• Extinguish smoking materials carefully .
• Use special care with flame or high tempera-
tures around urethane foam.
• Check cleaning products for flammability .
• Ventilate when cleaning or painting .
• Disconnect electrical system from its pow er
source before perfor ming maintenance.
• Replace breaker or fuse with same amper-
age device.
• Electrical appliances must be within rated
amperage of boat circuits. Obser ve the boat
carefully while the electrical system is being
energized.
• Allow only a qualified marine electrician to
service the boats electrical system.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
Accidents while boating can and ma y happen. Be
prepared to handle these emergencies when the y
happen. Keeping a fir st aid kit and dr y blankets
on board can assist during these situations. It is
also a good idea to contact your local Red Cross
for information and training on fir st aid and CPR.
PROPULSION FAILURE
Before you call for help regarding an engine or
drive unit failure, it is a good idea to eliminate
the possibility of simple problems. T urn off the
engine and check to see that (1) there is fuel in
the tank; (2) the engine cooling intak es on the
outdrive are not clogged; (3) props are clean
and free of w eeds, netting, etc.; (4) no hoses
are leaking; (5) there is oil in the engine.
Once you ha ve checked out the possibilities
listed above and find the y are not the problem,
call for help giving your position and a detailed
description of your boat.
CONTROL FAILURE
In the unlik ely event of a shift/throttle failure,
shut down the engine immediately . Carefully
check the control connections in the engine
compartment to see if the y are secure. If not,
tr y to locate the attaching hard ware and
reassemble. If that is not possible, tr
y to use
whatever is a vailable such as paper clips, hair
clips, tape, etc., to secure the connections. If a
temporary repair is made, retur n to por t at the
slowest steerable speed and be prepared to
take emergency action should the temporar y
repair fail also. Ha ve your dealer mak e repairs
before using the boat again.
STEERING FAILURE
If a problem with the steering occur s, shut down
the engine immediately . Check the connections
to the outboard motor or drive unit in the engine
compartment. Some boats ha ve a push/pull
cable while other s will ha ve hydraulic hose con-
nections. With cable connections, check the
attaching hardware and tighten it if necessar y. If
you have hydraulic hose connections, check to
see if they are leaking . If so, tighten the connec-
tions and check the h ydraulic fluid reser voir
level. Most ster n drives are pow er assisted and
have their own h ydraulic reser voir and engine
mounted drive pump; check the le vel of reser-
voir and drive pump belt. If the steering is not
operating properly, do not operate the boat and
call for assistance.
ADDITIONAL UNDERWAY
INFORMATION
• Always be a ware of local la ws on noise lim-
its. Noise means engine noise, radio noise
or even yelling by people on your boat. Good
seamanship demands that you operate your
boat quietly so as not to infringe on the
rights of other s. Don't use thr u-transom
exhaust unless you are w ell off shore.
• You are responsible for an y damage or injur y
caused by your boat's w ake. Obser ve no
wake speed zone w arnings. Operate your
boat with regard for the safety of other
boats and people in your boating area.
• Keep your engine w ell tuned to decrease
exhaust hydrocarbon emissions that pollute
the air and w ater.
RETURNING TO SHORE
DOCKING
Always approach the dock slowly . Think before
acting. If you are wondering whether your boat
will fit in a space against a dock, remember that
pilings are often (but not alw ays) spaced 10
feet apar t.
Remember that it is easier to control a boat in
reverse because a boat steer s from the ster n.
7-12
60305-Fishboat-06_07_Sect 1/13/04 3:29 PM Page 7-12