8 HP Mariner and electricty ?

[Das Boot]

Hi all;
I have an (appx 1995) 8hp Mariner long shaft OB on my sailboat and it produces electricty from two wires from under the cowling, these wires run 10 ft. to a little black box (rectifier?) at the 12 volt house light battery location.....
My questions are:
If i run the engine 2 hours per trip will this keep my house battery charged assuming normal power usage, VHF, running lights, house lights......?

Can the 12 volts from the battery "leak back" to the outboard when it is not running.........

thanks;
Dave

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 8 HP Mariner and electricty ?

I doubt it and No. The output of the engine alternator is quite small and even running wide open for two hours would very likely not keep up with the demand. I'm curious about the rectifier at the battery. Normally its mounted on the engine. As long as the diodes don't break down, current cannot flow back to the engine. Running the engine without the battery connected is a good way to destroy the rectifier.