

(vi) Start a process of elimination easiest first, by removing fuses
one at a time till you see the flow change, whichever circuit kills the
leak ( or most of it) then you can look further. If you don't have any
impact on the leak by removing fuses etc then get more creative & start
by taking the main lead off the alternator (the diodes might be leaky &
don't accidentally earth or you'll need another $10 multimeter:-)),
alternator field wire if there is one, then other likely candidates
which operate in a damp vibrating environ & leads off other parts of the
system always one at a time.

(vi) Once you know the circuit/general area the leak is in then try to
fix, sometimes it can be salt/corrosion buildup (when damp it's
conductive) or a wire somewhere has lost it's insulation (crushed behind
some trim?, someone put a self tapper through it? it's just got worn etc.



The real pain in the ass thing is each time Im done for the weekend and I
turn the main power knob off - I lose my radio stations each time I do this
which leads me to my next question....

The radio memory only draws a tiny amount, some people hook up an
ordinary 9 volt alkaline battery to keep all the memory things alive
when the system is "off" The 9 volts is enough & one battery should last
you the season.


2. The boat has 2 battery compartments. Id like to add a second battery so
the radio works off a seperate battery vs the main one the rest of the boat
uses (ie starter, lights, etc...). (I want it be transparent as well - ie -
I dont want to have to switch some switch) Is there an idiots guide out
there somewhere that shows how to do this? I can pretty much build anything
and am mr fix it so installing something wont be an issue - but for some
reason me and mr electricity dont get along all that well -so a well drawn
out electrical diagram would be really really really good!!

It's not difficult & most multi battery switches you'll get from the
chandler shops come with pretty clear instructions about the wiring.

You might reconsider your wish not to "switch some switch" because you
can control the system pretty well with a manual switch, just so long as
you don't switch to the off position when the motor (ie alternator) is
at high revs.


Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks



K

The Krause lie of the day is well um sorry............it's the truth!!!

This stalking idiot thinks that because Madcow didn't protect herself
to his standards it makes it totally OK for him to "secretly" spy on
her, then post denigrating posts about her boat her appearance etc etc
etc, clearly because the lying pervert Krause has no boat much less CG
training as Madcow did, he was jealou & set about stalking her.

He finishes off with a nice little stalkers boast to John, just letting
John know he's checked out his address etc.

Oh by the way this post?? he made it yesterday!!! a sick & very
dangerous liar is our Krause.

As for Ms. Klummmmmpppp, she outed herself. Madcow made a big deal of
her volunteer work as a "boat safety inspector," and her work for her
local power squadron, and even invited folks to look at her USPS home
page and see a few "knot animations" she said she did. Lo and behold,
there on her local USPS home page for the world to see were photos of
Dolores and her boat, and a chart listing the names, addresses, and
telephone numbers of the local chapter's USPS "safety inspectors."
Including the delightful Dumblores. Oh, she also told us the name of the
marina where she kept her Bayliner, and the fact that it was next door
to her apartment high-rise condo.

BTW, John, you were practically a neighbor of mine when I shared an
office in Alexandria. At least I think you were. How close are you to
"Rose Hill"?