Shifting Cable Push Pull Bracket

[psjanker]

Had a great trip to Baltimore MD which involved anchoring out in the Inner Harbor and a nice dinner followed by a early am visit to Ft. McHenry. I will put together an overview and post a bit later.

One the way back to the Gunpowder Basin Marina on the Bush River I had taken some time to clean up below while one of the crew was following breadcrumbs on the chart plotter back to our slip....regrettably he veered into shallow water and we went aground.

By the time I got to the helm we were already in reverse but firmly stuck. The wind pushed the bow in the proper direction and I moved the transmission lever into forward, only to realize that I had nothing but reverse.

I was able to access the transmission area by the access port in the pilot berth and discovered that the push pull cable had simply slid off the intent which resulted in the transmission lever not being pushed into the proper position. I simply manually pushed the lever into forward and tighten the nut on the stop.

A raising tide and a bit of rocking and we were back in business and moving. I did take care when moving into my slip and did not try to move the transmission into reverse but simply put the transmission into neutral and used boat hooks to work my way into my slip, which worked fine.

I now want to "fix" the stop mounting point so that its a bit more robust than a simple clamp. Anyone have any experience with a material solution to make the linkage more robust? (see photos) I am thinking that a clamp to tighten on the push pull cable and a separate mounting point to the bar would be a solution and am going to go by an auto repair shop to see if they have mounts that I can adapt. I figure that the auto industry has this same issue with any push pull cable system.

Does anyone have a current mounting arrangement that is different or is this configuration how it was done when our boats were manufactured? Sure seems to be a weak link for what is a critical capability....switching from forward, reverse and back to neutral. Not something I want to lose or worry about then doing some docking in high winds to fast currents!

I know that I need to get into this area and clean it up a bit since it appears that a combination of engine contaminates and stuffing box spray makes the sleeve itself oily and wet. I also noticed that I need to add a clamp or two on my hoses!

V/r

Pete

[Frenchy]

This kind of bracket, I think, is more secure as it grabs the cable at the groove and doesn't allow it to slip. -Jean

http://www.michiganmotorz.com/teleflex- ... -4095.html

[psjanker]

Jean

Do you use one? How does it go on the cable? Does it swing open and then snap down? You did not notice wire size specs...wonder if they are set for standard sizes?

It's defiantly more along of what I was thinking....thanks.

Pete

[Frenchy]

Pete, yes, I had one on my old boat. I'm not sure about the CD-33. The gate just swings down and captures the groove on a 3300 cable
(the most common size). If you buy one, you'll have to mount it on your existing bracket or find some place on the transmission. But'
I think that will solve the problem. - Jean

[psjanker]

Frenchy

Thanks, I will order one. Does the "gate" bend up or is it on a hinge?

V/r

Pete

[Frenchy]

Pete, the gate swings on a pivot and doesn't really hold the cable from moving to and fro, it just captures it in the slot. It also makes
it a bit easier when changing cables - no bolts to undo, just swing it out of the way and undo the transmission lever connection.
Good luck - Jean

[psjanker]

Jean

Thanks, I have one on order and will post photos after the "upgrade" is installed. I marvel at how long the old solution lasted but would never trust it now that I know it wasn't done right. I have nightmares about backing up in a slip and that was before I knew I might not get out of reverse!

V/r

Pete