Shifter is reversed

[Mike Vogdes]

Have owned the boat for two years now and time to get this fixed. The boat is a 29 Watkins with Yanmar GM 20 motor and Edson pedestal. The problem is when you put the shifter in forward you go in reverse and shift in reverse you go forward. I originally thought I had a left hand prop but the prop is correct 14x14 RH and the trans is also correct. Was talking on the dock today about this and found it's not all that uncommon. I'm thinking the trans linkage is somehow wrong... Any insight? Anybody else ever had this problem?


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[model 10]

The first owner of our boat told me a funny story. He motored all the way from Virginia to the Bahamas in reverse. Finally the trans gave out and then he figured out the problem. Why the prop worked or if it's the same one I don't know that part of the story. The throttle was back asswords also but I have fixed that.

[shipleft]

Yoiks! How could you stand leaving it this long? Morse-type shift controls allow you to change cable directional movement right at the hand lever, just by swapping the control cable on the opposite side of the control-head lever, an easy fix.The shifting cable may have to be mounted opposite to what you have now, at the transmission.(Sometimes not a very easy job.) It sounds like it is mounted in front of the gear selector and when you push forward on the pedestal control, it is pushing the gear selector back, into reverse.If that is not the case, and it is pushing the gear selector forward but you are getting reverse propeller, then you do have a serious problem, you have either the wrong rotation propeller or, worse yet ,the wrong gear for your engine rotation! Hope your's is the easy fix.

[Ex-Calif]

Presuming you have the 2GM and Kanaski gearbox and single lever control.

I was bored today so I did some Googling. Here is a conversation about this on the Watkins Yahoo group. I thought it was pretty funny they all thought some how the prop got switched or the internals of the gearbox got switched.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...s/topics/20771

Attached is a photo that shows the control cable for the gear selector comes from the front of the engine. I don't know if this confuses some installers. My transmission cable comes in from aft.


This link may help. Push or pull function of the gear lever is a function of which side if the gear lever it is hooked up on.

http://www.seastarsolutions.com/wp-c...ion-Manual.pdf

The Edson pedestal may have a different control but it probably operates the same way...

Unless I am missing something this is a pretty easy fix.

[Terra Nova]

An amateur assembled the shift linkage. Just reverse the cable's direction, so the transmission's shift lever moves to forward gear when the cockpit shift lever is pushed forward.

[HappyMdRSailor]

The easiest fix would be to stand in front of the helm facing aft....

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

An amateur assembled the shift linkage. Just reverse the cable's direction, so the transmission's shift lever moves to forward gear when the cockpit shift lever is pushed forward.

It's not always so simple. With a mechanical Paragon gear for example, it would be almost impossible to rig the controls to go the other direction. With that transmission you need to change the internal gearing to go the other direction.

[Terra Nova]

The absolute most work you'd need to do would be to install a bellcrank to reverse cable direction.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

The absolute most work you'd need to do would be to install a bellcrank to reverse cable direction.

Again it might depend on what kind of transmission you have. I could switch out the 2:1 reduction gears on the back of a Paragon faster than I could build a bellcrank that would be strong enough.

[Mike Vogdes]

Thanks for the reply's and I think I have found the solution... Turns out a buddy who is working on this project with me found this solution here on cruisers forum !! Check it out... http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ion-26747.html




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[Mike Vogdes]

Post 11 has the photo.