Thank you all for the info and suggestions!
Turns out that it wasn't the meter (I checked with two different meters), and the batteries themselves are within spec (no extra cells, etc.): Their documented fully charged voltage is 29.4 volts, and each one currently reads 29.1. Which adds up to what I see on the meter for the whole bank: 58.3. Here are the particular ones I'm using:?
They haven't even been plugged into a charger yet; they're still in the "partially charged" shipping condition.
So I guess either these batteries have an atypically high voltage, or the Karvin outboard has a unusually low maximum voltage. Or both. :)
And to answer bobkart's question: I'll definitely post info about how it works when I finally launch the boat in, hopefully, a week or two. And yup, I'm near Lake Washington and will probably launch at Magnuson Park.
Thanks again,
Jim
