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2023 OWNER’S MANUAL
FIRST TIME OPERATION
When taking to the water for the first time, you must keep in mind
a few general guidelines: Practice makes perfect! Start in calm
water with no wind or current and plenty of room until you get the
feel for the boat and its controls.
Proceed slowly! Give yourself time to think, react and maneuver.
Recognize outside forces! Check the wind direction and velocity,
as well as water currents and waves.
Have a crew on hand! Have friends or family ready with fenders,
lines and a boat hook to assist you when docking, as well as
launching and loading.
Remember that a boat is not an automobile! Boats cannot be
maneuvered and stopped like a car. Boats steer from the stern
(rear) and have no brakes.
BASIC MANEUVERING
Steering response is dependent upon three (3) factors: rudder
position, motion and throttle. While cruising speed maneuvering is
relatively easy and takes little practice, slow-speed maneuvering
is far more dicult and requires time and practice to master.
With both steering and propulsion at the rear of the boat, the
initiation of a turn pushes the stern of the boat away from the
direction of the turn. The stern follows a larger turning circle than
the bow. This is especially important to remember when making
maneuvers within close quarters.
While the eects of unequal propeller thrust (torque steering),
wind, and current may not always be present, a practiced
driver will use them to his/her advantage. Unequal thrust is a
phenomenon shared by all single-engine, propeller- driven boats.
With the rudder in the straight-ahead position, a counterclockwise
rotation propeller tends to cause the boat to drive to port when
going forward, and to starboard when going backward.
At high speed, there is compensation for this eect, so that
unequal thrust is virtually non-existent. But, at slow speed—and
especially during backing— the eect can be very pronounced.
This is the main reason that most experienced drivers approach
with the dock to the starboard side of the boat.
Stopping—or checking headway—is a technique that must be
mastered. With no brakes, reverse must be used to stop the boat.
The momentum of the boat will vary according to the load. Make it
a practice to slow to no-wake speed before shifting into reverse.
When practicing maneuvering techniques, always do so in
open water that is free of trac. Adequate practice may make
the dierence between a pleasurable boating experience or a
potentially damaging (at the very least, embarrassing) one.
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