How to Start a Speed Boat

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Starting a boat engine is not like starting a car engine. There are certain steps you need to take in order to properly start a speedboat and avoid damaging your engine. Though there are more steps to starting a boat engine than there are for starting a car engine, it's just as easy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Turn on the bilge blower. The blower vents any dangerous fumes that can accumulate in a boat's engine department
Step 2

Check the stern of the boat for floating debris or obstructions. Do this to make sure your propellers don't become caught on a piece of debris or tangled up in seaweed.
Step 3

Prime the engine. Push the engine disengage button on the side of the throttle control while pushing the throttle forward. Repeat this step twice.
Step 4

Turn on the engine with the key. At this point, the boat is idling.
Step 5

Run the engine in idle until the engine is warmed up and running consistently.
Step 6

When the engine hums at a constant noise level, you can shift the throttle into forward or reverse (depending on which way you're launching your boat) and begin launching off the dock.

Tips & Warnings

Always make sure your passengers know you're about to launch the boat off the dock before you begin moving so they can either sit down or grab onto the rails so no one loses their balance and falls down. For passengers without "sea legs," make them sit down to be safe.
Never start a boat without turning on the blower. The fumes that accumulate in the engine are highly flammable, if you don't vent them, you run the risk of your boat catching on fire.

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