robert1947
Recruit
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2014
- Messages
- 3
Hello, please help with this shifting problem.
I?m having shifting problems with my new 2014 Boston Whaler Montauk 170 with the usual 90 hp Mercury outboard. The problem is that with the engine running, I can?t feel or hear that I?m in Neutral at the control unit. I find I?m in Reverse about 5% of the time, when in fact I should be in Neutral.
For more background information, please read on.
Every time I shift into Neutral, I must stare down at the controls, and make a conscious decision about whether or not I?m in Neutral, before I leave the controls. And even with that amount of effort, I am not sure that in fact I?m in Neutral. When I fish, I often walk away from the center console. So, this is very much a safety issue.
Half my fishing is along the pilings and rock islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The tidal currents are very strong, and ocean swells have the tendency to push the boat onto the boulders. I fish there alone, occasionally at night, summer, fall, and winter. I shift a lot. Every shift to Neutral can?t have so much uncertainty!
When demo-ing the boat just before signing a purchase contract, I commented to the sales rep this fact that ?I can?t feel Neutral?. I then said ?With time I?ll get used to Mercury?s shift lever?. Well, time has passed after 4 outings. I still have the same complaint. I?ve spoken to both Mercury?s Tech Support and Boston Whaler?s Tech Support. Mercury says that with the engine running, there?s ?engine back pressure? or something like that, where there?s less feel of Neutral. Well, I need it very clear that the engine is in the Neutral slot.
Once when attempting to start the engine, the engine would not start. The lever was well within the markings for Neutral, but the safety switch determined the engine was in Forward.
I do have plenty of experience with boats. A short list of experience is as follows: 2 1/2 years as a boat rigger (including rigging 60 Boston Whalers 18 feet long with Mercury outboards which were sold to the US Navy back in the late 1970?s), and owning and rigging an 18 ft Polarkraft aluminum 7 ft wide boat with a 40 hp Honda tiller handled for the past 10 years. Two years ago I had that aluminum boat?s ribs welded in 44 places due to stress fractures. This year it was welded in only 3 places. This is the reason I went to fiberglass in 2014. I feel I?m a fair handyman repairing electro-mechanical items in homes, cars, and boats. I?ve operated inboards, 30 footers and 65 footers, but have little experience operating smaller outboards via remote control shifting. So, I don?t think that lack of experience on my part, is the issue. An operator should need very little experience to feel safe with this engine and controls.
At the end of Oct 2014 this new rig was purchased out-of-state 400 miles away from where I live. The dealership was discontinuing this line of boats. Both Mercury and Boston Whaler?s Tech Support say ?There?s no problem?. A local Boston Whaler dealership, where I had not purchased the boat, had my boat sitting at their facility for 14 days, a Tuesday to a Tuesday, and had not started up the engine nor looked into this problem during that time. So, on day 14, I asked for and took the boat back home. No warranty paperwork was filled out. After that, a local authorized Mercury shop found no shifting problems when the engine was running with an attached garden hose. In this environment I could feel Neutral. This was not warranty work and cost me $110.
I?ve researched installing a Teleflex Morse control unit, the type with two levers. One lever controls shifting only, the second lever controls throttle only. I was advised by the Mercury shop that I would probably still feel no Neutral slot. Also, as a generalization, no one has been installing these controls on outboards for the last 40 yrs. To have an authorized Mercury shop do this work would cost approximately $1,200. If this was a 10 year old boat, I?d do the work myself. But with warranties still in effect, a retail customer shouldn?t do this carving up oneself.
Next, I?d like to know if Mercury has had control units in the past that have a locking mechanism with a button that must be depressed in order to get out of Neutral. I believe other manufacturers have such a button. An older control unit may solve my problem. Do you have any comments about an older Mercury control unit as a solution? What years would that be?
If I could return the entire rig, boat, motor, and trailer, maybe I would do it. If I could return the engine and controls, and select a different manufacturer, I would absolutely do that. If this shifting problem doesn?t get resolved very soon, I?m planning to sell that two month old 90 hp Mercury, and buy an engine from another manufacturer. Of course, I?ll test the engine and controls, out in the water. The control box must have a very clearly felt Neutral slot, and a button should be pressed to shift out of Neutral? My guess is that Mercury?s Marketing Department had Mercury?s engineers design this propulsion system with the jet ski mentality in mind, not the boating needs of the more sedate fisherman. I wish I could buy an American engine and controls, but it appears that I can?t.
My wife just found several posts from approximately 2006 on ContinuousWave.com that clearly reported this same problem. But there?re no posts since then. Those posts wrote about Mercury?s controls lacking a shift detent and lacking a shift lock. One post commented on a ?lack of a built-in mechanical detent to assist in locating the neutral shift position?, and ?the shifter freely moves between forward, neutral, and reverse, with no latch, button, or locking device?. This is my exact complaint! And what?s happened since 2006? This is not a mechanical malfunction. This is intentional design, that puts me in real danger!
Does anyone else have these same complaints with Mercury?s shifting with the 2014 models?
I?m not experienced posting to online forums. So my response posts back to you may not go smoothly.
