New Owner - General Operations Checklists

1)Engine room check:
Oil, Transmissions, Racors, condition of belts and hoses, fire extinguisher, general look around for anything worn or just not looking right. Make sure bilges are clean and there is nothing that might obstruct your bilge pump.

2) Turn on blowers, let run for 4 minutes.

3) Preheat, then start generator. Let run for a few minutes to warm up, then switch power over from shore on pannel (should be idiot-proof).

4) Turn off power at pedistal and then disconnect shore cord.

5) Start you motors and let them warm up.

6) Turn on electronics.

7) plot your course.

8) Turn on what you need (don't need water? leave waterpump off, etc.

9) Check that your throttles and steering are operating properly, also gears and bow thruster (if you have). Center your wheel.

10) Untie your lines. (Sounds stupid, but you'd be surprised.)

11) Pull out slow and go have fun.

Someone mentioned a setup last week that didn't block the generator and shorepower from delivering juice at the same time, which sounded crazy to me, but he didn't mention that the gen might be blocked from starting while shorepower is being supplied which would make sense. It's possible that you have such a system. Normally though you can start the gen while the shorepower is connected and then you either throw a rotary switch or throw down the shorepower switch, slide over the block bar and throw up the gen switch to transfer your ac power. If you have one of the later setups, which would be normal, then there may be a breaker on the gen that got tripped. If the gen is cranking, but just not turning over you probably just need to push the pre-heat for up to 10 seconds. If you're getting nothing I'd look for that breaker.
Also if you get nothing when you hit the switch its battery could be turned off.

Your description is a little confusing to me, but it sounds like you may be dealing with a situation similar to what I described before, and that's your fail-safe to keep you from drawing juice from shore and the gen at the same time. Any way you could post pics of that and your panel? It sounds like a transfer switch, transferring power draw from shore to gen.

Frank, try putting the AC power switch on the main panel in the cabin in the off position, not on shore power and not on gen power then start the generator.

I would leave the white switch on the panel in the up/on position at all times since you have a rotary switch on your interior electrical panel.

Ok. I have a 1995 355 AC. Just went through Genny issues. On my Gen the rotary switch on the Gen cover is hooked to the Gen battery. In ON position it gets start power. I am asumming you have two 30amp meters and rows of breakers on your control panel. Shorepower 1 has all 120v breakers. Shorepower 2 has Air Condition and water pump breakers. The switch from Shore Power to Genny is not a rotary manual switch, Carver used a auto relay. There is one for each shore power cord in your panel. Deltrol 900 series P/N 20241-83. 100.00 if bought through dealer. 29.00 on line. When I leave dock I will start Gen after Shore power unplugged. Hope this helps a little.

here's some info from a pdf I found online... (not all will pertain to you)

Before you set off, take a few simple tips for trouble-free boating.
• Check that your boat is in good condition and meets Boat Safety Scheme
standards (see page 40)
• Make sure you and your crew know how to handle the boat – and that
you know how to handle it on the waterway you’re using
• Get local information from the navigation authority before going onto
unfamiliar waterways. On rivers, get information on stream conditions
and any tides
• Plan your cruise and allow enough time to complete it without rushing
• It’s not a good idea to cruise in the dark or when visibility’s bad – if you
do, take extra care
• Make sure you’ve got full tanks of water and fuel
• And remember – alcohol impairs your judgement and makes accidents
more likely
Equipment checklist
Make sure you know where to find these things:
• Lifebuoy, lifeline (if supplied), lifejackets or buoyancy aids
• Anchor – for rivers – the rope and chain together should be at least six
times as long as the deepest part of the river
• Fire extinguisher and fire blanket
• Emergency shut-offs for battery, gas and fuel
• Bilge pump
• Emergency light
• Mooring ropes – long enough to stretch from your boat to the bollard
and back, even when you’re in a deep lock
• Mooring stakes and hammer
• Horn
• First aid kit
• Boat pole or hook
• Gangplank
• Windlass

Start the engine, keep it in neutral and allow a few minutes for it to warm up before you move off. Untie the front and back mooring ropes from the bank, but leave them tied to the boat, coiled and ready for use. On rivers, untie the downstream rope first. Make sure your ropes can’t trail in the water and get caught in the propeller. Don’t forget to stow the mooring stakes and hammer. Check the area is clear of boat traffic then push the boat away from the bank so you can make a clean get away, with your propeller in deep water. In shallow water, push the back of the boat out, then reverse away until there’s room to straighten up.

When the boat’s straight, go into forward gear and accelerate gently
to cruising speed. On all waterways, you drive on the right. In
practice, on most canals, you’ll keep to the centre of the channel –
it’s shallow near the edges – unless there’s another boat coming
towards you.

Always slow down when passing anglers and other boats.
Don’t let your boat create a breaking wave or a lowering of the water
along the bank just ahead of the boat. These are signs that you
should throttle back to prevent damage to the bank and disturbance
to moored boats. Excessive speed can dislodge mooring pins.

The First thing I did when I closed on my 3807 was to hire a captain for the day. She took us through all the systems, procedures, line and boat handling. She laid out the manuals and took us through everything, including procedures, checklists, locating all the through hulls, pumps, valves, basic maintenance, etc.
Yes she was expensive but I figure she saved me many thousands, so in the overall scheme of things - it was inexpensive and I'll do it again on my next boat.