Need help! 84 not starting.

Hey 79, I have to ask - what type battery is that you have that reads 13.5 volts while not charging. In my automotive electrical cla$$ at Florida Junior College we were taught that a fully charged battery would read 12.6 volts. Any higher voltage read than this, the battery was said to have a "surface charge". Now I've read some batteries recently that were in good working order that read 12.7 to 12.8 after their surface charge was dissipated. But none that read as high as 13.5. Are you reading this just after charging or are you letting the battery sit overnight prior to reading. Please let me know. Thanks!

You can get a new Solinoid at Napa for cheap and quick.   Also, on Solinoids, you can usually whack it with a hammer to losen it up. Sometimes it is just stuck. But if you can connect the points to turn it over, then the noid is dead...

the battery is junk if you do not have 13.5v at the battery then it's not charged and that's why you get the clicking and it cranks with the jumper pack/cables. Make sure you don't have undersized cables or automotive cables 2 gauge cable is fine for short lengths (2'-3') but is way undersized for a 5' and longer runs. Might want to clean the points a little before you crank it too much.

Very likely! And if so...it's a small issue!

And yes David is correct..the srater is not engaged...but, (this is what I once heard)that the starter can be in a state where there is partial engagement...sort of stuck maybe?...and cranking by hand bumps it back. Does that make sense???

Didn't get a chance last night, but heading out now to see what happens.
Wish me luck!

Turning the engine by hand will do nothing to the starter...it is not engaged.

My thoughts are that the starter is bad from moisture. Pull the starter and have it rebuilt or open it up and clean it up. You can also test the starter motor by apply 12v directly to the motor while on the work bench. Be carefull and clamp it down first somehow.

large socket on the bottom bolt with a breaker bar would be good, not likely to be able to turn it by hand

No need to remove spark plugs....with it in neutral...just turn it(once around) the direction your prop is...most likely ...when looking from the stern..clockwise(if you have rt hand prop).

I'll try some things tonight.
Clean all connections.
Crank engine by hand (Pull plugs right?)
Give the starter a little whack.
Engine ran fine when it was winterized 2 years ago. Battery seemed ok w/ +12 volts on the meter at the solonoid.
When I crossed w/ screwdriver, Starter didn't even try to move. Ignition just clicks soloniod.
Keeping my fingers crossed!
Thanks for the usual great suggestions from this site!

Can you try using your car battery to see if your boat battery is completely toasted? Got to bring that beauty to life!

Making sure the engine is not seized...and there is no reason at this point to think it is!
Btw...how many cranking amps does the bat have?

Stang 72 is straight on. More than once I have seen this happen from the battery connections not being tight enough. First thing I would do is rotate over by hand (w/breaker bar if need be) to assure myself it was not the worst case.

Check the simple stuff...look at your connections...bat cables and terminals...cable at the starter as well...clean um and try again.
Starter may have a dead spot and may be hung up there...turn the crank by hand a tad, lighty tap the top of the starter with hammer and then try.