[dwayne908]

Turned the key to start the above engine, alarm lights came on as usual, but when turned to start, nothing: no click like with a dead battery, no starting cranking, just nothing. Turned the key back to off, tried again, and it started right up.

Shrugged it off and went sailing. End of the day, go to start the engine, and same thing happens. This time, repeated attempts to start the engine fail. I check to make sure battery levels are good, battery contacts are clean, engine is not in gear, plenty of fuel, re-do the start-up steps a half dozen times all with same result.

I figure maybe corrosion in the brushes of the key switch or a loose wire behind the starter panel. I get behind it, don't see anything obviously wrong, so try to pull the starter panel. Spend 30 minutes or so trying to do that and am in the process of trying pry it free from the adheasive silicone its mounted in. Before I really get into that, and because darkness is failing and I'm thinking maybe I'll just test out that full towing package I pay for or test my skills sailing into the slip, I give the key one more hail mairy turn, and it starts right up.

I thank Neptune, put away the tow card, and head into the slip. I try to recreate the problem once in the slip: I let the engine sit a while, and start it up. I do this 4 or 5 times and each time it starts no problem.

So, I don't know why it wouldn't start, I don't know what the problem is, and I don't know what I did, if anything to fix it. Not sure how to trouble shoot it, or what it might be. Starter going bad maybe? Ideas and suggestions anyone?