Operator's manuals are your boat's bible

[Arminius]

Following the Operator's Manual that came with your boat is mandatory. Its contents are not mere suggestions. Now I'm old enough to tell war stories (I'm a lawyer and this is what our lives consisted of) and this is one of them. Prior to learning to fly, I was inclined to disregard the paperwork that came with a product figuring I knew it already or could work it out. Then I learned to fly and finally realized all the life and death rules are found in the manual for the plane you are flying. If you crash, the NTSB will investigate and likely find you failed to follow the manual before you died. The speeds at which you take off or land, the maximum cross-wind for landing, what speed is too slow to avoid falling out of the sky and dying. My point here is that, while I enjoy this column, many of the questions and concerns presented disclose that the writer has not read his boat's manual. For the record, I did not keep up flying but I learned a lot. All info pertaining to your boat is downloadable although Ebay generally has cheap used bound copies.

 

[jmcdboater]

+1 to @Arminius, so much good info in those manuals. It’s amazing how different same model boats can be in different years.

 

[kvduff]

Can you direct me to the section of the manual where it describes the application of plywood to the bow of a boat? I feel like I missed it.

Following the Operator's Manual that came with your boat is mandatory. Its contents are not mere suggestions. Now I'm old enough to tell war stories (I'm a lawyer and this is what our lives consisted of) and this is one of them. Prior to learning to fly, I was inclined to disregard the paperwork that came with a product figuring I knew it already or could work it out. Then I learned to fly and finally realized all the life and death rules are found in the manual for the plane you are flying. If you crash, the NTSB will investigate and likely find you failed to follow the manual before you died. The speeds at which you take off or land, the maximum cross-wind for landing, what speed is too slow to avoid falling out of the sky and dying. My point here is that, while I enjoy this column, many of the questions and concerns presented disclose that the writer has not read his boat's manual. For the record, I did not keep up flying but I learned a lot. All info pertaining to your boat is downloadable although Ebay generally has cheap used bound copies.

 

[Scott215]

Or the Honda generator

 

[Skybolt]

Or spot lights on the bow

 

[Yendor]

or the routing of the stereo remote control to/from the helm.

 

[JeffM]

And what to do when the boat you bought didn’t come with any manuals

 

[GypsmJim]

And what to do when the boat you bought didn’t come with any manuals

Most all boats came with engine manuals. If you buy second hand and it's missing, they are easily obtained. A "quality" boat has a boat manual. My SeaRay and Whaler had comprehensive manuals.

Auto manuals are funny. We just bought a new car and without the manual we couldn't even turn on the radio. As an Engineer that used to write manuals, and also program computer code, no cars today are intuitive.

If you buy consumer goods (electronics and such), manuals are no longer included. Cheap companies saving paper and ink. Nevertheless, go online and copy the text.

The reason they save money is that nobody reads them anyway. They just ask someone online.

No stupid question...right? Wrong. It really pi$$es me off when a poster asks a dumb question. Dumb?. Only because it is right there in front of them in print. Oh, I forgot, we don't read any more unless it's farcebook.!!

I bought a wallphone recently. It also was used desktop. It DID have a manual. It CLEARLY stated for wall use flip the white switch. It worked verrrrrry well. There were hundreds of bad reviews that it would fall off the wall and was no good. (geeze)

 

[JeffM]

GypsmJim,

There have been many posts on CSR where a used boat didn’t include the manuals, and yes, the Sea Ray manuals may be available online, but my boat came with a briefcase full of manuals for everything from the motor and outdrive to the forward hatch to the windlass. Separate manuals for every component outsourced by SR.

My post was intended as a facetious poke at the almost religious reliance on manuals the OP put forth.

 

[Arminius]

And what to do when the boat you bought didn’t come with any manuals

With a little research, they are downloadable or you can buy used ones on Ebay.

 

[Arminius]

Can you direct me to the section of the manual where it describes the application of plywood to the bow of a boat? I feel like I missed it.

We are no longer up to adventures in open water which may include large waves, like Sucia in the San Juans. For me, choosing the lesser evil like plywood helps to avoid a large expenditure I may not use, like a new boat. Coming back from the Hydroes yesterday, I turned around and saw there was a quiet Turboprop Otter about to chop me up. I moor alongside the Air Harbor and he was making a cross-wind landing, crabbing and actually moving in a different direction. Still, it was startling enough that I cranked the helm hard and watched the side of the open bow dip alarmingly towards the water. Were there waves, I could have been swamped. Then I would have had to call boat tow!

 

[jmcdboater]

Can you direct me to the section of the manual where it describes the application of plywood to the bow of a boat? I feel like I missed it.

