JB
Honorary Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2001
- Messages
- 45,907
Below are suggestions to help your introduction to being a boater less traumatic and less expensive.<br /><br />Boats are not cars. They require the owner/operator to look out for potential trouble, perform routine preventive maintenance and be prepared for common problems. Failure to meet these requirements will cause you grief and expense. Get an owner's manual and a service manual for your engine.<br /><br />Be sure your boat is equipped with a tachometer. This is the most important monitor of your powerplant's health. Temperature guages and voltmeters come next.<br /><br />Do not select your propeller from a chart. Select it on the water, doing what you want to do with your boat. An ideal prop will allow your engine to reach its operating range (in rpm) with normal load and at wide open throttle (WOT). Typical operating range is 5000 to 5500rpm.<br /><br />Use only alcohol free unleaded regular (87 octane) gas. For 2 stroke engines, use only TCW3 rated oils. For premixing, use 50:1 ratio (one pint per 6 gallon tank).<br /><br />Carry a spare prop, set of spark plugs, fuel filter and water pump impeller in the boat.<br /><br />Replace the water pump impeller at the beginning of each season. They look fine just before they fail.<br /><br />Follow your Owner's Manual instructions to the letter when putting your boat up at the end of your boating season.<br /><br />These, and the suggestions that follow will make your life as a boater more pleasant.<br /><br />Red sky at night, sailor's delight.<br />Red sky at morning, sailor, take warning!<br /><br />JB