Thanks, Robert.
I?m having shifting problems with my new 2014 Boston Whaler Montauk 170 with the usual 90 hp Mercury outboard. The problem is that with the engine running, I can?t feel or hear that I?m in Neutral at the control unit. I find I?m in Reverse about 5% of the time, when in fact I should be in Neutral.
For more background information, please read on.
Every time I shift into Neutral, I must stare down at the controls, and make a conscious decision about whether or not I?m in Neutral, before I leave the controls. And even with that amount of effort, I am not sure that in fact I?m in Neutral. When I fish, I often walk away from the center console. So, this is very much a safety issue.
Half my fishing is along the pilings and rock islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The tidal currents are very strong, and ocean swells have the tendency to push the boat onto the boulders. I fish there alone, occasionally at night, summer, fall, and winter. I shift a lot. Every shift to Neutral can?t have so much uncertainty!
When demo-ing the boat just before signing a purchase contract, I commented to the sales rep this fact that ?I can?t feel Neutral?. I then said ?With time I?ll get used to Mercury?s shift lever?. Well, time has passed after 4 outings. I still have the same complaint. I?ve spoken to both Mercury?s Tech Support and Boston Whaler?s Tech Support. Mercury says that with the engine running, there?s ?engine back pressure? or something like that, where there?s less feel of Neutral. Well, I need it very clear that the engine is in the Neutral slot.
Once when attempting to start the engine, the engine would not start. The lever was well within the markings for Neutral, but the safety switch determined the engine was in Forward.
I do have plenty of experience with boats. A short list of experience is as follows: 2 1/2 years as a boat rigger (including rigging 60 Boston Whalers 18 feet long with Mercury outboards which were sold to the US Navy back in the late 1970?s), and owning and rigging an 18 ft Polarkraft aluminum 7 ft wide boat with a 40 hp Honda tiller handled for the past 10 years. Two years ago I had that aluminum boat?s ribs welded in 44 places due to stress fractures. This year it was welded in only 3 places. This is the reason I went to fiberglass in 2014. I feel I?m a fair handyman repairing electro-mechanical items in homes, cars, and boats. I?ve operated inboards, 30 footers and 65 footers, but have little experience operating smaller outboards via remote control shifting. So, I don?t think that lack of experience on my part, is the issue. An operator should need very little experience to feel safe with this engine and controls.
At the end of Oct 2014 this new rig was purchased out-of-state 400 miles away from where I live. The dealership was discontinuing this line of boats. Both Mercury and Boston Whaler?s Tech Support say ?There?s no problem?. A local Boston Whaler dealership, where I had not purchased the boat, had my boat sitting at their facility for 14 days, a Tuesday to a Tuesday, and had not started up the engine nor looked into this problem during that time. So, on day 14, I asked for and took the boat back home. No warranty paperwork was filled out. After that, a local authorized Mercury shop found no shifting problems when the engine was running with an attached garden hose. In this environment I could feel Neutral. This was not warranty work and cost me $110.
I?ve researched installing a Teleflex Morse control unit, the type with two levers. One lever controls shifting only, the second lever controls throttle only. I was advised by the Mercury shop that I would probably still feel no Neutral slot. Also, as a generalization, no one has been installing these controls on outboards for the last 40 yrs. To have an authorized Mercury shop do this work would cost approximately $1,200. If this was a 10 year old boat, I?d do the work myself. But with warranties still in effect, a retail customer shouldn?t do this carving up oneself.
Next, I?d like to know if Mercury has had control units in the past that have a locking mechanism with a button that must be depressed in order to get out of Neutral. I believe other manufacturers have such a button. An older control unit may solve my problem. Do you have any comments about an older Mercury control unit as a solution? What years would that be?
If I could return the entire rig, boat, motor, and trailer, maybe I would do it. If I could return the engine and controls, and select a different manufacturer, I would absolutely do that. If this shifting problem doesn?t get resolved very soon, I?m planning to sell that two month old 90 hp Mercury, and buy an engine from another manufacturer. Of course, I?ll test the engine and controls, out in the water. The control box must have a very clearly felt Neutral slot, and a button should be pressed to shift out of Neutral? My guess is that Mercury?s Marketing Department had Mercury?s engineers design this propulsion system with the jet ski mentality in mind, not the boating needs of the more sedate fisherman. I wish I could buy an American engine and controls, but it appears that I can?t.
My wife just found several posts from approximately 2006 on ContinuousWave.com that clearly reported this same problem. But there?re no posts since then. Those posts wrote about Mercury?s controls lacking a shift detent and lacking a shift lock. One post commented on a ?lack of a built-in mechanical detent to assist in locating the neutral shift position?, and ?the shifter freely moves between forward, neutral, and reverse, with no latch, button, or locking device?. This is my exact complaint! And what?s happened since 2006? This is not a mechanical malfunction. This is intentional design, that puts me in real danger!
Does anyone else have these same complaints with Mercury?s shifting with the 2014 models?
I?m not experienced posting to online forums. So my response posts back to you may not go smoothly.
Thanks, Robert.
