Does anyone out there have any info or experience with installing a single lever engine throttle/shifter?
Thanks,
Bill
Thanks,
Bill
Single lever throttle/shifter to fit my1992 Cataliana 28
- Thread starter Victoria28
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I used to have a single lever engine control on my old S 2 with a Yanmar diesel. I believe that they came standard with that manufacture. I loved that controller. It was sooooo much easier to control that engine, as the center point was neutral & idle, pushing forward engaged the forward gear and the farther U pushed the lever the faster the engine revs. It made it impossible to rev the engine up too quickly in gear and potentially throwing off your prop or stripping the transmission. I'm not sure of the maker for mine, but it had a small pull out-in pinion that engaged or disengaged the transmission. Installing them will be a lil more complicated, because the throttle and trans. linkages are all obviously controlled from the single lever. My ol' S 2 engine was also mounted near the stern, beneath the cockpit sole. This made the linkage install easier, as there was less length. Running the cables gets more complicated as routing around bulkheads and framing, such as a C 30 would require. If the C 28 engine is mounted aft, then I would go for it. It's a big improvement. I would also raise the location of the shifter mounts, if yours is mounted near foot level if its like mine. The C 30 makes it too easy to step or trip on the levers by mistake. Good luck.
Stu, As far as why to install a single lever engine control - it makes it so much easier when manuevering in tight spaces in & out of a slip, as U don't have to fumble between the throttle & the trans. lever. This can be done in one fluid motion with the single lever control. U can run in forward gear, throttle down, then slip into neutral, then reverse at low throttle & slowly increase. All this without the fear damaging the trans. by reving too fast while shifting gears. I think all boats should come standard with this type of control. The additional cost of it is a lot cheaper then potentially damaging a transmission. Going back to twin levers in the C 30 is a step backwards and seems primitive. This was a real downside to me when going from an S 2 racer class sailboat to the C 30. But the huge cabin of the C 30 is just unbeatable and forgives a host of sins.
jr,
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Here's a discussion about that very same topic we had on our C34 message board. I had the same issues on motor boats I've had on the English and French canals, when the shifter itself gets worn and found it much more difficult to shift. It sounds "wonderful" do everything with one hand, but I found it's just not the case because the button on the single shifter has to be pushed in. Just my experience. Your boat, your choice. We're also talking binnacle mounts here, not the down on the sole type found on, say, C30s with tillers.
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Roger's note about "approaching slow speed" to dock got me thinking about a challenge that I find with my MK II at least: Getting it to go slow when docking.
With the 800 minimum RPM and a 3 blade prop, the boat will do about 3 knots. But I like to slow to about 1 - 1.5 knots for docking. So I find that I have to take it out of gear to slow down. But this means that:
a) I lose prop wash over the rudder, so pretty soon I lose steerage and the cross wind takes over, (maybe especially with a wing keel?)
b) I need to pop it in and out of gear to keep up a minimum speed
Having an adjustable feathering prop, I tried gearing it down a notch last season, and this did help somewhat at low speed, but it lost me speed at higher rpm.
The other problem that I have is that between juggling the wheel, the throttle and the gear shift while backing into the slip requires a lot of focus, and one distraction or unexpected gust can cause an adrenaline moment or two. I have on more than one occasion gone from reverse into what I thought was neutral, only to find that I have put it into forward gear, or vice versa. Is it only me?
My first attempts at tight quarters maneuvering even saw me mix up the two, with hair-raising narrow escapes!
I would love to have a single lever morse control: I chartered a Jeanneau 35 (only reason- a C34 wasn't available) for a day with morse lever (single control for throttle and gearshift), Yanmar and saildrive. It made me look like a real expert docking into a slip with a foot to spare... Has anyone ever thought of modifying our controls to a single lever? Is it doable? Or maybe everyone loves our setup just as it is?
