1. Check all electrical systems and na vigation
lights.
2. If your boat is equipped with an optional bat-
tery selector switch, tur n the batter y switch
to 1, 2 or ALL position.
3. Attach the ignition inter rupt lanyards
securely to your body . In the e vent that you
move away from the helm area and be yond
the length of the lan yard, the engines will be
turned off.
4. If your boat has fuel injection, tur n the k ey
to start the engine. Engine will not tur n over
if throttle is not in the neutral position.
If your boat does not ha ve fuel injection,
depress the engine w armup button to
advance the throttle se veral times and lea ve
it in the SLO W/START position. This will
actuate the carburetor accelerator pump
and feed fuel to the engine. T urn ignition key
to START position.
5. When engine is cold, r un engine approxi-
mately one (1) to two (2) minutes at fast
idle speed (1200 to 1500 RPM). This step
is not necessar y with fuel injected engines.
6. Once engine has w armed up, check w ater
temperature gauge to ensure engine temper-
ature sta ys within optimum range. If
temperature reading is abnor mally high,
stop engine immediately and inspect for
cause of high reading .
7. With engine r unning, voltmeter should show
a reading betw een 12 and 15 volts.
8. Check steering operation. T urn steering
wheel full to por t and starboard while
obser ving outdrive mo vement.
9. Inspect for fuel odor s and visible leaks in
the fuel, oil, coolant, exhaust and pow
er
steering systems.
10. Make sure boat is securely moored to the
dock and engine is idling . Then mo ve the
throttle forward and then aft and back to
neutral to check for proper operation of the
shifting motion. Be careful. Lea ve the
engine in gear for only a second or two.
MANEUVERING
When all your pre-depar ture checks ha ve been
completed and the engine has w armed up, you
will be ready to lea ve the dock. T ake into account
the amount of wind, tide cur rent, and other
forces that ma y affect your maneuvering as you
leave the dock. Idle speeds wor k best when
maneuvering to and from the dock. Do not forget
to release the mooring lines.
LEAVING THE DOCK
You are ready to lea ve the dock after the engine
has warmed up. Check all gauges for appropri-
ate readings before casting off. If oil pressure is
abnormally low or engine temperature is abnor-
mally high, stop the engine immediately . Check
voltmeter to be sure the charging system is
working proper ly. Check for fuel, oil, and
exhaust leaks. Cor rect the cause of an y abnor-
mal condition before getting underw ay.
After making sure your boat is ready , check
wind, tide, cur rent and other forces that will
affect the w ay you maneuver your boat a way
from the dock. Throw mooring lines off to your
boat. Shift your boat’ s engine into forw ard or
reverse depending on whether you w ant to move
the bow or the ster n away from the dock fir st.
Run your engine at a slow speed as you mo
ve
away from the dock. If you mo ve the bow out
first, watch that the ster n of the boat does not
swing into the dock or a piling .
Once away from the dock, de vote some time to
learning how to maneuver . Practice docking using
an imaginary dock. Practice stopping and re versing.
7-4
Boat steering is not self-centering.
Steering is affected by engine and pro-
peller torque, trim tab setting, wave
and current action and the speed of
the hull through the water. Constant
attention to steering is required for
safe operation.
WARNING
!
Make sure passengers sitting in the
bow area do not obstruct the opera-
tor’s vision when casting off or while
underway.
WARNING
!
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