Boat operation guide – Bass Tracker

Boat Operation Guide -- Bass Trackers (trouble shooting below)

• Outfit proper size life jackets for ALL people and at least 1 throw-able (seat cushion), see woodshed on west side of the lodge for all life jacket needs. (All children 10 yrs and younger must wear a flotation vest according to Minnesota)
• Make sure your motorized boat has at least 1 oar, 1 anchor tied to bow of boat, 4 mooring lines –(2 starboard {rt} and 2 port {left} both fore & aft)
• Check fuel , (note: this boat is equipped with a 3.3 gal tank & should be filled to 3 gal mark with oil/gas mixture to prevent spillage due to waves)
• Become familiar with the 2 switches directly behind captains seat. The left button has 3 positions (up/all lights on – middle/off – down/anchor light only). The right button controls the aerator pump for live well – off – and bilge pump.
• Fuel cap should be vented or cracked, and both ends of fuel lines should be secured to tank & motor. Squeeze the primer bulb on the fuel line to make sure it is firm & full of fuel.
• Before starting, double check motor is not buried in lake weeds or mud. (Lower left black tab lever on engine allows motor to be tilted and/or locked in place. Up is locked, down allows for motor to be lowered. Practice raising and lowering engine now to get used to it. Engine should be raised at least 1 click before entering shallow water. Warning : Locked position should be chosen before engaging motor to full throttle or motor may porpoise.
• To Start: Make sure black T-handle shift lever is in neutral position,(pulled back is reverse, middle position is neutral, and pushed away from you is forward) .If attempting 1ststart of the day, Pull Choke knob on engine, squeeze primer bulb on fuel line until hard. Locate idle throttle lever just above ignition switch. Raise the lever ½ way and turn ignition switch If engine is firing on its own, push the choke in to prevent flooding the engine and let engine warm up for 1 minute at medium idle speed. Note: If air temperature is above 80 deg. F , choking the engine will not be necessary, and may actually flood engine. – see troubleshooting guide.
• With engine running, make sure water is “peeing” from starboard rear of engine. If not, turn of engine immediately, and find a CWC employee to help you.
• Before engaging transmission, make sure the 2 mooring lines are disengaged and engine path is free of weeds. If not; you may have to push or row the boat away from the dock until a clear path is available before engaging motor idle. Throttle lever must be at the lowest position before attempting reverse or forward gears!
• Slowly back boat away from dock and turn to engage forward motion as soon as possible. (Propellers are not designed to go quickly in reverse and easily tangle in weeds.)
• When motor is clear of weeds, lower motor to lowest position, lift tilt lock ,and engage throttle to desired level of thrust.
• When returning to dock, make sure motor will not be dragging through the mud and weeds, slowly edge up to one side of dock or other and tie (moor) 2 lines from boat to dock. Note: Please do NOT moor your boat to the top of either T – dock to let people fish and to prevent damage to the boat from unexpected arising winds or storms. If stormy weather is predicted, make sure to have boat facing toward lake, (motor toward shore) to prevent waves from swamping and sinking the boat.

Troubleshooting Motor Guide

Engine won’t start –

1. Check both fuel connections, fuel primer should be hard
2. Make sure red lanyard cord is attached to the red button (kill switch) below the ignition switch.
3. If you smell gas or see it in the water behind the motor, the engine is flooded. Push in choke, turn throttle to lowest idle, & continue starting until excess fuel has been evacuated from carbeurator. (Extreme cases may have to let motor set for 10 minutes before reattempting to start)

Engine sputters –

1. Make sure choke is pushed in
2. Make sure fuel lines are connected

Engine runs at full throttle but boat doesn’t move-

1. Is anchor still in water?
2. Stop engine, lift, and check for weeds.

When all else fails, contact resort at 218-652-3111, or Ryan's text/cell is 218-252-7769