The point you miss is that forums are for interaction and sharing of information and insights, and not simply a repository of information. Sure, I can spend time reading through manuals and calling manufacturers, but if someone else has already done that, perhaps they can share. In due time, I am sure I would have the opportunity to reciprocate. Perhaps not to the same person or on the same topic, but in an area of my expertise or experience. That is the value of this type of interaction. Everybody shares based on their knowledge. In the end, we all win. If posts such as mine bug you, ignore them. You are not obligated to respond or opine.
I gave you the manuals for the transmission earlier, not knowing it was the cable, which only came up later in this discussion. I'm not bugged at all, except for the measurement part. Here's why: believe it or not, not everyone has had to replace their cable. Plus, those who have either may not be on this forum reading of your issues, or even if they are, maybe they're on vacation. Sometimes you just don't immediately get the answer you want or need, and, gasp, actually have to do it yourself.
To quote you, "That's the point you miss."
Many of us have been on this and other forums for many years, helping other skippers out. Hang around some more and get to know us and how this "system" all works. It's always pretty helpful, except to impatient skippers. Especially ones who lecture those who are trying to help.
Well.....both Catalina Yachts and Catalinadirect recommend removing the shifter cable and getting the length written on the sheath or measuring it. Seems like a great idea, but I am having a mechanic do the work and prefer to have him only visit once to remove/install. Can anyone who replaced the shifter cable on a 1989 Catalina 30 with an M-25XP tell me what the cable length is? Is the throttle the same length? I might as well replaced them both.
BTW, the manual makes no reference to this info.
Thanks
The manual doesn't make reference to this for a simple reason: those transmissions were placed in hundreds of boats, by different manufacturers. Think about it. Please. At the risk of repeating myself, and others, please go measure them on your boat. What you'll most likely find is that they are, for example, 18' and they make 16' and 19' cables. Guess which one you'd choose? Those cables can take some slack, not a whole lot, which is why they don't make you buy 12.3456 foot cables.
Also, some C30s have the shifter on the wall of the cockpit, others have binnacles. If I had that boat, I'd ask you that question, regardless of what year or engine, before I'd even venture to answer with a length.
Another reason you oughta do it yourself. Your "convenience", in only having the mechanic come down once, shouldn't be at our expense. Why get mad at us?
And, if you took the moment we suggest to actually look and measure, you'd see that the shifter is at the rear of the engine and the throttle is at the forward end. Hard to figure they'd be the same length.
Look, we've all been in your shoes, new to our engines. We spent some time researching and learning. I don't trust "mechanics" 'cuz the few times they've worked on my boat, I had to fix their work!!! That's the experience many of us have had, and why we're on this forum, like you, to learn. But most of us are DIYers for good reason. It's a safety issue. Most folks who depend on "boat mechanics" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) don't bother reading these forums, 'cuz they never get their hands dirty.
One of the links I gave you is to our C34 website which has more M25 series engine information in one place than anywhere on the entire internet. It may save you some time in the future. Just sharin'.
Good luck.
