www.iFourWinns.com

Thanks LVChris I will clean the battery connections and try and get back to you all.

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1995 Vista 238 Fuel injected 5.0L OMC/Coba/sx
SOLD 1990 Maxum 1800 bowrider.

I cleaned the terminals of both of my batteries yesterday and so far it happened once while sitting on the trailer at home. I won't be able to test it out until this weekend. I'm hoping it will help the problem. It is quite annoying. My alternator tested at 13.5 to 14 volts so I don't think this is the problem.
Any other suggestions would be helpful. Is there any other thoughts or ideas that any one has?
How would you test a circuit breaker like that?

Crenche

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1995 Vista 238 Fuel injected 5.0L OMC/Coba/sx
SOLD 1990 Maxum 1800 bowrider.

I had this same issue yesterday after switching out the battery. I tripped the breakers (Same boat as Steve K, 1993 210 Horizon with the 5.8l Cobra EFI).

The reset buttons were difficult to find - there are three of them at the front of the engine, starboard side, under a bracket holding a solenoid. The buttons face forward.

None of them appeared to be popped out but one of them clicked when I pressed it in. The other two reset buttons are easy to spot, one on the trim and one near the power steering.

With an older boat you can have issues with fuses and fuse terminals oxidizing, I had this some years back on my '88 H-200, started it up for the first start of the season, everything works. Then a few days later go to start it for a tune up and nothing but the trim works, no gauges, no cranking etc. Checked a few things, then took a good look at the igition fuse, and it was pretty oxidized. Cleaned all the fuse terminals in the old fuse box and replaced all the old glass fuses. Since then no problems. In my salt water environment its a constant battle. I will probably replace that old fuse box in a few years, or the next time it acts up!

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

My wife and I are new at boating. We took the boat out for the first time 2002 268 vista. We spent the night on the water upon waking up we had dead batteries I thought one battery was always going to be isolated so it would not be depleted. Well we woke up to dead batteries and the US Boat tried to give us a jump but did not work. So took the boat home. On shore power I have power for everything except ignition and power trim when i put it on battery only I have no power at all, when on shore power battery charger indicates full charge. I checked all the fuses I did find this big fuse in line on one of the battery cables fuse holder said phoneix gold looks like s 50 amp cylinder glass fuse with 2 gold ends. Any suggestions ?

In order for people to help you have to first explain how your boat is wired for battery management. Do you have the simple 1, 2, 1+2 and off switch? or an ACR system? With the simple switch the way to isolate batteries is to keep it on 1 or 2 but not both. The only time you use both, is if neither battery has enough amps to start the engine, or you want to charge both at the same time. If you leave it on both the weaker battery will pull amps out of the stronger one, and you can wind up with 2 dead batteries.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

On the 268, the electrical panel has a rotary switch to select which battery powers the engine and outdrive trim, and a toggle switch to turn on power to ship's systems. For normal operation, the rotary switch should be turned to the left or 9 o'clock position. Straight down is off. Up is for parallel (all batteries), to the right is to use the house battery bank to start the engine.

Can you describe your boat's electrical system? Is there a generator? How many batteries do you have? You will most likely have one engine-starting battery, and one or more house batteries.

A single house battery may not have enough power to run the fridge and much else all night.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon