As I
turned the key the engine maybe cranked once or twice then nothing, waited
some more and same problem. (It was something like when the battery dies
and the engine won't turn over completely) But the battery was charged
fully (I also tried to jump it). I noticed that as i continued to attempt
to start the boat the cables to from the battery got extremely hot and then
one seemed to smoke a little as i was attempting to crank. I checked the
battery afterwards (being towed out of the water) and all was fine. My
mechanic told me it was the starter so i replaced it but now i'm back to
square one.

any further suggestions.. ??

thanx...


Sure sounds like a bad ground connection. It could be bad cable also.The inside
of the terminal connectors can corrode in time.

And you can never rule out another bad rebuilt starter. It happens quite often,
unfortunately.

I'd try a known good cable directly from the battery negative side to a goood
tight ground on the engine block. If that works you can easily diagnose the
problem from the switch and other cables.

That's an easy place to start.

Barry