Important Safety Messages - Evinrude E-TEC 90 H.O. Original Instructions Manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGES

This Operator's Guide contains essential in-
formation to help prevent personal injury and
damage to equipment. Safety messages ap-
pear throughout this Guide in the applicable
section.
Be careful! Human error is caused by many
factors: carelessness, fatigue, overload, pre-
occupation, unfamiliarity of operator with the
product, drugs and alcohol to name a few.
Damage to your boat and outboard can be
fixed in a short period of time, but injury or
death, has a lasting effect.
A WARNING
For your safety and the safety of others,
follow all safety warnings and recom-
mendations. Do not disregard any of the
safety precautions and instructions.
Anyone operating your boat should first
read and understand this guide before
they operate your boat and outboard.
SAFETY MEASURES — General
– To fully appreciate the pleasures, enjoy-
ment and excitement of boating there are
some basic rules that should be ob-
served and followed by any boater.
Some rules may be new to you and oth-
ers may be common sense or obvious...
irrespective, take them seriously!
–
Be sure at least one of your passengers
knows how to handle your boat in case of
an emergency.
–
All passengers should know the location
of emergency equipment and how to use
it.
– Know the marine traffic laws and obey
them.
–
All safety equipment and personal floata-
tion devices must be in good condition
and suitable for your type of boat. Always
comply with the regulations that apply to
your boat.
–
Remember, gasoline fumes are flamma-
ble and explosive. Always adhere to the
fueling procedure contained in this Oper-
ator's Guide and those given to you by
the fueling station. Always verify fuel lev-
el before use and during the ride. Apply
the principle of 1/3 fuel to destination, 1/
3 back and 1/3 reserve fuel supply. Do
not carry spare fuel or flammable liquids
in any storage or engine compartments.
– Whenever running the engine, assure
there is proper ventilation to avoid the ac-
cumulation of carbon monoxide (CO),
which is odorless, colorless, and taste-
less, and can lead to unconsciousness,
brain damage, or death if inhaled in suffi-
cient concentrations. CO accumulation
can occur while docked, anchored, or un-
derway, and in many confined areas
such as the boat cabin, cockpit, swim
platform, and heads. It can be worsened
or caused by weather, mooring and oper-
ating conditions, and other boats. Avoid
exhaust fumes from your engine or other
boats, provide proper ventilation, shut off
your engine when not needed, and be
aware of the risk of backdrafting and con-
ditions that create CO accumulation. In
high concentrations, CO can be fatal
within minutes. Lower concentrations are
just as lethal over long periods of time.
–
Avoid standing up or shifting weight sud-
denly in light weight boats.
–
Keep your passengers seated in seats.
The boat's bow, gunwale, transom and
seat backs are not intended for use as
seats.
–
Insist on the use of personal floatation
devices, approved by the U.S. Coast
Guard, by all passengers when boating
conditions are hazardous, and by chil-
dren and nonswimmers at all times.
–
Proceed with caution and at very low
speed in shallow water. Grounding or
abrupt stops may result in personal injury
or property damage. Also be alert for de-
bris and objects in the water.
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