magnito/alternator

Help! I suspect I'm getting no charge from the running of my engine. On-board volt meter reads 12.5 whether running or not. Can't be right. Where do I start?

I did not make it to the boat last weekend, but will check this out in the next couple of days. Out out of interest, what happens if these look well connected. What would be next?

Hi Fletch, I just went thru this and posted some info in the sailing section under 'battery power'. http://laser28.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=481
First, the key must be in the 'run' position to enable charging. If that's no help, verify good connections at the battery and regulator as Bill said.
The voltage regulator is on the lower left side of the engine as you face aft. 6 wires go to it.
3 wires come from the top port side of the engine. 2 yellows and a red. Disconnect at the regulator and fire the motor. With your meter on VAC, you should see 12v red-yellow and 25v yellow-yellow more or less.
The 3 wires that remain connected to the regulator are a battery connection (red), a turn-on signal from the ignition (red), and a sense return to one side of the amp light (green). These should all have 12.8v or higher with the engine running at medium throttle and higher with higher throttle.