Kevin,

I have a 1986 Wellcraft Elite 200. I just bought it and naturally it needed some TLC.

New to the boat world, I thought it might be a good idea to repair the broken cigarette lighter in the boat so I can use my GPS in the dash. I did so and made the repair with success.

I then decided I would troubleshoot my boat horn, which was not working. That’s when everything fell apart.

I was unable to make sense of the horn – and in turn blew the fuse powering the cigarette lighter. This happened when I tried to jump power to the horn from some boat wiring that I knew was working.

I bought a new fuse and got my horn/blower back, but NOW – on the other side of the dash, my navigation lights and pump don’t work. I was all over the place when trying to power the horn, but I didn’t disconnect anything. I’ve checked all of my fuses with the volt ohm meter, but have found no problems.

Could there be an in line fuse that’s hiding from me? If not, what could be the problem? I’m desperate because I have tomorrow off and want to take the old lady out on the water, but not if it’s unsafe.

HELP!!

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

If an entire area of your boat switch panel does not have power, it is either a blown fuse or a loose wire.

Buy a simple digital voltmeter and start probing. Start at a place where you know you have power. Keep the ground wire in the same place and start checking for 12v power at the switches. You will find the problem, even if you have to go all the way back to the battery.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks, I found it shortly after I sent you that email. It ended up being an in line fuse hiding from me. Thanks for the advice!

Jerry