Fuel Gauge
(All Models)
Fuelgaugereadingsareonlyapproximate.Thisgaugeisacti-
vatedwiththeignitionswitch.Therockingmotionoftheboat
duringnormaloperationwillcausethefuelgaugetouctuate.
Foramoreaccuratereading,makesurethattheboatislevel
andthereislittleornomotionpresent.
MasterCraft recommends that operators do not run the
boatbelowaquarterofatank,exceptasnecessarytoreturnto
shore,andnotuntiltheboathasbeenoperatedenoughtimes
todevelopanunderstandingofhowthefuelgaugereadings
relatetothevisualinspectionoffuelleftinthetank.Extend-
ingfuelusage beyondtheknown capabilityoftheboatmay
causetheboattorunoutoffuelandmayleaveyoustranded
o-shore.
Althoughitmaybepossibletoseefuelinthebottomof
thefueltank, you still may not be able tooperatetheboat.
Thefuelpick-upsystemwasdesignedtoavoidintroducingthe
smallamount ofwater anddebris thatunavoidablyaccumu-
latein thebottomof thetank.Rather than relyingon visual
inspection,youshouldpayattentiontothefuelgauge.
Further,itisnotrecommendedtoallowthefueltofall
belowone-quarterofatankfullatanytimeasitmayresult
indamagetothefuelingsystem.(SeetheFuelingsectionof
thisOwner’sManual.)
Allowing the fuel level in the fuel tank to fall below
one-quarter of a tank full may affect the reliability of
the fuel pump or result in damage to the fuel pump,
which is not covered under warranty.
Low Voltage Battery Alarm
(All Models)
Intheeventthatthestereohasbeenfunctioningwhenthe
boatisnotONandrunning,thevoltagedrainonthebattery
(orbatteries)mayresultindicultieswithre-startingtheboat.
Itmayalsocauseintermittenterroneousoructuatinggauge
readings.Whenthevoltagelevelreaches10.5voltsorbelow,
thesystemwillshutothestereoandsoundthealarm.Gen-
erally,theappropriateactionistoleavethestereoOFF,aswell
as disengaging any other peripheral electrical components,
andkeyingONtheengine.Runningtheengineatamoderate
rateforseveralminuteswithouttheadditionaldrainofstereo
and unnecessary electrical equipment will allow the alterna-
tortorechargethebatteryorbatteries,unlessthebattery(ies)
havebeenusedtotheextentoftheirlifespan.
Carbon monoxide is emitted from the engine’s exhaust
system. Never run the engine without proper ventila-
tion. Do not run the engine in a confined space or where
fumes may be trapped. Do not run the engine when the
boat is stationary in calm wind conditions.
Other Alarms
(All Models)
Sensorschecktheoilpressure,engineandtrans-
missiontemperatures.Ifthesystemdetectsreadings
outside the acceptable range, the system shuts o
thestereo and soundsthealarm foraperiod ofone
(1)minute.Thissignalstheneedtoreturntoshoreas
soonaspossibleandseekassistancefromyourautho-
rizedMasterCraftdealer’sservicedepartmenttodiag-
noseand,ifnecessary,repairtheproblem.
Hydraulic Steering System
Somemodelsoerahydraulicsteeringsystemasanoption.Atanytime,if
thesteeringissluggish,dicult,orshowsanysignsofnotworkingsmoothly
andproperly,theboatshouldimmediatelybetakentoanauthorizedMaster-
Craftdealerforattention.Thehydraulicsteeringsystemisnotaccessibletothe
consumerforrepairormaintenance,allofwhichshouldbedonebyanautho-
rizedMasterCraftdealer.
Shift/Throttle Control
(All Models)
Withtheexception oftheMariStar 280andX-80,a one-hand,single-lever
control operates as both a gear shifter and a throttle.The leverautomatically
locksintheneutralposition(straightupanddown)forsafety.Thelevercanbe
movedfromneutralonlybyraisingthelifterundertheballknob.Shiftingisac-
complishedbymovingtheleverforwardorbackward.Center(straightup)isneu-
tral.Movingthelever forward engages the running gear;movingitback from
centerputsthedrivetrainintoreverse.
Never attempt to shift without the engine running!
Duringregularwarm-upoftheengine,itispossibletotemporarilyincreasethe
engineRPMswithoutmovingtheboat.Toaccomplishthis,pushinthebuttonlo-
catedatthebottomoftheshift/throttleleverwithonehandandpullupthe“um-
brella”(aluminumsurroundbelowthetopoftheknob).Movethelevertodesired
positionandthensimultaneouslyreleasethebuttonandumbrella.Theenginewill
runwithincreasedRPMsandcanbeincreasedordecreasedbymovingthelever.
Returningthehandleto the neutral position(asshown in illustration above)will
bringthesystembacktoneutralandreducetheengineRPMstopre-setlevels.
Thisfunctionshouldbedonesparingly.Over-revvingtheengineforanyex-
tendedperiodcancauseunduewearandtearontheengine.Avoidadvancingto
wide-open-throttleandholdingtheRPMsatthatlevel.
IntheMariStar280andX-80theboatisequippedwithafour-levercontrol.
Theportsideleverclosesttothedriveristheportengineshifter,whichallows
theboattomoveforwardwhenshiftedforward,andbackwardwhenshiftedaft.
Thenextleveristhestarboardengineshifterandperformsthesamefunction.If
bothenginesarerunningandtheboatismoving,theshiftersshouldbeshifted
280, X-80 Other models
MasterCraft 2012 Owners Manual • Guide to Individual Models • Page 2-35