Polycraft boat, Owner'S Manual

Page: 6 / 22

6
Preparation for your Journey
Prior to leaving there are certain items to check and acvies to
perform.
Familiarise yourself with the boat before launching and consider
the following suggesons:
Recommenda ons for Safety
Personal Flotaon Devices: One approved Personal Flotaon
Device (PFD) of suitable size is required for each person aboard
the boat. Always ensure children wear PFDs. Always check devic-
es intended for young children for fit and performance in the
water. Never hesitate to have all persons wear lifesaving devices
whenever circumstances cause the slightest doubt about safety
or where local boang regulaons spulate their use.
Do not overload or improperly load your boat. Maintain a clear
walking area/freeboard at all mes. Consider the sea condions,
the duraon of the trip, the weather and the experience of the
personnel on board. Do not allow any person to ride on parts of
the boat not designed for such use. Si9ng up on seat backs, bow
riding (with the excepon of boats that have been specifically
designed to safely carry passengers in the bow secon) and gun-
wale riding while underway can be especially hazardous. Raised
casng plaBorm seang posions are for use at rest, not whilst
under-way. Understand the meanings of navigaon buoys and
never moor to one. Be aware of the various distress signals.
Slowly raising arms up and down in a boat is a recognised dis-
tress signal. Monitor weather forecasts before leaving and dur-
ing your trip. Be especially a'enve in areas where swimmers or
divers may be operang. Watch your wake. You are responsible
for damage caused by your wake. Pass through anchorages at a
minimum speed and observe speed limits where applicable.
Learn and abide by common boang “rules of the water.” Keep
an alert lookout. Serious accidents have resulted from failure in
this respect. Always instruct at least one person on board in the
fundamentals of boat handling, should you become disabled or
fall overboard. Consider what acon you would take under vari-
ous emergency condions such as a person overboard, fog, fire,
a damaged hull or other bad leaks, motor breakdown, severe
storm or collision.
Your boat is not intended to act as a flotaon device if capsized.
Should the boat ever capsize or a similar catastrophic event oc-
cur, the flotaon installed may be compromised either by expo-
sure to petrol, or through damage to the structure of the boat. It
is therefore imperave that appropriate safety gear is ulised
whenever circumstances give rise to the slightest doubt about
occupants’ safety. It is also strongly recommended you remain
with your boat should any such event arise, since you are more
easily located by search plane or boat. Keep lifesaving and fire
fighng equipment in good condion and readily available at all
mes. Monitor expiry dates also. Have an adequate anchor and
sufficient line (at least three to six mes the depth of the water)
to guarantee a secure hold in all types of weather and sea condi-
ons. Know your fuel tank capacity and cruising range. Your
cruising range can be affected by many things, including weather
condions, dal condions, mechanical condion of your boat/
motor and loading of your boat. If it is necessary to carry addi-
onal fuel, do so only in containers approved to carry fuel (per
required regulaons). It is good pracce to allow a 50% margin
over and above esmated fuel use. Before deparng on a boat
trip, advise a responsible friend or relave of your intended
route. Be sure to give that person a good descripon of your
boat. Keep them advised of any changes in your cruise plans.
These precauons will enable them to tell rescue organisaons
where to search and the type of boat to look for, if you fail to
return. Be sure to inform that person upon return to prevent
any false alarms about your safety.
CAUTION
Your Boat is equipped with at least one transom drain plug.
Make sure all plugs are ghtly in place. Failure to install the
drain plugs securely will result in the boat filling with water
when launched.