"Ree-Yees" wrote in message
...


When I went back to the boat
ramp as I was waiting for others to finish putting their boats up I turned
it off. When I did this my electronics should have still stayed on
(radio,
depth finder) but all went off. I could not even raise my propeller.

Do you have a battery switch? This description sounds exactly like what I
would expect if the battery swtich had been turned to OFF. As long as the
engine was still running then the alternator provided the required current,
but as soon as the engine stops there isn't any more current.

Most boats have a big ON/OFF battery switch, or if they have dual batteries
they will have a A-BOTH-B-OFF switch. It is also fairly common for a boat
to have a "remote" battery switch that is operated by a small toggle switch
on the dash. The battery should NEVER be turned off while the engine is
running.



I hooked in a second batter with some jump cables and was able to raise my
propeller just fine.

Did you clamp the jumper cables directly to the "dead" battery? If you did,
then that rules out the battery switch.

I took the battery to advanced auto (only thing open at 9pm) and they said
the battery was fully charged and working! Obviously they must be wrong
or
their machine doesnt work correctly on boat batteries, even though they do
sell some in there.

Their equipment would test a battery, it doesn't matter if it had recently
been installed in a boat, car, airplane, or whatever.

I would expect them to test the battery by putting it under a significant
load. The meter to do this usually has big clamps like a jumper cable that
connect up to a fairly good size meter. When they push the button it will
put like 100 amps on the battery and then they measure the voltage. If that
is what they did and it measured Ok then you can be assured that the battery
itself was not the problem.

The auto parts store would also be anxious to sell you a new battery, so
they sure wouldn't want to tell you that your battery was good if it wasn't.


What type of place can test my boat battery and sells good boat batteries?
I hope thats what the problem is.

The definition of "good" is certainly subject of debate, but I would think
that your boat would be happy with just about any battery. If your boat has
the typical boat battery cables that connect to a 5/16" post with a wing nut
then you will need to get a "marine" battery. If your setup has the typical
battery post clamps then a common automotive battery would be fine, as long
as you don't "deep cycle" it. If you sit for long periods of time running
the stereo or run trolling motors or something then a deep cycle battery
would be best.

If it wasn't the battery switch being turned off then my best guess is that
the battery contacts were loose or corroded. Clean up the battery posts and
cable terminals with a stiff wire brush, then make sure the clamps/nuts are
tight. You should NOT be able to twist the cables on the post.

As others have suggested, it would be very helpful if you had an accurate
volt meter. You can purchase a fairly decent "multi-meter" at the hardware
store for around $20. In fact, here is one that will serve just fine and it
is only $2.99!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=30756

What you need is a volt meter that can show you the difference between 12.5
and 13.0 volts. The volt meter on your dash isn't good enough, you need
something that can show the difference of 0.1 volts.

To test to see if your alternator is working at all, measure the voltage at
the battery before you start. It should be around 12.5 volts if the battery
is fully charged. If the voltage is below 12 then the battery is fairly
discharged. If it is below 11.5 the battery is nearly dead.

Now start the engine, bring the RPM up to at least 1500 RPM. Measure the
voltage again. The voltage should now be at least 13.0 volts, and could be
as high as 14.2 volts. If it isn't at least 13 (or if the voltage actually
went down) then the alternator is not putting out anything at all.

Rod