What went wrong?

[wotan2525]

Was out surfing last night and noticed a red mastercraft that was at a beach that we don't usually see people at. After 45 minutes or so we realized that they were pulling it along shore. Decided to stop over and try to help out. Batteries were good and the gas tank was full but the boat wouldn't crank. Solenoid didn't click. I jumped the neutral safety switch and the tether switch to no effect. Didn't have many tools to really try and fix it so ended up just towing them home (of course.... they were 7 miles from their Marina.) It was a nice boat and seemed to have been well maintained. Had a new starter and she said they always had it professionally winterized/summerized.

What else could it have been?

(And I know how annoying this will be that we'll probably never learn what the real problem was.)

[SquamInboards]

A breaker tripped somewhere? Or, a bad solenoid? Or, someone when they installed the new starter, didn't tighten a terminal somewhere, so it was fine for a while but came loose? So, not visible, but something is loose somewhere.

Just some thoughts. The "new starter" sounds like a good place to start, since it's something that has recently changed, whenever that may have been.

[wotan2525]

Yeah, the main breaker was fine. I couldn't find a fuse or breaker on the ignition switch, but everything else seemed to be working. I inspected the starter wiring and it looked OK but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I would have tried to spin it with a screw-driver short-cut but couldn't find a screwdriver that I was willing to put that much voltage through while I was holding it.

[cadunkle]

Ignition switch, solenoid, or the starter itself. Could be a chafed or broken wire between any of those but that's less likely.

[OneCent]

Throttle not in neutral

[haugy]

It's a MasterCraft, it's toast.

[michael hunter]

Sounds like a loose connection on the hot or ground circuits.

[Zim]

Check the lanyard?

[Zim]

it's a mastercraft, it's toast.

lol............

[dirtydawg]

A breaker tripped somewhere? Or, a bad solenoid? Or, someone when they installed the new starter, didn't tighten a terminal somewhere, so it was fine for a while but came loose? So, not visible, but something is loose somewhere.

Just some thoughts. The "new starter" sounds like a good place to start, since it's something that has recently changed, whenever that may have been.

Loose wire on starter. Mine got stranded for this same reason. was lucky enough to find it before waves slammed my boat into rock bluff