my 2 yr & 4 month old gtr35 w/ ~180 hrs has been doing something different (& now a bit more often). a few times, i turn the ignition key & nothing happens - nothing. i have it in neutral & i have the kill switch on/in. after a few twists, it starts up & then runs fine - but it's not a great feeling in the middle of nowhere. i cleaned my battery terminals & the electrical connections on the engine - but that didn't fix jack. it seems to happen a bit more w/ the engine hot. i am guessing it's got to be the key switch, kill switch or starter. 2 people have suggested it's the solenoid on the starter. any suggestions on the best way to go about diagnosing the problem & fixing w/out just throwing a bunch of parts/money at it - & before dragging it to someone? i am obviously not a pro & don't have a ton of tools - but willing to try fixing dis lawnmower engine. my rig lives in a shed about 45 minutes from my house & not close to a hardware store - so i'd like to possibly try a few things the 1st time (if that's possible). thanks my mud brothers!

Check the 25amp fuse on the starter side of the motor,check it for corrosion.

Check all connections for rust/corrosion. Disconnect and scrape each terminal with a pocketknife removing any and all corrosion and reconnect with a light coat of grease on everything.

check the small wire on your solenoid. that wire should have 12v the instant you turn the key to the start position. if you do have 12v instantly then it is your starter or solenoid. if you do have 12v then just change your key switch

scraping/cleaning the wiring connection worked initially, then the same crap started up - twist the key & nothing happens. i ignored it for a bit & almost got stuck on da water. fe#1 thought it was voltage drop & recommended installing a new clutch switch – even after i said my volt-light-stick lights up on the wire going to the starter. got the new switch, but measured w/ a digital multimeter b/f installing. the drop was ~0.6 volts, which i didn’t think would be it. installed the new clutch switch, measured 0 voltage drop & it works again like the champ! sweet ‘ol $15 fix. yeah you right!

Damn dude....it's only been 4 months.

i bought this boat for ducks & it gets very limited use in the off season. it also lives in a shed 45 min from home. i do the occasional redfish / boozin trip on it. i split a fishing boat w/ a friend for the off season. to me, fishin basically just passes the time til duck season, though it’s always nice to get on the water.