Boat Vandalised, now it won't start, advice?

fiachra7

Hi all, I had kept my boat under a motorway bridge outside Monasterevin, it had a leaky roof that I wanted to repair. I came back one day to find the boat absolutely trashed by I assume some teenagers. The most annoying thing they did was turn on the bilge pump, draining the batteries before smashing the pump switch to pieces. I tried starting her but the starter motor only made a ticking sound and couldn't start the engine. Other damage they did was not to the engine or controls.

So I took the two batteries to get recharged at Batteryworld, the guy said one of them was a complete dud and gave me a 2nd hand replacement.

I brought the batteries back to the boat and tried to start her but no luck at all. The only sound the starter made was a click from when it disengaged. I took a reading with a multimeter and both batteries read 12.54V and 12.86V respectively. They are wired in parallel as like when they were beforehand. So I'm absolutely clueless to why it won't start.

I dont know much about engines or boats but if anyone has any advice or would like to help out, I would really appreciate it. I'd really like to get my boat away from this area ASAP. Unfortunately I only have third party insurance so I'm not covered. I'll attach photos of the battery specs. Thank you.

nokiatom

is the starter stuck?

rje66

Try giving starter a few taps with a spanner or hammer. Had similar problem with my truck and this solved the problem.

Mick Tator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122481903#Comment_122481903

+1 on the above. Also, check that the starter wiring circuit is sound, i.e. proper contacts throughout, multimeter will do that for you.. What voltage is the multimeter showing after a few attempts at starting? What size engine, diesel or petrol? 85 amp hours in series should be powerful enough to start most engines.

LastFridayNight

Make sure the battery wire contacts are clean ( use sandpaper or a round file ) and tighten properly.

fergal.b

As said above stuck starter , low battery voltage or bad connection somewhere probably the earth.

fiachra7

Hi all, thanks for the reply and advice. Unfortunately she still won't start. I replaced any old connectors and tightened them all on the battery terminals. I tapped the starter motor a few times. And checked the wiring and connectors to the starter. The battery voltage is still good reading 12.67v but I then checked the voltage from the battery to the starter and it read 0.08v when I turned the ignition. I'm probably missing something simple but I'm calling in a electrician to fix it once and for all and maybe fix some other issues too. I'll post up the solution when it's found.