proud new owner...couple of ques. though

[cmd]

well i picked her up tonight, and does she look good sitting in the garage!anyways its a 98 sport with 370 hrs.i'll get to the point.this is my first boat,i have always had friends with nautiques,so i have spent a fair amount of time behind the wheel and the boat.i am going to lake chatug for the whole weekend(friends rented a house).are there any words of wisdom and advice i should know about.also the depth gauge doesn't work,ofcourse my friends 1988 "2001" doesn't even have one.let me know...proud new owner-cody

[MiracleDriver]

RE: proud new owner...couple of ques. though

dont learn the hard way!!!

did anyone look at it before you bought it? have you run it before taking it out for the weekend?

as far as a depth gauge, I've never had one on any boat, but it depends on how much water you're running in...

you will need a few feet... to be safe

dont be a jerk, respect other boaters and pedestrians. dont run wake less than 100 feet of shore and still, go to the middle of the lake...

if it runs right just use common sense and have a good time!

[cmd]

we took it out the lake before i bought,everything checked out fine,except the radio doesn't work.plus i bought it from a reputable local nautique dealer.thanks thats good to know about the depth gg. that it doesn't work.i figure a little common sense goes a long way

[Rick]

Go Slow. Respect others. Practice coming into the dock. After 2 or three times you will get the feel of which way the boat pulls. You only need 2' of water under the keel so if you don't know the lake stay to the deep parts. If possible have a local point out shallow areas or obstructions. It sounds like your confortable driving a boat. The big difference is now it's yours. Have a great time.

[AuMDLST]

great purchase - just remember to take it easy for a while till you learn the lake - your nautique should back to the left easily - more difficult to back to the right - keep an eye out for the yahoos on the jet skis

[Puckhead]

This is a good start...

http://wakeworld.com/articles/2003/thatboat.asp

And no power turns.