GENERAL SAFETY:
-always wear PFDs
–going solo? To maintain steering control you must add significant weight to the front of the boat
–firmly mount motor – recheck periodically
-familiarize yourself with all motor controls before launching
-if the motor becomes submerged do not attempt to start or even pull the starter rope. (It’s time to paddle)
-never pull starter rope when engine is running
GENERAL OPERATION:
-Do NOT start the motor out of the water.
-be in neutral and in deep water before lowering the motor to start. (Keep paddles handy)
-warm up motor at idle then shift into gear, while still idling, and proceed slowly and with caution
-maximum cruise speed is 2/3 to 3/4 of WOT (Wide Open Throttle)
–close air and fuel long before reaching shore, then travel slowly toward shore to cool down the engine. Turn the engine off and raise the engine before Paddling into shore for the last 50 feet or so.
Dealing with weeds
-Engine will overheat and possibly be destroyed if weeds collect on the motor. To correct: stop motor, close off air and fuel – raise motor to clear the weeds. Paddle to open water, lower motor , open fuel and air, restart and try again.
Fuel concerns
-Keep fuel clean and do NOT spill fuel or overfill the tank.
-it’s best to fuel up the tank while standing firmly on the ground
Avoiding impacts with the motor propeller
-don’t travel too close to shore, this helps avoid rocks or running propellers through mud or sand..
-viewing the angle of the shore line and the presence of weeds are the best ways to predict water depth. Also Look for marked rocks.
-slow way down in suspected shallow areas. Turn off engine, fuel, air and raise motor to safely paddle thru shallows. Step out and carefully walk the boat if needed.
Parking boat:
-When launching or landing on shore protect boat and motor from resting on rocky shore lines and submerged rocks
–remove boat from water and tie to a solid object when not in use.
–do not allow the boat or motor to rock or bang against a rocky shore.
-keep anchor lead 4x the water depth and tied to the boat’s bow.
Transporting and handling motor
-Know proper side for resting motor or crankcase oil will flood into cylinder and do severe damage.
-keep the propeller lower than the motor’s power head at all times. Very important.
ALWAYS IDLE ENGINE WHEN:
–warming up engine (3 minutes)
-When turning the motor 180 degrees to backup (reverse) Idle during reverse. Do not reverse in areas where there are rocks as the motor is “locked down” and can not flip up when hitting a submerged object. Sometimes it is safer to paddle in reverse.
-To cool the motor down before shutting off (1-2 minutes.)
-Before making any sharp turns
–Before shifting into or out of gear note: (Do not “linger” while moving shifter lever into or out of gear. Do NOT grind gears by slow shifts. )
– ONLY Shift at IDLE SPEED!!
Raising motor procedures
-Stop all motors
-Turn fuel and air to off positions.
-4 and 6 hp motors must be shifted into forward gear to allow the motor to raise.
-Raise the motor and lock in up position. Recheck that fuel is off.
Lowering motor procedures
– unlock device holding motor up
– 4 and 6 hp motors wont lower unless in forward gear
– Support the motor and lower it slowly.
– 4 and 6 hp motors have a second lock point half way down (shallow water drive position) If the motor catches in the half down position just raise the motor a bit and disengage and hold open the lever while lowering fully.
Starting Procedures
- S. Shifter – neutral position (toward the rear on 2.5 hp)
- F. Fuel valve – turn to open position (move forward on 2.5 hp) or pump fuel bulb on remote tanks.
- A. Air flow valve – open position
- C. Choke – if required pull out. Note: over choking will cause the engine to flood and make starting impossible for an extended period of time. 30 min. Possibly.
- T. Throttle – turn to “start” position
- S. Strap – red strap attached to wrist. Other U shaped end inserted under “kill switch”
- S. Slack – slowly remove all slack from starter rope before applying a firm pull. Support the motor with your other hand while pulling.
- S. Stream – check for cooling water streaming from the rear of the motor. If not seen, stop the motor at once to avoid destruction. Check periodically for a stream during use.
- “F. A. C. T.S.” S. S.