I just retired 1 year ago on Marrowstone Island, WA. I've been looking for 3 years on Craigslist at boats every day practically, with no clue what kind of boat I was going to buy or how much to spend. Then it happened last month. I bought a well taken care of 2nd owner 1987 Mirage Intimidator 270 with twin 350 Mercs. I just passed my Boating Saftey Course last week, and this last Sat had my first maiden voyage in her, "Adventress". I had 2 novice boaters take me out to show me a thing or two. Please, any advice and direction on navigating this site or about my new toy would be appreciated. I'm new to this whole boating world. Thanks, Eric.

Put the plugs in and never approach a fixed object at a speed that is faster than you want to hit it (if the engine stalls)

And Welcome to OSO

Welcome to OSO. Being that you have a twin, I would suggest spending a lot of time practicing low speed maneuvering with just the shifters and maybe just a pinch of throttle. This practice will come in handy when loading onto the trailer or trying to dock in a cross-wind. It's very important to keep the wheel pointed straight ahead when maneuvering with just the shifters.

You should also practice low-speed maneuvering with just 1 eng in case something goes wrong. Spoiler alert, accurately backing a twin with only one eng working is a challenge, especially in the wind.

All maint and safety equip issues should all be resolved before heading out, especially in open water. The ocean can be a heart-less b!tch.

Learn all about flushing salt from engs and trailer brakes after use. Any specific maint questions can be answered by posting in the "General Q&A" or "Do it yourself, Boating on a budget" forums in the technical section. Congrats on the new boat.

Congrats and welcome to OSO! Good choice on boats! I had the same first boat and loved it!

Forums are just not what they used to be now that there's so many forms of social media. And unfortunately that's an even worse platform to discuss boats! But with enough sorting you will learn a ton and meet some great people. Try not to let the negative discourage your passion.

Go out there and boat as much as you can cause there's nothing better!

PM me with any questions I would be glad to help.

Enjoy!

Yes. Thanks for the shout out.

To the OP, welcome to OSO! When I teach somebody new to boating (or boating with twin engines) the basics, I always tell them to remember one phrase: "The boat goes where your shoulders go." By way of further explanation, standing (or sitting) behind the helm and shifters, reach out and grasp the port (left) shift lever with your left hand and the starboard (right) shift lever with your right hand. Now, if you want the boat to pivot to the right, with your arms stiff, turn your upper body to the right. This will cause you to move the port shift lever forward and the starboard shift lever back. This puts the port drive in forward and the starboard drive in reverse. The boat will now pivot on the drives to starboard. Hope that helps!

I do plan to step up in the future. Fair price tag on this boat has me in the water. Peace