Electrical question

[pstephens46]

is it a potentiometer or a variable resistor?
same thing.
same as aa relay or a solenoid. or even a more accurate,electro-magnetic contactor.
typically it is called a relay if it is remotely mounted from the con*****ed device but it does the same thing.
now you ask why two relays/solinoids.
same reason Volvo,mercloser and most everyone else did.
when that Yamaha left Japan it was in a crate/box, semantics.
they had no clue if it was going on a 16ft runabout or a 65ft house boat with a hard top and a fwd second station. with a 80ft cable run.
so to insure reliable activation and maintaining that activation we use a slave/master setup.
so we can use 2-3 amps to control 25 or so amps that will control 350 or so amps.
quite simple and used all the time.
in an amplydine we used 10 milliamps to control up to 10 Kamps
called a push/pull amplifier.
if you had to control 25 amps with a 40foot cable run your harness would be about 3 inchs in diameter due to the wire size.
cable run is the total distance of the circuit.
means from the source to the switch to the device.

Things are clearer now.

Now these batteries......I am starting to despise batteries as much as my boat trailer.

[boscoe99]

Actually It was genuine question.

Now this one is not. I probably will buy a new starting battery. One battery. Leaving house battery as is. How long till I burn and sink?

All batteries must absolutely positively be of the same brand, model and manufacturing date. To the day. A new battery being connected to an older battery is a recipe for disaster. Not allowed by the US Coast Guard. Hopefully, the CG will capture you and seize the boat before a catastrophic fire breaks out.

I can see that you have not been paying attention over at TOS.

And you had better be using the proper gasoline at the specified octane rating.

[zenoahphobic]

Catastrophic failure of a battery is due to a mechanic breakdown within the battery and not a chemical failure; the chemical process here is relatively slow for deterioration.

So a sudden failure is a result of one or more cells having the plates "fall off" breaking connection through weakening lead structure , or through contacting each other because the insulation between the plates has crumbled or softened enabling the electrical forces to bend the plates together when a large demand such as starting is attempted.

In other words batteries are made more cheaply and not better these days. It would be ideal that everything detioriorates at the same rate. Of course any battery can last forever if pure lead, pure sulfuric acid and pure water is used in manufacture.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Pat, as I re-call, didn't you mention your batteries are up front(maybe in the console)?

I would think, the further forward in the hull the battery is (great for ballast ), the more pounding the battery is going to get.

Yes, it's designed for a boat (and bouncing) but the LESS pounding, the better for the battery, especially as it becomes older, internals weaker, etc.