Free tool

Boat Electrical Problem Assessment

Long Beach Marine Electric designed this boat electrical problem assessment to answer one question: how urgent is it? Nine plain-language questions about water, smells, the bilge pump, shore power and batteries give you a result of emergency, urgent, schedule soon or healthy, with what to do next.

1. Is the boat taking on water, or is the bilge fuller than usual?
2. Any burning smell, smoke, or melted or brown plastic anywhere electrical?
3. Does the bilge pump start on its own when you lift the float or add water?
4. Does the boat trip the shore power pedestal?
5. Is the shore power plug or inlet warm after running heavy loads?
6. How are the batteries?
7. Is any breaker tripping repeatedly or a fuse blowing again after replacement?
8. How fast are your zincs (anodes) wearing?
9. Is someone living aboard, or will the boat be unattended for over a week?

Your result

Answer all 9 questions to see how urgent your boat's electrical problem is. 0 of 9 answered.

This assessment is a guide, not a diagnosis. If you suspect fire, smoke or sinking, call 911 or the Coast Guard on VHF 16 first.

How the result is decided

Each answer carries points weighted by risk. Water coming in, burning smells and melted connectors are treated as emergencies on their own, because they're the faults behind dockside sinkings and electrical fires. BoatUS data shows dock sinkings outnumber underway sinkings about 4 to 1, and electrical faults cause more than half of boat fires. Other answers add up: a pedestal that trips, a warm plug, an automatic bilge circuit that doesn't work, or batteries that keep dying.

For details on any result, see pedestal tripping, bilge pump on manual only, or batteries that keep dying.

Get it checked

Tell us your result and the boat. Callback the same day.

Faster by phone: (562) 374-7233