Owner`s manual

Fuel Gauge
(All Models)
Fuelgaugereadingsareonlyapproximate.Thisgaugeisacti-
vatedwiththeignitionswitch.Therockingmotionoftheboat
duringnormaloperationwillcausethefuelgaugetouctuate.
Foramoreaccuratereading,makesurethattheboatislevel
andthereislittleornomotionpresent.
 MasterCraft recommends that operators do not run the
boatbelowaquarterofatank,exceptasnecessarytoreturnto
shore,andnotuntiltheboathasbeenoperatedenoughtimes
todevelopanunderstandingofhowthefuelgaugereadings
relatetothevisualinspectionoffuelleftinthetank.Extend-
ingfuelusagebeyondtheknowncapability oftheboatmay
causetheboattorunoutoffuelandmayleaveyoustranded
o-shore.
 Althoughitmaybepossibletoseefuelinthebottomof
thefueltank, you stillmay not be able to operate the boat.
Thefuelpick-upsystemwasdesignedtoavoidintroducingthe
smallamountofwater anddebris thatunavoidably accumu-
latein thebottomof the tank.Ratherthan relying onvisual
inspection,youshouldpayattentiontothefuelgauge.
 Further,itisnotrecommendedtoallowthefueltofall
belowone-quarterofatankfullatanytimeasitmayresult
indamagetothefuelingsystem.(SeetheFuelingsectionof
thisOwner’sManual.)
Allowing the fuel level in the fuel tank to fall below
one-quarter of a tank full may affect the reliability of
the fuel pump or result in damage to the fuel pump,
which is not covered under warranty.
Low Voltage Battery Alarm
(All Models)
 Intheeventthatthestereohasbeenfunctioningwhenthe
boatisnotONandrunning,thevoltagedrainonthebattery
(orbatteries)mayresultindicultieswithre-startingtheboat.
Itmayalsocauseintermittenterroneousoructuatinggauge
readings.Whenthevoltagelevelreaches10.5voltsorbelow,
thesystemwillshutothestereoandsoundthealarm.Gen-
erally,theappropriateactionistoleavethestereoOFF,aswell
as disengaging any other peripheral electrical components,
andkeyingONtheengine.Runningtheengineatamoderate
rateforseveralminuteswithouttheadditionaldrainofstereo
and unnecessary electrical equipment will allow the alterna-
tortorechargethebatteryorbatteries,unlessthebattery(ies)
havebeenusedtotheextentoftheirlifespan.
Carbon monoxide is emitted from the engine’s exhaust
system. Never run the engine without proper ventila-
tion. Do not run the engine in a confined space or where
fumes may be trapped. Do not run the engine when the
boat is stationary in calm wind conditions.
Other Alarms
(All Models)
 Sensorschecktheoilpressure,engineandtrans-
missiontemperatures.Ifthesystemdetectsreadings
outside the acceptable range, the system shuts o
thestereo and soundsthealarm for aperiodof one
(1)minute.Thissignalstheneedtoreturntoshoreas
soonaspossibleandseekassistancefromyourautho-
rizedMasterCraftdealer’sservicedepartmenttodiag-
noseand,ifnecessary,repairtheproblem.
Hydraulic Steering System
 Somemodelsoerahydraulicsteeringsystemasanoption.Atanytime,if
thesteeringissluggish,dicult,orshowsanysignsofnotworkingsmoothly
andproperly,theboatshouldimmediatelybetakentoanauthorizedMaster-
Craftdealerforattention.Thehydraulicsteeringsystemisnotaccessibletothe
consumerforrepairormaintenance,allofwhichshouldbedonebyanautho-
rizedMasterCraftdealer.
Shift/Throttle Control
(All Models)
 Withtheexception ofthe MariStar 280andX-80,aone-hand,single-lever
control operates as both a gear shifter and a throttle.The lever automatically
locksintheneutralposition(straightupanddown)forsafety.Thelevercanbe
movedfromneutralonlybyraisingthelifterundertheballknob.Shiftingisac-
complishedbymovingtheleverforwardorbackward.Center(straightup)isneu-
tral.Movingtheleverforward engages the running gear; moving it back from
centerputsthedrivetrainintoreverse.
Never attempt to shift without the engine running!
 Duringregularwarm-upoftheengine,itispossibletotemporarilyincreasethe
engineRPMswithoutmovingtheboat.Toaccomplishthis,pushinthebuttonlo-
catedatthebottomoftheshift/throttleleverwithonehandandpullupthe“um-
brella”(aluminumsurroundbelowthetopoftheknob).Movethelevertodesired
positionandthensimultaneouslyreleasethebuttonandumbrella.Theenginewill
runwithincreasedRPMsandcanbeincreasedordecreasedbymovingthelever.
Returningthehandleto the neutral position (asshowninillustration above)will
bringthesystembacktoneutralandreducetheengineRPMstopre-setlevels.
 Thisfunctionshouldbedonesparingly.Over-revvingtheengineforanyex-
tendedperiodcancauseunduewearandtearontheengine.Avoidadvancingto
wide-open-throttleandholdingtheRPMsatthatlevel.
IntheMariStar280andX-80theboatisequippedwithafour-levercontrol.
Theportsideleverclosesttothedriveristheportengineshifter,whichallows
theboattomoveforwardwhenshiftedforward,andbackwardwhenshiftedaft.
Thenextleveristhestarboardengineshifterandperformsthesamefunction.If
bothenginesarerunningandtheboatismoving,theshiftersshouldbeshifted
280, X-80 Other models
MasterCraft 2012 Owners Manual • Guide to Individual Models • Page 2-35