Anyone know what this doodad is?

[KenLDavis]

No info came with this boat about what all is installed on it. This item is located under the console, and is wired into the harness. No identifying marks, labels, numbers, etc., on it, but it appears to have a small wire antenna sticking out of the side. The connector has 12 volts going to it, and an inline 15-amp fuse. No idea what it is or what it does - this is on a 2004 Manitou Oasis 24' model. Any help or info you guys can provide would be much appreciated - wondering if it might have something to do with the trim sender since that is the only thing not working on the instrument cluster.

Thanks!

Ken

[Bryden24shp]

You know what, I saw that on my old Manitou and it went to an add on power antenna relay that could be purchased as an option. But it was wired up and connected to the bulkhead, not just kinda laying around like that.

[KenLDavis]

Could be! It was mounted underneath the outside helm/console on the right-hand side, just under the binnacle control cable. Seems odd that they would install the box for an 'option' but I imagine it was cheaper than the labor to work your way underneath there to do it after the boat was fully kitted out.

Thanks!

Ken

[MH Hawker]

I am sure its the warp core chamber for the dielithuanian crystals

[PlaynDoc]

It's an alarm system. It is set off by too much bullshitting on deck.... That's why you never hear it, on your boat....

[HandymanHerb]

It's an alarm system. It is set off by too much bullshitting on deck.... That's why you never hear it, on your boat....

It was overloaded long ago , he is wondering why it quit

[BobL]

I would look carefully for a similar device in your car - someone is tracking you. Wife, girlfriend, the government?

[KenLDavis]

Hmmm... Comedy Channel is hiring.

Funny stuff, tho...

[HandymanHerb]

What kind of connector does it has if any ?

[KenLDavis]

I'll snag a picture of it this weekend - just a flat connector with two wires. Can't recall the color off the top of my head, but will update on Sunday if we go up... Thanks!

[KenLDavis]

I found out what it is! It is the remote control module for the rope lighting under the seats. We'd found a small yellow and black keychain remote in with the boat stuff when we bought it and promptly forgot about it - it looked like something you'd use with a kid's toy. Nope. So - battery on order via amazon (b/c I forgot to get one when I stopped at Lowe's earlier today and it's too freakin' hot to go back.

Went up this weekend, Saturday was going to be a workday; Sunday and Monday on the water. So we spent all day Saturday waxing the boat, cleaning the seats again and getting protectant on them, cleaning the insides of the pontoons to get the crud off of those. Was a bit concerned about putting it in the water on Sunday - last Saturday when we came in, the motor is so quiet at idle that the other half didn't switch it off and... you guessed it - I hauled it out of the water. Fortunately I caught it immediately and no more than 15 seconds out of the water before the motor was shut off. But.... my concerns were justified. Water pump impeller is shot. Hoping that's all that got damaged. Now - wondering what this will cost to get fixed.... Betting this won't happen again. I'm not paying to get it fixed, and new rule is - the boat doesn't come out of the water until the keys are in my hand or the boat bag, and double-checked.

[KenLDavis]

On the outside chance that anyone is actually still following this post, I am very pleased to report that a new battery in that odd yellow and black remote helped tremendously. Got to the boat landing, got in the water, hit the button on the remote, and three Volkswagens in the neighborhood next to the landing, all had alarms that went off.

Just kidding..... Seriously - it worked like a champ - that is definitely the remote sensor for the lighting, and now my rope lighting under the seats is operational. Looks nice in the early evenings.

The only thing that doesn't work on the boat is the trim gauge. Gauge reports all the way up when the boat is off, and as soon as the ignition key is switched on, it shows all the way down. There is no in-between. Gauge has been replaced, wiring all seems ok; trim sensor is free - works up and down by hand, but doesn't seem to be sending a signal to the gauge. I'm not sure that the sensor is actually working, and I am not sure I am brave enough to get under the cowling of the engine and look to ensure that all of those connections are good. But... maybe next time I have an extra hour or two. I can always climb up on the bench, lean over and see where the engine is. And it runs great at 100% down, anyway. Not sure how to tell what 'optimum' trim is, but the front of the pontoons is just barely skimming the water when at full throttle on calm water. I haven't noticed any major differences if I trim up a few bumps on the button.

[margaritaman]

Without a trim gauge I use a combination of rpms and speedo to find the optimum position. If trimmed up too much rpm increases but speed slows down because you are blowing out of the water.

[KenLDavis]

Thanks!

No speedo on the boat, but I have used my GPS speedometer function - seems to be fastest trimmed all the way down, so that's how we run it. I've had it up to the point where we started getting blowout once, and throughout that entire trim range, speed was highest down. I got lucky.

Considering one of those pontoon waterglide systems - but need to do some research and see if it's a waste of money or not - but positive that it will affect how I run my trim... http://www.pontoonwaterglide.com/index.asp