A simple and often overlooked component of your boat’s starting system is the ignition switch. Think about it: You rely on this part to work every time insert the key and turn it to the right. The switch must hold up to not only the salt water environment but also our assumption that if you twist it harder or repeatedly while trying to start your engine, the switch will somehow realize that we really want the engine to start and magically overcome any other issue, like a dead battery or starter.

The most common type of ignition switch has three positions: On, off and start. It may have a “push to choke” function also, but we’ll get to that later.