Keys left in ignition - Twit of the month

[Justinzim]

Well I got the twit of the month award - and left my keys in the ingition turned on!! I have clocked up an unexpected 63 hours before the battery gave up the ghost! Does anyone know if it is simple to chage the hours on the clock by reversing the current flow - or will that cook the hour meter ? I am sure that you are not a boat owner untill you have done this stunning stunt!!!!!
Cheers for now
Justin

[vicman2]

I did that twice-once on a tractor and once on a boat. On the tractor I openned up the case and turned the numbers back. On the boat I bought a new one and hooked it up to a battery charger until it reached the previous setting. However the best way is just keep an hour log and note the service. Keeping a log and noting the hours spent idling, at anchor and other problems would be the honest thing to due.

[Ken]

Justin,
Do not try to run the hours meter backward - like Vickman2 says, just keep a log and make a note that you left the ignition on for 63 hours. If your log is honest and detailed, then any future buyer should accept what you have with no problem.
I would suggest that you install a battery kill switch. That would turn everything off when the boat is not in use - if you leave the boat in the water, be sure to have the bilge pump bypass the kill switch thru its own fuse so that there is power to it all the time of course. The battery kill switch will more than pay for itself over time, saving you a lot of grief and expense.
Good luck,
Ken K