for some of you this weekend may be the weekend you take your boat out of storage and put her in the water to enjoy the long weekend and sunny / warm weather
let me share something with you
Prior
Proper
Planning
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance
also know as the 7-Ps or from the house of the 7-Ps etc miss the first 3 - get the last 3
don't rush your activities and getting your boat, have a plan and make a list
the easy ones - in no particular order
DRAIN PLUG(S) , not only in the hull but the ones on the engine and manifold too
Engine Oil - should be clean from winterization
Trans Fluid - should be pink
Fresh Fuel - EFI guys take note, your EFI engine does not like old crappy fuel (neither do the carb engines) if you stabilized your fuel in the fall
and have very little in the tank this season top up with a fresh fuel of any kind, mid grade won't hurt either but it may not be as fresh @ the pump as regular
the more old fuel you have the higher grade I'd like to use to mix with it, if you had a full tank from last season burn it out pulling tubers and wakeboarders
and put off the foot'n until the next fresh fill up
Battery charged - make sure you fire in the hole b4 you drag it to the ramp. also note batteries only live a few good years in boats, they take a physical beating 3 months of the year
then don't do anything for the other 3 seasons
do all of the gauges work?
clean, scrub, buff, polish, fix , straighten up, lube , wipe, check etc etc
cover - WOW I've seen some real winners so far this season 20yr old cotton canvas left outside...........come on, time to buy a new one when you need to put another tarp over it.
trailer - easy to see if the lights work, but did you also check tire air pressure, lube the hubs, tighten the lug nuts? Boat tie downs yes the ones in the back, use them.
coupler lube it.
tune up plugs, wires, cap, rotor, electronic ignition ( I will NOT install points) I actually prefer to do this after the first tank of fuel is burned through
that fuel burn time also allows the fogging oil to burn off on the old plugs, and for me to make any additions to my "things to order" list
Safety gear, registration, insurance card, operators permit, etc
most ski boats usually have a rope in them for a just in case moment and some thing to paddle with too, I prefer to pull in MC, M, CC, SS, SC etc instead being pulled in
Drivers always be able to see your skier, pick them up from the drivers side not the passenger side (unless using a boom)
Stay Safe! and Have Fun!
Dan T
I'll be gone this weekend too, and usually out of cell range, no internet, no e-mail, I'll be back on Tuesday.
