no power

[Bill G.]

Not a great start to the season,had a small spill in the bilge which I cleaned up and then hosed down the bilge now I have no battery power at all no electronics no bilge pump zip zero it's like someone stole my batteries.I can't imagine what I did but won't be surprised either any ideas where to look?....Thank you AGAIN...Bill G.

[CaptPatrick]

Bill,

Start at the batteries, first to be sure that you have between 12.5 & 13.5 volts between the battery posts. Assure that terminals are clean and cable connections are tight. Then start working outward & checking for voltage. Look for loose connections, especially grounds. Check switches and fuses. Check for battery charger function and output voltage. Odds are your problem is within 5' of the batteries if you're getting zip everywhere...

[Bill G.]

Should have mentioned had power prior to both batteries charged and everything working I'm thinking I got something wet?

[Bruce]

You have any of the old cartridge fuses still in?

[Bill G.]

Yes

[Pete Fallon]

BillG,
Like Bruce said the old cartridge fuses probably got wet, corroded or blew out. I would either move them to a drier location or get rid of them completely. After all these years the wiring in the boat is starting to break down, I inspected a 38 year old 31 with the original consta-volt system that still worked but the 110 volt wiring leading into it was a fire hazard, the internal jacketing on the 10-3 wire was cracked and brittle and in places near the consta-volt housing they were almost touching together, this area is before the fuses inside the charger and could cause a fire between the boat and the dockside pedestal, there is usually no breaker or fuses between the 30 amp inlet and the charger. That wire runs through the engine box and has natural flue from the deck vents and the sides of the hull, which will allow fire to spread very quickly.
I highly recommend that if anyone that owns an old 31 replace the original household style Square D breaker panels and all the 10-3 wire that is used to supply the 110 volt outlets. You will more than likely find that the wiring has become very suspect, especially the 10-3 heavy black jacketed wire supplying the outlets throughout the boat. Plus if you don't have an original wiring diagram the color coding from back them is a complete nightmare, (ei, purple and white with a black stripe or yellow and white with a black stripe) where do they go to?. Just be very careful when re-wiring your boat, Nigel Calder has a very good book on wiring and re-wiring boats. Also inspect the wiring that runs from your forward bilge pump float switch to the battery terminals, mine was spliced into with abut connector by the previous owner and was not done correctly( an undersized automotive butt connector), it caused an electrical fire and if I wasn't on the boat would have ended very badly. Again the original wiring is getting very old, probably has many wrong style butt connectors, chaffed areas and splices and has seen better days. It's better to be safe than burning up your boat.
Pete Fallon