strokeoluck
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2009
- Messages
- 353
1) I'm a first-time boater with an '05 Bayliner 185 4.3L I/O. I finally watched the Bayliner-provided DVD. In that video they showed the proper launch and engine starting procedure. They showed the boat operator positioning the throttle (?) about 1/4 of the way forward, and then starting the boat. This could be a crazy question, but if the throttle is "engaged" and 1/4 of the way forward when the engine starts, doesn't that propel the boat forward? If so, and you're in tight quarters near your trailer, the dock and perhaps other boats...isn't that a bad thing? I'm sure there's something I'm missing here.
2) Do we really need a VHF radio? We're mostly going to be boating in all-sports inland lakes in the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis. We "might" go out on Minnetonka, which I know is a big lake because I've been on it in other people's boats. It seems as though we're either going to be on smaller lakes where it's relatively easy to flag down help (or there just won't be anyone else on the water in rare cases on very small lakes), or we might be on Minnetonka where it seems like a busy interstate of traffic, making it easy to flag folks down. Additionally I was told (at the Power Squadron course I took) that the VHF is nice to have to get an instant weather update. But won't my internet-enabled cell phone - along with my eyes - provide me with those updates?
3) If we MUST have a VHF on board, do you recommend the handheld or the hardwired? I sort of like the idea of the handheld because I can just buy it and place it in the boat. But I wonder how easy it would be to forget to charge it - or that it might get misplaced. The previous owner of our boat had three batteries in the engine compartment (engine, GPS and trolling motor; there's also a trickle-charger built in back there). Now that the trolling motor is gone (he kept it) I'm assuming I could wire the VHF to that battery? I know how to do some basic stuff so can a guy like me wire up a VHF unit easily?
Thanks!
2) Do we really need a VHF radio? We're mostly going to be boating in all-sports inland lakes in the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis. We "might" go out on Minnetonka, which I know is a big lake because I've been on it in other people's boats. It seems as though we're either going to be on smaller lakes where it's relatively easy to flag down help (or there just won't be anyone else on the water in rare cases on very small lakes), or we might be on Minnetonka where it seems like a busy interstate of traffic, making it easy to flag folks down. Additionally I was told (at the Power Squadron course I took) that the VHF is nice to have to get an instant weather update. But won't my internet-enabled cell phone - along with my eyes - provide me with those updates?
3) If we MUST have a VHF on board, do you recommend the handheld or the hardwired? I sort of like the idea of the handheld because I can just buy it and place it in the boat. But I wonder how easy it would be to forget to charge it - or that it might get misplaced. The previous owner of our boat had three batteries in the engine compartment (engine, GPS and trolling motor; there's also a trickle-charger built in back there). Now that the trolling motor is gone (he kept it) I'm assuming I could wire the VHF to that battery? I know how to do some basic stuff so can a guy like me wire up a VHF unit easily?
Thanks!
