Wires Crossed?
Brad, Glad to see you got your 25.5. Because of the age of these boats, there's no telling what previous owners may have done to the wiring. On my '85, which came with an Evinrude 6, The wires from the motor ran through a hole in the transom to the battery. This motor has a 4 amp alt/charger built in but it is not necessary at all for the battery to operate the electrical system if your battery is charged up. ( I use a small portable charger plugged in to shore receptacle to charge my battery). You may or may not even have the original motor. The first place to trouble shoot is the fuse panel located underneath the companionway opening. Check the fuses and make sure the wires are connected. Unless you are familiar with DC wiring, as Michael suggested, limit yourself to making sure all wiring connections are good and not corroded and get some knowledgeable help if the lights don't come on. Check the bulbs as well. You might also check the battery as it may have a dead cell. All power for the boat runs through the battery. Last year I had a 3 year old battery go bad and wouldn't accept a charge or produce power. For my usage, a Wal-Mart deep cycle trolling battery with large capacity filled the bill. Previous owners may have had fish finders; vhf; fans; stereo's or other added electrical equipment which was removed leaving behind stray wires. The wiring and fuse panel on the 25.5 are marginal at best, pitiful at worst! If your wiring is really bad, I recommend having a pro put in a proper breaker panel and replace all wiring. You can go up another $$$ level and have a real shore power plug and charger built in but this is probably overkill unless you plan to use a lot of power at dockside. Dick Vance H-25.5 "Honey Bear"
