Tech Talk - Accessing Your Second Station
In this episode of Tech Talk, Sportsman Technical Sales Rep, Chase is going over how to access the second station of your boat safely and effectively. Additionally, Chase will cover how to transfer all controls from the main helm to your second station helm with the click of a button.
As anglers were always trying to spot fish, boats of all sorts have different ways of getting you higher in the air to see fish. Sportfishing boats have tuna towers, skiffs have poling platforms that give a vertical advantage and center consoles have second stations. They're all serving a similar purpose but all different based on the style of boat. That vertical advantage is something that anglers want and need and that's why we offer it through a second station on almost every model we build here at Sportsman.
A lot of center console builders offer their version of a second station, some are similar and some are vastly different. It's for that reason we've created a quick how-to on accessing your second station. It's a pretty simple process and there are several safety measures designed in so that you and your crew are as safe as possible on the water.
Safety Features
1) The first safety feature is the design of the console. There are several steps for ideal foot placement. This give you a sturdy place to step when climbing up through the console to the second station.
2) The second safety feature is designed into the hardtop frame. Along the frame you'll notice grab handles, these are for you to hold on when stepping up. This makes it easier for you to climb and insures there's always a place to hold on. Additionally these handles are great for resting your hand and they give you a good attachment point for you to hold onto while the boat is underway.
3) The last key safety feature is in the binnacle itself; The use of neutral hold. This safety feature is designed to allow your engine to be on but in neutral, same as in your car, if you're in neutral and stomp on the gas it's just going to rev your engines, not send you forward or back. But it's not park, so if you're in neutral and not holding the brake there's the possibility you might roll, same thing with a boat, you're not in park because we as boat builders cannot stop the force of wind and water. We can and will happily supply you with the technology to spot lock, that's a nice piece of option equipment available with Yamaha or Mercury engine packages. So why's this neutral hold important while accessing the second station? It's a very possible situation that climbing in you may accidentally bump your binnacle causing your engine to rev while climbing, having neutral hold engaged anytime you're accessing the second station avoids any danger with the throttle.
These are some important notes about the second station and the safety features we've designed in. To see a full detailed guide to accessing your second station check out the video "Tech Talk - Accessing Your Second Station."