Well, everybody knows you just put a triple line of construction adhesive along the edges, then use stainless steel screws every 3/4 to 1 inch. Let cure, and Voila’!!

 

[Arminius]

Well, everybody knows you just put a triple line of construction edges, then use stainless steel screws every 3/4 to 1 inch. Let cure, and Voila’!!

No new holes were made. Screws fasten into the same threaded holes made by the factory to hold the canvas snaps. Aluminum brackets below the windshield were tricky. The goal was no new holes in the boat and this was accomplished. There are a couple underlying struts to prevent the plywood from flexing under the load of a wave.
To establish residency in the State, I got a Boeing job and they sent me to the Space Center in Kent for accelerated machinist's training. I got a Union Card and was a tool and die man in Plant 2 where I mainly ran a mill, but also the 40' planer, lathes, the screw machine and even the new Gorton Auto-Tracer. Engineering sends me a drawing and a chunk of metal and I send back a tool to build the unflown 747, usually cut to .003" but sometimes tenths. It looked like the SST was going to fall through and I had my residency time in to enroll in the UW before the sign requesting the last person out of Seattle to turn off the lights. Then I quit. I don't know what other old lawyers do but I have a fallback I like. Also perspective.

 

[Arminius]

Jmcdboater might have a new rig:

 

[jmcdboater]

Jmcdboater might have a new rig:

Cool!, Even comes with Girls??

 

[GypsmJim]

No new holes were made. Screws fasten into the same threaded holes made by the factory to hold the canvas snaps. Aluminum brackets below the windshield were tricky. The goal was no new holes in the boat and this was accomplished. There are a couple underlying struts to prevent the plywood from flexing under the load of a wave.
To establish residency in the State, I got a Boeing job and they sent me to the Space Center in Kent for accelerated machinist's training. I got a Union Card and was a tool and die man in Plant 2 where I mainly ran a mill, but also the 40' planer, lathes, the screw machine and even the new Gorton Auto-Tracer. Engineering sends me a drawing and a chunk of metal and I send back a tool to build the unflown 747, usually cut to .003" but sometimes tenths. It looked like the SST was going to fall through and I had my residency time in to enroll in the UW before the sign requesting the last person out of Seattle to turn off the lights. Then I quit. I don't know what other old lawyers do but I have a fallback I like. Also perspective.

I had a bowrider that came with a snap-in bow cover. When I went out in the mighty Lake Erie with heavy waves I snapped her in. It did the same job, but didn't look like a rube goldberg job.

I am also a Professional Engineer with 45 years experience, and a number of patents to my name. Some things simply don't need to be modified, because they work as intended.

 

[bobeast]

Or under-propping. let's not forget that gem from the operator's manual

 

[Arminius]

I had a bowrider that came with a snap-in bow cover. When I went out in the mighty Lake Erie with heavy waves I snapped her in. It did the same job, but didn't look like a rube goldberg job.

I am also a Professional Engineer with 45 years experience, and a number of patents to my name. Some things simply don't need to be modified, because they work as intended.

I calculated the weight of the water I might have on the tonneau cover and quickly realized that it would not protect against a big wave or burying the bow. Also, it would unzip after the failure of the first snap with all the others to follow in rapid succession. Water is very heavy and disaster is founded on rosy assumptions. Canvas may protect against sun, dust and light spray but is unlikely to resist the heavy wave leaving the boat completely vulnerable to the next. The open bow would be a scoop. I mentioned early on that my decision was influenced by experience. I was in a line of boats crossing the San Juan Strait in fog following in the safety (from getting run down by an ocean going freighter) of the wake of a superferry. I got into the edge of it with my 18' cuddy cabin and buried the prow. The Seaswirl shrugged it off but the event made a lasting impression.

 

[Arminius]

Or under-propping. let's not forget that gem from the operator's manual

You have me there. I just have been around engines and realized they were traditionally propped to prevent valve float and valve piston conflict in extreme conditions. However the overrev protection of the relatively new engine management computer opened up an unused rpm range. These small blocks are so reliable. I left the Blue Angels early at the south end of Lake WA and firewalled the 15 miles back to the marina in the north end, trimming out till it lost traction, then tapping it back in. With a dirty hull and a 17" prop, I was running at 48 mph and 4900 rpm. The overrev horn would blow at 5150 and the engine is retarded at 5200 but neither happened. Very exhilarating, underpropped and immediate planing. Anyway, the risk is a blown engine and calling boat tow, not a sinking on the Canadian border.

 

[bobeast]

We had a guy back in bootcamp who constantly made outlandish assertions, and would proceed to defend his position. We teased him mercilessly but he was completely blind to sarcasm and would laugh right along with us. He was completely oblivious as to who was the butt of the joke. I'm sure there is a term for this, but yeah....It's like that.