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2003 Ocean 43 Battery Parallel???

Discussion in 'Ocean Yacht' started by Tashmoo, Oct 24, 2016.

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  1. Tashmoo

    Tashmoo New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2016
    Messages:
    58
    Location:
    Cape Cod
    Found out the hard way last week that there's no battery parallel switch on my new-to-me 43SS. At least not that I can find. There's a relay in the battery box that's all wired up with leads leaving the box in conduit... but I can't find the switch anywhere. Anyone have experience / ideas?
  2. justold

    justold Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2009
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    new jersey , fla
    If it is like my 38SS it parallels when you engage either start button . If you need to jump start an engine start the good side then hold the start button in on the engine that is running and start the dead side .
  3. Tashmoo

    Tashmoo New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2016
    Messages:
    58
    Location:
    Cape Cod
    Thanks justtold. Apparently the hold start on the running engine to parallel applies to older or other builds. On mine it just grinds the active starter motor.
  4. RT46

    RT46 Senior Member

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    Feb 22, 2011
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    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Agree, that doesn't make sense to me

    maybe I am not understanding that correctly.

    There is usually a toggle somewhere on the dash for the parallel.

    If you don't have the switch, I would include some heavy gauge jumper cables in my tool kit.

    I have the switch, but I have cables just in case.
  5. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2016
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    232
    Location:
    New England
    Hey Tashmoo, first congrats on the 43'. I hope to see it next time I'm in your neighborhood. I too noticed this. The solinoid in the battery compartment is wired to the starters and to my knowledge their is no parallel button at the helm. But I could never figure out how it was supposed to work, I think it's supposed to automatically parallel the banks when the starter is engaged. But when I got my boat the fuses and low voltage wires to the solenoid were disconnected so something tells me it didn't work when I got it. I figured this out the hard way on a mooring in BI last summer. Killed my house and had to disconnect the hot wire from one side of the solenoid and manually jump it to the other side to get my genny and battery charger going. That was another stupid thing with the wiring, the genny starting was wired to house bank which also starts the port side motor. So if you ran down your house bank you couldn't start your genny or your port engine. Puzzling and poor design on Ocean's part.

    So this summer I had my yard pull out the solenoid, split the banks so that one bank starts the port/stareboard/genny and another bank is solely for the house. So if I run my house down on anchor I can always start my motors and the genny. I had them put a blue seas ACR between the two banks so that it parallels them when a charge source is flowing and splits them when not receiving a charge. And I can manually parallel them by throwing a switch if need be....

    43' is a nice boat but some of the stuff Ocean did was a bit wonky and the electrical stuff is among my least favorite.
  6. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2009
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    1,781
    Location:
    Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay & S.Jersey
    Me too, home made, 3/0 with heavy duty ends, long enough to reach the furthest battery ( genny ) and they self coil nicely into a small plastic pail.
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
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    14,434
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    I would rather have added a dedicated battery for the generator and a battery switch of jumper cables to access another bank.

    On the oceans, the battery parallel solenoids are not that expensive.....$250-300 and can be found at Napa, they're for trucks or something like that. I cannot remember.

    I also remember there was a weird way to parallel them, but think either you turned the ignition switch off while the other motor was running or something along those lines and it paralleled it......but cannot remember exactly.
  8. justold

    justold Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2009
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    new jersey , fla
    Hello again, You didn't mention the brand of engine . I would get in contact with the engine dealer in the S.Jersey area as they did the install at the Ocean factory and most likely could be able to help . I have dealt with Cat in the past and found them to be very helpful .
    It seems strange that there is no over crank protection ! Are you sure someone has not jumpered one or more of the pressure switches out ?