Wayne.B wrote:


That said, I've been operating boats with sophisticated electronic systems
for many years, have never taken precautions when starting the
engine(s), and have never experienced any transient related failures.

When you think of all the single battery small motor boats out there, many
of which have a far more extensive set of electronics than my boat, it does
seem like this could be one of those "always wear clean underwear" kind of
things. OTOH my understanding is that it is not so much a matter of things
blowing out or dying when you start the engine as it is of their life being
shortened as the transients eat away at the connections inside the IC chips.
If something dies this way, you might never know that it could have had a
few more years if protected.

I remember now that I often found the GPS off or looking for birds again
after starting the engine when coming into the harbor. I was always too
busy at the time with getting sails in and such to think about it. Now, I
wonder. The depthsounder and knotlog seemed unphased.

--
Roger Long