Throttle and shifter control replacement

[keith]

Hey guys. I have a 23' '72 Seacraft SF and my shifter is sloppy and needs to be replaced or rebuilt. It is hard to find neutral. It needs to be jiggled forward and back to make sure it is out of gear. I am getting used to it but it would be nice for someone unfamiliar with the issue to be able to take the helm. My uncle almost ran it into the dock yesterday! Any suggestions?
The boat has an Alpha One outdrive and 5.0 carb mercruiser. Package has 280 hours on it.
Also, any suggestions on some toggle replacement dash switches? I'm not ready to redo the dash....yet. The current switches are shot and also need to be jiggled.

Thanks!

[McGillicuddy]

For switches the Weatherdeck line from Blue Seas Systems is made for them by Carling Technologies. Best bang for the buck, can be found at most marine store, both brick and web. Blue Seas has excellent customer and tech support. Great discounts prices can be found online. Here is the Blue Sea line-up.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/cat...oggle_Switches

As far as the slop, some shifters had detente screws which may be adjusted, but it could well be that your shifting cable is shot, stretched, toast, etc.

Good luck with the new rig. You're gonna show-up some bad-as Farallons in that boat.

[keith]

Thanks for the advice McGillicuddy, I appreciate it. I was thinking of using indicator lights above each switch to show on status. Any thoughts?

I will take a look at the cable and see if that is the issue. The previous owner thought it was the controller so I assumed it was the problem. Thanks for the tip.

[McGillicuddy]

led indicators are nice - easy on the eye, power source, and wallet.

Here's a link to pre-made/integrated Weatherdeck panels:

http://catalog.bluesea.com/#86

Their catalog is excellent as well as educational...I think you should have access to the entire catalog with this link. Be careful, lots of "must have" and just plain good stuff in there

[bobbert]

Sounds like a shifter cable problem. Nine times out of ten the problem rests in the lower cable. The one that goes from the engine, thru the transom and down thru trasom ass'y tp the lower unit. If you have a "lazy shift" or a pop out gear it is definetly the problem.
Usual life is 4-6 years normal use. Good Luck.

[keith]

Originally Posted by McGillicuddy

led indicators are nice - easy on the eye, power source, and wallet.

Here's a link to pre-made/integrated Weatherdeck panels:

http://catalog.bluesea.com/#86

Their catalog is excellent as well as educational...I think you should have access to the entire catalog with this link. Be careful, lots of "must have" and just plain good stuff in there

Hey McGillicuddy,

I bought the switches and led indicator lights that you suggested. Here they are installed. I had to drill out the holes a little to fit the new switches and blew on out a tad. Oh well. Thanks for the advice! They are great.