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1986 Crusader 350's both shutting down at sale time.

When they shut off, do they restart? Both running off same tank? Fuel vent clogged causing fuel starvation? Try running with cap cracked open (calm day so water does not get in tank).
 
Wouldn't be the first time the builder used one start and 2 or more house Bats
My buddies 38 ft Maxum is setup with 1 start and 2 house
 
motiondan#2841 said:
I will check later today. Three batteries and I have assumed that two were in parallel and one for the house.
I could be wrong.
Click to expand...
How are the battery cables attached- the clamps with a bolt, just placed on and twisted into position (NEVER), wing nuts, ny-lock nuts....when were they cleaned the last time?

If you're assuming, don't. That could strand you in a place where nobody can help, in time to prevent really bad problems.

How the batteries are connected depends on the boat manufacturer and whoever has worked on it over the years and decades. My friend has a Carver Santego 38 (twin engine) and it has a charger with two banks connected. I have been taught that house batteries and cranking/engine batteries are supposed to be separate, to prevent the house electricals from discharging the cranking batteries and many companies do that, but then someone comes along and decides to do it their way. After watching videos from a guy in the British Columbia area whose company specializes in boat electrical systems (he's an Electrical Engineer) that showed how he does things but having seen my friends' boat and others with similar wiring, I called Carver before they were bought and shut down, to get their reasoning.

I was told they (Carver) originally installed Group 27 or Group 31, with lots of reserve capacity, but only one per bank/charging lead- the charger's capacity determines the number of batteries and type. New chargers are able to handle different loads, battery types, Current and depth of recharge. They said that most yacht owners have the training that tells them to check the batteries after sitting for awhile, they may have some kind of charging system even when away from the dock and they run the engines periodically. Since his boat was built, most of the lighting has been changed to LED, so that load has decreased. I haven't known him to kill a battery to the point where it won't crank or run. His boat does have a generator, so he can use that to charge batteries or crank if jumper cables are used.

Having said this, I would make sure all of the battery connections and ground connections on the engine are clean & tight. If you have access, look inside of the helm, to check the connections for the ignition switches- this may be one wire that's splices to feed both switches- what do the gauges do when the engines stop- does the voltmeter read correctly, do the other gauges and accessories that are powered by the switch still work?
 
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