Tony
Reply from Ken ---
Actually Tony I prefer the dual levers. Coming down the fairway I set the rpms to 1000, cycle between F, N, R as needed. If additional thrust is needed apply a burst of throttle then back to 1000. With very little practice you can get very close to 1000 by ear not needing to look at the tach.
Sometimes current/wind will require a higher speed to get into the slip. The nice thing about the pre set spring line is that it will snug you against the finger pier as it stops forward movement, preventing smashing the bow into the dock
I've used the single lever on dockmate's Hunter with a conventional prop and dual single levers on saildrives on a chartered cat and felt like they were much more work. In my limited experience, once the shift mechanism get a little bit worn, it is very hard to find N. Idle reverse, N, idle forward, all seem to be in the same position/detent. On the chartered cat, I physically had to pull the levers out to the neutral fast idle position to ensure the drives were disengaged.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Here's a discussion about that very same topic we had on our C34 message board. I had the same issues on motor boats I've had on the English and French canals, when the shifter itself gets worn and found it much more difficult to shift. It sounds "wonderful" do everything with one hand, but I found it's just not the case because the button on the single shifter has to be pushed in. Just my experience. Your boat, your choice. We're also talking binnacle mounts here, not the down on the sole type found on, say, C30s with tillers.
********************
Roger's note about "approaching slow speed" to dock got me thinking about a challenge that I find with my MK II at least: Getting it to go slow when docking.
With the 800 minimum RPM and a 3 blade prop, the boat will do about 3 knots. But I like to slow to about 1 - 1.5 knots for docking. So I find that I have to take it out of gear to slow down. But this means that:
a) I lose prop wash over the rudder, so pretty soon I lose steerage and the cross wind takes over, (maybe especially with a wing keel?)
b) I need to pop it in and out of gear to keep up a minimum speed
Having an adjustable feathering prop, I tried gearing it down a notch last season, and this did help somewhat at low speed, but it lost me speed at higher rpm.
The other problem that I have is that between juggling the wheel, the throttle and the gear shift while backing into the slip requires a lot of focus, and one distraction or unexpected gust can cause an adrenaline moment or two. I have on more than one occasion gone from reverse into what I thought was neutral, only to find that I have put it into forward gear, or vice versa. Is it only me?
My first attempts at tight quarters maneuvering even saw me mix up the two, with hair-raising narrow escapes!
I would love to have a single lever morse control: I chartered a Jeanneau 35 (only reason- a C34 wasn't available) for a day with morse lever (single control for throttle and gearshift), Yanmar and saildrive. It made me look like a real expert docking into a slip with a foot to spare... Has anyone ever thought of modifying our controls to a single lever? Is it doable? Or maybe everyone loves our setup just as it is?
Tony
Reply from Ken ---
Actually Tony I prefer the dual levers. Coming down the fairway I set the rpms to 1000, cycle between F, N, R as needed. If additional thrust is needed apply a burst of throttle then back to 1000. With very little practice you can get very close to 1000 by ear not needing to look at the tach.
Sometimes current/wind will require a higher speed to get into the slip. The nice thing about the pre set spring line is that it will snug you against the finger pier as it stops forward movement, preventing smashing the bow into the dock
I've used the single lever on dockmate's Hunter with a conventional prop and dual single levers on saildrives on a chartered cat and felt like they were much more work. In my limited experience, once the shift mechanism get a little bit worn, it is very hard to find N. Idle reverse, N, idle forward, all seem to be in the same position/detent. On the chartered cat, I physically had to pull the levers out to the neutral fast idle position to ensure the drives were disengaged.
Thanks for the replies - I have the existing levers on the pedestal behind the wheel. Shifter on Port, Throttle on Stbd. I am constantly scraping a knuckle trying to find neutral ( my wife claims she can not tell what the gear position is by feel!) and if I need to spin the wheel then what? So I saw an ad for a single lever with removable hale from Spinlock and that got me thinking about another project for the boat now that I have completed the wiring harness replacement.
Cheers,
Bill
Cheers,
Bill
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