Broken Shift Cable

kordokordo Member Posts: 243 ✭✭
in General Boating Discussions
There was an incident.  Getting out of my slip and heading to the bay, my starboard shift cable broke and the starboard engine was stuck in reverse.  I lost control of the boat.  Luckily, some people on the opposite dock realized what was going on and told me to shut the engines down.  They pulled me into a vacant slip and $1k later, I'm back on the water.  I have a vesselview smartcraft display that shows FNR for each engine.  Does anyone know if the display is based on the shift lever position or the actual state of the bravo 3 transmission?  Thanks.
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  • YYZRCYYZRC Member Posts: 5,139 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My VV only shows G or N. I believe it get its info from a sensor mounted at the shift plate and not from the drive. 
    2008 350 EC on Georgian Bay
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,763 mod
    Been there done that, and it's a scary feeling.  Yes, the signal probably comes from the shifter and not from the outdrive.  
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  • kordokordo Member Posts: 243 ✭✭
    Thank you gentlemen.  The signal coming from the shifter is not very useful since you can easily look down at the shifter to see where it is.  The signal coming from the outdrive would be much better.  Next time Mercury asks me for advice I will let them know.  :)
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  • kordokordo Member Posts: 243 ✭✭
    Update on the above issue.  I have axius on my boat and it seems that the shifters do not determine what the smartcraft display shows.  Take a look at the below pic.  The shifters are in neutral and the joystick is in control.  Port engine in forward and starboard in reverse.  I'm wondering based on my original post, if I had put the joystick in neutral and looked at the display (with the starboard shift cable snapped and the outdrive stuck in gear), would I have been able to determine which engine to shut down and continue on my way with just one engine.  At least that's the hope, it could be that the joystick determines what the display shows and not the outdrive which means I would not know which engine to shut down, so back to square one.  A sensor in the outdrive would be more useful than one in the shifters or the joystick.  I hope it doesn't happen again.  

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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,763 mod
    Ahh, I see -- the gear display must be an Axius feature.  I have a VV7 and digital throttle/shift (DTS), but not Axius.  My VV does not show gear. 

    Did you have Axius engaged when the cable broke?  That must have been even more confusing.  
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  • kordokordo Member Posts: 243 ✭✭
    Yes, Axius was engaged and it was very confusing.  It only lasted a couple of minutes before someone on the opposite dock (that I was about to hit) yelled at me to turn the engines off.  If I had more time, I would have been able to figure it out.  Hopefully, there won't be a next time but I'll be ready.    
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  • kordokordo Member Posts: 243 ✭✭
    Update on the above situation.  If I ever get into another situation where one of my shift cables snaps while leaving or arriving at my slip, I will shut both engines down and then start them back up.  The engine with the snapped cable will not start up since it is in gear, the other engine will start up and I will be able control the boat better than with one engine stuck in forward or reverse.  What do you think?  Thanks. 
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  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,671 mod
    @kordo I agree with you.  I had this happen to me about 5 years ago and I ended up shutting down because my boat was out of control (partly because it took me several seconds to figure out my drive was still stuck in reverse, all while docking).

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,763 mod
    Great strategy. 

    The problem is that initial WTF stage.  Me, I'd recognize the symptoms having already been there twice.  For somebody going there for the first time, well, I hope they will remember reading this thread!
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  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,671 mod
    LaRea said:
    Great strategy. 

    The problem is that initial WTF stage.  Me, I'd recognize the symptoms having already been there twice.  For somebody going there for the first time, well, I hope they will remember reading this thread!
    Yeah, that WTF stage is really crazy what goes thru your head.  I was backing out of my slip (luckily not going into) and stbd side got stuck in reverse.  Well, I did a half circle and bounced off a piling in reverse 2 slips down.  Luckily I was not going fast and only hit a piling with my swim platform.  That giving it more throttle (thinking I was in forward gear) didn't help my momentum.

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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  • YYZRCYYZRC Member Posts: 5,139 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A couple months ago I moved a fuel line on the starboard side which required that I shut off the valve. A few days later, we headed out and as we were leaving the slip I lost power steering. After 5 seconds of WTF I realized that I forgot to open the valve. We drifted into another slip - no damage done but lots of onlookers wondering why I sucked so bad at leaving a slip!
    2008 350 EC on Georgian Bay
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  • earl1z19earl1z19 Member Posts: 344 ✭✭✭
    YYZRC said:
    A couple months ago I moved a fuel line on the starboard side which required that I shut off the valve. A few days later, we headed out and as we were leaving the slip I lost power steering. After 5 seconds of WTF I realized that I forgot to open the valve. We drifted into another slip - no damage done but lots of onlookers wondering why I sucked so bad at leaving a slip!
    The sense of panic when the WTF sets in is intense and the the damaged ego is a lasting effect. We have all been there or headed there at some point.
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  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,071 ✭✭✭✭✭
    earl1z19 said:
    YYZRC said:
    A couple months ago I moved a fuel line on the starboard side which required that I shut off the valve. A few days later, we headed out and as we were leaving the slip I lost power steering. After 5 seconds of WTF I realized that I forgot to open the valve. We drifted into another slip - no damage done but lots of onlookers wondering why I sucked so bad at leaving a slip!
    The sense of panic when the WTF sets in is intense and the the damaged ego is a lasting effect. We have all been there or headed there at some point.
    Yes, not fun at all. That initial feeling of not able to do anything is haunting…
    2008 330EC
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