16 hours ago, Zeeter said:

Ok, no negativity here, please, as I've learned my lesson and don't need to be told how dumb I was.

 

Starter (#3) is charging now via the onboard charger and appears to be charging properly. I did turn the key for a moment to see if it would try to crank and it just about did,

 

23 minutes ago, Zeeter said:

This morning's update. Battery #3 (starter) is green on the charger. I turned the key for a second to see if it would turn over and it did, so I frantically turned it off. It was on for no longer than a second so I don't think any harm was done.

 

 

Here's some friendly advice ~

Repeatedly starting a dry outboard motor - even for a second ~ is Not as good Idea. 

It can damage your outboard's water impeller or at the very least, shorten it's life span which is only 2 or 3 years as it is.

Good Luck with your battery purchase & subsequent installation.

btw - a few digital images of the current battery & charger wiring may be helpful later as a reference.

A-Jay

 

8 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Here's some friendly advice ~

Repeatedly starting a dry outboard motor - even for a second ~ is Not as good Idea. 

It can damage your outboard's water impeller or at the very least, shorten it's life span which is only 2 or 3 years as it is.

 

Duly noted.

 

Another worrisome issue is that I'm getting a charge on anything conductive on the boat whenever the charger is plugged in. Not a huge charge, but there must be an open line somewhere in the charger wiring.

 

Last step before changing the batteries is taking them out and cleaning them off really well, then ensuring that the wires are in good condition.

 

Another question I have for everyone: Do you keep your charger plugged in constantly or just once a week for maintenance? This charger has a maintenance mode, so I'm thinking I may be ok with leaving it plugged in constantly.

Hour later update: Turned on the trolling motor. It works for some bizarre reason. Had it going for 1/2 hour with no apparent loss in speed. Unplugged #3 just in case that was the one providing all the juice. 

 

Maybe they're just taking longer to charge from empty. I'm still not confident in the batteries, but if they're working then they're working.