2013 Chaparral H2O Owner’s Manual
Chaparral Boats, Inc.
Nashville, GA
chaparralboats.com
2-6
• If your boat has sounding equipment, take soundings regularly and
match them with depths shown on your charts.
• Station a person forward in the boat as a lookout.
• Reduce your speed. From time to time, stop engine(s) and listen for
other fog signals.
• Sound the horn or fog bell intermittently to warn others.
• If there is any doubt in continuing your excursion, anchor. Listen for
other fog signals while continuing to sound your fog horn or bell.
Storms
The present and forecasted weather conditions are a primary consider-
ation, and the possibility of storms should always be a concern. If storms
are a possibility, keep a watch on the horizon, especially to the west, for
approaching storms. Monitor the weather forecast on a marine channel
or local weather station. The best possible situation is to return to a safe
port if time allows.
Other steps to follow to weather the storm include:
• Close and secure port holes. Stow all loose gear below deck and tie
down any gear on deck.
• Reduce speed as the seas build. Make sure all persons on board have
put on their personal fl oatation devices.
• Trail a sea anchor from the bow. If you do not have a sea anchor aboard,
use a canvas bucket, tackle box, or other object that will work like a sea
anchor.
• Radar refl ectors (if installed on your boat) should be 18 inches diago-
nally. They should be placed as far above waterline as possible. Other-
wise, a boat with radar may have trouble “seeing” your boat.
Man Overboard
Should someone in the boat fall overboard:
• Act quickly—treat every situation as an emergency.
• Move throttle to idle position and yell “Man Overboard”.
• Immediately throw a Type IV PFD to the person in the water.
• Have someone in the boat assume responsibility for watching the per-
son in the water and keep them in sight while the boat maneuvers back
to them.
• Approach the person into the wind and waves. When alongside, put the
engine in neutral and throw them a Type IV PFD with a line attached or
extend an oar or boat hook.
Fire
Important: A fi re aboard your boat is a serious emergency. You must
act immediately!
Every boater should develop a fi re response plan to determine what kind
of fi re (fuel, electrical, etc.) might break out, where it might break out, and
the best way to react. Having a plan and assigning responsibilities to oth-
ers results in quicker decisions and quicker reactions.
Important: Everyone on board should know where fi re extinguish-
ers are and how to operate them.
Any fi re requires stopping the engine(s) immediately. Then:
• If the fi re is in the engine compartment, shut off the bilge blower immedi-
ately. If equipped the fi re extinguisher system will discharge in the event
of a fi re. The heat sensitive automatic head will release the extinguis-
hant as a vapor, totally fl ooding the compartment in fi re-killing concen-
trations. The system indicator light is wired to the ignition and is turned
on when the ignition is turned on. The indicator light, located at the
dash panel, indicates to the helmsman when the unit has discharged.
