Did I just fry my boat electronics?!

[ATPNW]

Hi All,

On a trip here at the Port of Kingston. My dad drove 4 hours from eastern Washington to join me for some Area 9 fishing. As we were cleaning the boat something happened to the boat electronically, but I’m not sure what. I think it started when my hand accidentally bumped both wipers and the bilge all at once. The wipers came on, the bilge did not and then the wipers stopped. Thinking this was odd I turned everything off, and flipped the bilge but it didn’t work. I then tried the wipers, horn, lights, radio, trim tabs and sonar which none of it worked. I checked fuses on the back of the dash as well as the ones in the rocker panel but none are blown. Oddly, the motors trim and turn on and the downriggers work. What am I missing?

Since I wired the riggers directly to the battery, the batteries seem to be fine (I assume the motors are wired direct as well). Is there a master fuse im not aware of? Or is there a fuse within the battery selectors?

Thanks for your help. Would love to get this resolved soon so I can make the most of my dad’s journey.

[T.R. Bauer]

This could be so many things and I don't think you fried your boat electronics at all. You very well may have a thermal switch to reset or a master fuse if someone wired the boat that way, there's no way for any of us to know that since we didn't wire your boat. If it is wired that way, but I doubt it's wired that way, you will probably find that stuff in the hot line between the battery and your main bus.

I'd check to see that your battery terminals are bright, shiny, and all the way tightened. You'd be surprise at how many times people ignore that and spend hours chasing something down that doesn't exist. After that, also verify you have 12.6 volts at the bus and that it is actually making it all the way into your cabin switch panel. If you do, then your problem is on the ground side of things. If you don't, well work your way from the battery, to the bus, and then to the panel in the cabin and you're likely going to find corrosion somewhere causing an open circuit. You should have battery voltage at all those places.

If you have voltage in all those places, start checking grounds from the main ground on the engine bolt, back up to the batteries and over to the main bus and then up to the cabin switches.

Best of luck - you'll track it down with time and patience. I'm sure others will chime in and word whatever I just said more better

[thataway]

Most of the C Dory line has a circuit breaker on the wire which goes from the positive battery bus (near the battery or perhaps off the switch. If you overload the circuit on the console it could trip this breaker. Generally they are from 30 to 60 amps--a considerable draw. But if there was a surge for both wipers, a bilge pump (not sure why people call the bilge pump a "Bilge". There may have been other instruments on at the same time--or a short could have developed.

[VicC]

I agree with T.R. I have a thermal circuit breaker located in the battery lazarette. This breaker feeds all house loads on my boat (including wipers, electronics and bilge pump rocker switch).
If you do have a thermal circuit breaker and it is "open", this can be reset. From what you are describing, I wonder if your bilge pump could be seized and is the cause of the breaker to open.

[ATPNW]

Thanks all, case closed. It was the 30 amp fuse that appears to go between the battery and the battery selector. Appreciate the responses on this late Sunday evening.

[T.R. Bauer]

[starcrafttom]

Glad you fixed it but I would not stop just yet. Running ALL your electrical toys should not have trip that breaker. I would take that breaker out and clean all the contacts. Look close at the wires ends. It there is any off coloring in the crimps or wire ends trim them back and put new crimps on it. Clear every thing until its shining. I had a downrigger that kept turning off this weekend while I was fishing area 9 and 10. It would come right back on but any extra strain and it would cut out. Long story short it was corrosion on the mini fuse where it connects to the battery. In the last few years I have learned that most of your electrical problems start and finish with small amounts of corrosion.

[T.R. Bauer]