Hey Guys,

I have a 1995 60 Horse Mariner.  I've had it since it was new and just had the first problem ever.  I took my boat out for the first time this year and noticed that the tach was not working right.  The needle was jumping all over the place even though the motor was running great.  When we got to our first hole I noticed a puff of smoke come out from under the cowell.  I took it off and more smoke rolled out from behind the electrical cover.  It smells like melting plastic.  Does anyone have any idea what this could be caused from?

I think I have it norrowed down to the rectifier.  Does anyone know what would cause this part to melt?  Is this an easy fix, or a symptom of a bigger problem?

THe battery is most likely trash, even if it cranks the motor, it's probably not taking a full charge and making the reg/rec charge all the time.  If it has caps you can take off, fully charge the battery and do a hydrometer test of each cell.  If the are below 1.250, I would change it out