Special Operating Instructions - Mercury 200 Sport-Jet Operation & Maintenance Manual

Special Operating Instructions

OPERATING ON THE WATER
Avoid serious injury or death due to the loss of boat control. A loss or
reduction in water jet thrust will directly affect boat directional control, and
may result in property damage, personal injury, or death. Use caution when
maneuvering at high speeds in areas where debris (weeds, sand, gravel,
etc.) could be picked up into the jet drive. The ability to take evasive action is
dependent on sufficient water jet thrust to control the boat.
A jet drive boat has substantially different handling characteristics compared to
a propeller driven boat. Experiment with the boat handling in open water at both
high and low speeds.
Although jet drive applications do not pose some of the risks associated with
exposed propeller driven systems, always keep the following in mind.
• The jet drive works by drawing water up through the bottom water intake
and directs it to the rear for forward thrust. The Mercury Jet Drive has a
steerable rudder that can direct the jet thrust to the right or left. If the
engine stops or the water flow is blocked, this will stop the jet thrust
causing the boat to slow to a stop. However, while slowing there will be no
ability to steer as steering is dependent on jet thrust.
• Avoid the use of neutral or reverse while towing skiers, to minimize the
chance that the ski rope will be drawn up into the jet pump intake. Turn
the engine off when waiting for skiers. Ensure that the ski rope is clear
before starting the engine.
• Avoid weed areas or traverse weed areas at high speeds. If unavoidable,
keep the boat on plane until cleared of the weedy area.
• Avoid operating the jet drive in shallow water (less than 1 m [3 ft]) or
where there is a noticeable amount of floating debris or weeds, especially
when accelerating from idle. Any loose material such as sand, shells,
stones, seaweed, grass, etc. can be drawn up by the pump and cause the
following problems:
• Overheated engine
• Steering loss
• Blockage of the pump
• Loss of forward or reverse motion
• Damage to the impeller, wear ring, or stator
• Objects expelled from the pump at high speeds
• When beaching the boat, idle in forward to reach the beach. Turn the
engine off without shifting to neutral. When leaving, push the boat into
approximately 1 m (3 ft) of water. Start the engine and shift to forward.
Avoid the use of neutral and reverse in shallow water.
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OPERATION
WARNING
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