Orana 44: Port side Throttle/gear cable

[DtM]

HI there forum,

Does anyone have a simple (or even a bit complex) solution to our difficulty with the port engine gear selection.

We often find it hard to get the port side to select either forward or reverse which is not a very desirable situation if trying to manoeuver at close quarters and low speed.

Our mechanic, who is good, says that it is a function of the long distance that the cable has to go to get to the port engine and the convoluted path with lots of corners.

Any thoughts or solutions.

Thank you in advance.

[pstadt]

That is a long path but the cable should be mounted with minimal "corners". To rule out that it's the cable binding up, disconnect it from the gear over the sail drive and manually engage it/disengage it locally. You will also be able to hold the end of the cable and have another shift it from the helm and feel if it is binding in the cable run (you can do this with the engine off...it'll be quieter).

Hope this helps,

Pat

[Blue Stocking]

Long cables are subject to what is called " lost motion ". This is the accumulation and compounding of the clearances between inner wire and outer jacket liner. Cable should be immobilized with as many support clamps as possible.