Gathered around a steering compass are some of the digital meters tested, with an old Simpson analog meter at the upper right. Not shown is the Triplett Model 9025.

When problems occur in your boat's electrical system, the first tool you should reach for is the multimeter. By definition, the multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several metering functions into a single case design. Thus a basic multimeter usually consists of an ammeter, voltmeter, and ohm-meter, with each "meter" being selectable from a dial on the front of the meter case and viewed on a common display. More advanced multimeters can measure parameters such as capacitance, inductance, temperature, and even include test sockets for checking the health of diodes and transistors. The very high-end multimeters are usually classified as industrial or scientific meters. These top-tier units will…