OK, assuming the alternator is good. you need to check all your
connections. You've probably replaced everything, but double check
stuff anyhow. some wires maybe attached to the battery terminals, that
may have been left off. It's a wild shot, but I'm mentioning it anyway.

another thing, you may have gotten a bogus battery. charge overnight
on a slow charger then take it in and have it tested. it could have
come from the store with a weak cell. Just because it's "new" doesn't
mean it's "good"
But still, I would think that even with a bad battery, your volt guage
should still be above 13v when running.

an old rule of thumb is a decent charge when running is your alternator
will put out a rating of 13.8-14.2 v. providing you have a decent
battery.


Christine wrote:
As far as I know, the allternator was fine before this happened. Replaced
the battery due to negligence (previous owner left it in the boat all
winter).

Mike



wrote in message
ups.com...
Did it seem to be working fine before you changed the battery?

probably not.

I'd say you need to take the alternator to a competent shop and have it
tested.

If it's a Mando, or Prestolite/Motorola, the shop will know whats going
on unlike taking it to a parts store for testing, because they don't
hook up like conventional automotive units.



Christine wrote:
Vessel: 1999 Maxum 1900SR
Engine: 4.3l Mercruiser w/Alpha I drive
Issue: Battery is being drained by ____(something).

Details: Installed a new 550 CCA Marine Battery about 3 weeks ago. Ran
great when first installed. Boat sat for 2 weeks, tried to start -
"click".
Nothing. Was able to jumpstart from the truck, ran it for about 15 min
top
charge. Voltmeter on the boat dashboard reads 10.5 volts. Hand-held
voltmeter at battery reads 13.98; test at alternater reads the same.
Took
battery back to dealer & had tested. Battery OK, fully charged.

So, I think the alternator is OK. No visible frayed wires & such. My
gut
tells me that the voltmeter in the dash is suspect since it reads
differently than the hand-helds.

Any sugggestions as to what could be draining the battery or anything
else
typically to look for?

Thanks,
Mike