I decided to start a new thread on this given that I now have a better idea of the problem, sadly the solution still evades me.
First the problem. At the dock, when the motor is cold, I can fire it up easily using either battery with zero issues. However if after motoring for half and hour (or more) and dropping anchor or going for a sail once the motor has been shut off for 10 minutes or more it cannot re-start unless you manually "jump it" from the starter solenoid directly to the starter_in which case it will fire up instantly. In other words, it seems like there is a problem somewhere between the ignition and the solenoid that only seems to exist when the motor is is still warm. If the boat sits overnight at the dock, of course it always start fine when cold using the key in the ignition.
To date I have done the following in trying to resolve this issue_..
Replaced the ignition
Replaced both batteries with new
Cleaned all battery leads and the battery ground to the motor
Checked, cleaned and tightened the connections on both the solenoid and the starter.
Checked out the battery switch
Tested both of the batteries and alternator output and all is well.
I have no idea what to try next. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
