[Rhodes22-list] sailing

[Jay Bulfer]

I think I'm ready for the maiden voyage. I have a few things I'm not sure of. You may laugh but these are real questions I should know the answers to before I launch. 
    
Do I need to plug any of the thruholes before I put in? I'm thinking the one in the cockpit that you can see the ground thru needs to be plugged.

I'm not sure where the bilge is. I think I should be checking for water in the bilge after I put in to see if I have any leaks. Where would I look for water in the bilge & if there is, How do you get it out. I don't see a bilge pump on my electrical panel.

The bolt that secures the mast to the boat has a wing nut. How tight should this be? A wing nut indicates to me it doesn't need to be that tight.
    
When you motor, do you lock the outboard straight & steer with the tiller or do you use the motor to turn?
    
Is there anything else I should check or do before I launch?
    
    Jb