Help!! New 26x owner with Battery Question

[chuckncole]

Hey there!

I read this site extensively prior to us buying a sail boat... Thus, we bought a used macgregor 26. Because of this site, we bought a 26X.. 1999.

We are fairly new to sailing.. Unless you count JR yacht club 23 years ago
and a sailing Cert. course 10years ago from a local Junior college. We have owned the boat a bit more than a month. It has a 50hp nissan motor. 2 bateries one under the aft seat and one under the foward table seat.

a month ago when we bought it until last week. We USE TO have interior cabin lights and running lights.. Come to think of it.. I bet the VHF is dead too! ( didnt notice)

I thought if we motored occasionally we would charge the batteries. Thus recharge the cabin elec. The lighter type outlets do not work either... the batterey forward is a costco battery and is still under warranty.

When you enter the cabin there is a VHF radio on the left with a panel below it that has squares that read "fuse" and then switches that you turn "on" We have tried to get electricity with the swiches flipped on and off. before to have interior lights we switch on or two of them to "on".


So the question... Could something be disconnected, do I need an exterior charger to recharge the battery.???? Does the battery recharge itself when the motor runs... should it??? Or do I have it all confused. Is there a way to charge the battery from shore power. ( we do not have a shore power plug buily into teh boat but use an extention cord.

Any ideas as to: how I can regain running lights, cabin lights.. things I should check first....
I think the depth finder runs on battery too and it is dead. The motor starts no problem...

So we have a definite problem that i would prefer to fix before we go out on the water again!.. The boat is at a slip in a Marina presently.

SUre I could call a marine electrician... but I called a person that works on the motor at 90$ per hours to find that I had the gas tank connected wrong. Sooo, thought I will check here. for any of your "expert hands on experience before I call in the "big guns" this time.

My DH has been up to his ears in aligators at work so has not addressed it. at this point I am refusing to go out sailing until there is electricity.

Can anyone HELP with suggstions or a direction to begin... ... A basic understanding would be terrific if anyone cares to share!!!


Thanks everyone!
Colleen

[Kevin]

Collen,

I'm going to take a quess based on what you've said. I'm assuming you can still start the motor. Unless you are pull starting your motor this means you have a good starting battery. Your house battery which runs lights and radio may be dead.

Look around and see if you have a switch that looks something like this one. Four positions, one, two, both and off.



If I'm correct you have such a switch and it is in the one or two position. This would mean that only the starting battery is being charged by the motor when it runs.

To charge both batteries you would start the motor and switch to the both position. DO NOT TOUCH THE OFF POSITION WHILE THE MOTOR IS RUNNING!. Switch from one to all or two to prevent damage to the charging system.

Hope that's useful.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Sounds like a basic connection issue between the batteries, battery selector switch, engine, battery terminal connection, etc. That would be my first investigation. (Especially since you have one new battery).
Just as an automobile, the connections have to be clean and secure.

Welcome aboard.

[Frank C]

Welcome aboard, Colleen (and Chuck?)!

The first thing to check for ... you must have a battery switch that permits total disconnect of the secondary battery. It's usually a large round red switch, about 2 inches in diameter. Look near the forward battery, look near the aft battery, and trace the large red cable from each positive post. Those cables should go directly to a battery switch.

My battery switches are actually different than described ... round black plastic with a red plastic key. The key is removable. Anyhow, if these electrics were working at one point, and now not working, one of you might have flipped the switch & then forgotten??

It's not unusual for the motor battery to remain connected 100% of the time. Sometimes there's not even an interrupt switch at all. The reason is that they want to guarantee never disconnecting the battery while the motor is running ... which could destroy certain alternators.

Yes, the alternator should charge the batteries while it's running. Since the PO installed a second battery, there might also be a battery "combiner" someplace near either of the batts. It's a small black box about 2x size of a deck of cards, w/several wires extending toward batts. It manages the charge voltage, first to the starter battery, then to both. Good luck.

[chuckncole]

The engine/motor starts right up.. a few pumps to prime it and turn the key and no problem .. motor works well.

thx for the quick response.
Hmmm. Would the(perko?) switch be on the wall in the cabin? I dont recognise it. or is it hidden... i will go over to the marina this after noon to see if I can find it.

I looked under the seats at the batery and it appears that the wiring for the front battery ( under the front dinnette seat) runs to the battery in the aft seat. Is this how they share elect/ charge.

You guys are great....

I will have my DH devote so quality time to checking the connections to make sure they are clean and connected correctly.

[MSN-Travelers]

Not sure if the has it, but the has an in-line fuse (near the primary battery) that protects the power feed to the factory fuse panel. It's possible that the batteries are fully charged but there is no power making it to the panel.

Paul

[chuckncole]

Keep it coming... I can wait til My DH comes home... He will be impressed and perhaps we can find a solution before night fall. Its suppose to be 80 today in Monterey bay... Would be a nice evenig to have a sunset sail.... If we get the electricl fixed..... I am just curious if the ( perko?) switch could be an option our boat does not have since it does not have built in shore power...

Does anyone one know what was "standard" with a 99x?
Colleen ( and yes my DH is Chuck)

[atzserv]

Chuck,

Look everywhere for the perko or similar brand switch.
I have seem them mounted inside the battery compartment.
It didn't seem like the best location to me but it would keep the interior from looking eventually cluttered. Just another opinion, good hunting

Gary

[Bawgy]

Just trace the two wires from the battery. You should run into a sitch if you have one . Or follow the wires leading fron the engine alternator to the house battery . You should see it

[Catigale]

I think everyone above forgot to mention to check the fuses in the fusebox. Those red squares pry out and a fuse will sit under each one. Make sure the wire inside the glass isnt broken

Welcome aboard Admiral Colleen and Captain Chuck.

[Gazmn]

Is there a dock you could pull into and charge your batteries directly with a charger. It sounds like this might be necessary for the house battery. Bat #2 which supplies yiur radio and lights.

Make sure your house battery is a deep cycle or a dual starting and deep cycle battery as it will work better for supplying the house.

- Gaz

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Does anyone one know what was "standard" with a 99x?
Colleen ( and yes my DH is Chuck)

I also have a 99X. Mine has 2 batteries, with a battery switch selector, #1, #2, All, or None. Im not sure if this is standard equipt., since I bought the boat slightly used. One of my batteries is under the dinette ice chest, and the other is under the seat aft of the galley.

After you solve your elect. problem, I hope you follow up by letting us (me) know, especially since any of us could eventually have a similar problem to solve. Thanks.

Happy Sailing

[Catigale]

Colleen - there really isnt such a thing as 'standard on a Mac' ...the accessories are all added at the dealer and are as individual as s/he and the owner dream up.

I would check those fuses, then follow the fat battery cables as far as you can to look for that Perko type switch or similar.

[Trouts Dream]

Just out of curisity, has any had a boat that DIDN'T have some style of a combiner?

[Doctor Z]

Do you have a stereo on board? If so, often, a yellow wire (to maintain station presets) will be connected (with in-line fuse of course) directly to the battery and over a few weeks may discharge your battery even if your main battery selector switch is off.