Name:   Buteye - Subject:   Warning about Cathouse Date:   5/31/2014 2:24:44 AM

I must confess to what started out as a very nerve racking situation on Saturday morning Memorial Day weekend. After cleaning my pontoon boat of mold and mildew, I put in a fully charged battery and tried to start it for the first time since it was winterized last fall. After several attempts with no signs of the engine firing, I became frantic. The fact that I had family and friends who were planning on a boat ride a little later in the day only made the situation worse. I tried removing the filter from carbuerator and spraying in some carbuerator cleaner to no avail. I made a quick trip to Blue Creek Marina to see if it would be possible to get one of their guys to come check it out. When I explained my situation to the guy in the service department, he started asking some questions. Was I sure I had a strong battery, did the fuel gauge show I had gas, etc. When he asked about the "kill switch"", I said "OH SH-T".  Since I am 74 years old I guess I can blame it on old age. What started out to be a hectic morning was quickly resolved and all enjoyed a great day on the lake. What was a little ironic was that my daughter-inlaw came down when my son and I was trying to get the engine started. She had pulled up on her i-Phone a list of things to check when the boat engine won't start. Not once was anything mentioned about checking the "kill switch".