Owner`s manual
5.6
GENERAL RULES OF SEAMANSHIP
1. Cross waves at right angles.
2. When caught in heavy water or squalls, head either
directly into the waves or at a slight angle. Reduce
speed, but maintain enough power to maneuver your
boat safely.
3. Keep your speed under control. Respect the rights of
boaters engaged in fishing, swimming, water skiing or
diving. Give them “wide berth.” Never follow behind a
water skier.
4. When meeting a boat head-on, keep to the right
whenever possible.
5. When two boats cross, the boat to starboard has the right
of way.
6. When overtaking or passing, the boat being passed has the
right of way. The boat being passed is required to maintain
the same course and speed.
STOPPING
You cannot stop a boat as quickly as a land vehicle because a
boat has no brakes. Stop the boat by allowing it to slow down
to less than 5 miles per hour (8 km/h). Then, put the engine
in reverse. By slowly increasing reverse power, you can stop
the boat in a short distance. Remember that the boat does
not respond to steering in reverse as well as it does when
going forward.
ANCHORING
Anchor your boat if you stop for recreation or an emergency.
The size and weight of your boat govern the weight of the
anchor and the diameter of the anchor line. A burying anchor
grips into the bottom and holds your boat secure. Holding
power should be more important than weight. Your dealer
can help you select the proper anchoring equipment.
The length of the anchor line should be six to eight times the
depth of the water to assure that the anchor bites into the
bottom. The bottom end of the anchor line should be galva-
nized chain. The rest of the line should be nylon anchor line.
Keep anchor secure while underway to prevent damage or
injury if the boat’s attitude changes suddenly. If your boat
has a power winch, do not use it as the primary source for
securing the anchor or anchor line. See the power winch
instruction manual for details about proper operation and
maintenance.
These are some general guidelines for anchoring your boat:
• Secure the anchor line to the deck cleat. Do not tie line
to hardware or a railing not designed to support this stress.
• If you are anchoring for more than a few hours, use more
than one anchor. If you use only one anchor, make sure
your boat has enough space to swing full circle in case
of shifting winds.
• Keep the anchor and line in an area where it will be
readily available in an emergency.
Dropping Anchor
1. Have a crew member carefully lower the anchor, keeping
a slight tension on the line as the anchor drops. Maintain
tension after the anchor reaches the bottom. Simply
throwing the anchor overboard usually fouls the line and
requires starting over.
2. Maneuver the boat slowly aft until the proper length of
line is run out.
3. Fasten the anchor line around the deck cleat. Anchor
flukes should dig into the bottom and hold boat in position.
4. Check shoreline landmarks when you drop anchor. Check
the position of the landmarks again 30 minutes later. If
your boat’s position has changed, the anchor is dragging
and must be reset.
Weighing Anchor
Weighing, or pulling in the anchor, requires moving the boat
towards the anchor and pulling in the anchor line as the boat
moves. When the line is vertical, pull up firmly on the anchor
line to free the flukes from the bottom. If the anchor remains
stuck, feed out a few feet of line and attach it to the bow
cleat. Maneuver the boat around the anchor, keeping the
line taut until you find an angle that will pull the anchor free.
Remove all aquatic plants and dirt from anchor before putting
it in the boat.
DOCKING
Always approach the dock slowly. If possible, come in against
the wind or current, whichever is stronger. Come in at a 30-
45° angle. As the boat nears the dock, slowly swing parallel to
it. If wind or current is moving toward the dock, move paral-
lel to the dock further out. Let the wind or current push you
in. Use extreme caution if wind or current is from your stern.
Approach slowly at a slight angle with engine in slow reverse.
Gently swing parallel. Tie stern first, then the bow.
If the weather looks bad, use spring-lines from the bow and
stern to dock amidships of the boat. Tie up on the downwind
side of the dock. If the wind is changeable, place fenders over
the side between the boat and the dock. Do not tie your boat
using the ski eye or ski pylon.
MOORING
After you have positioned your boat next to the dock, you
must secure it with mooring lines to keep it in position. Moor-
ing lines must be long enough to secure your boat wherever
it may be docked. For example, the length of the lines for a
20-foot (6.1 m) pontoon should be at least 19 feet (5.8 m).
An eye splice at the end of each line works well with bow or
stern cleats.
The mooring lines used most often are the bow line, the stern
line, and spring lines (Figure 5-5). Each line has a specic pur-
pose. The bow line and the stern line secure your boat’s bow
and stern. The two spring lines keep your boat from moving
forward or backward when you are moored alongside a dock.