Don't like floor throttle position on Bavaria 41-ideas to solve problem please

[Ann smalldridge]

We are taking over a Bavaria 41 cruiser in Greece later this year and are not keen on the floor position of the throttle . We are getting older with the usual neck problems and find it difficult to use especially in reverse when berthing . We much prefer the throttle on the binnacle where we can stand up and steer and control the speed .
We have been told that we cannot retrofit the throttle onto the binnacle in a different position. Has anyone solved this problem?

It would help if there was an extension device that could make the throttle handle longer so that you could see all round the boat and reach the throttle- does such a thing exist?
Has anyone got experience of a remote control throttle that could potentially be a solution?
Thanks for some advice

 

[Laysula]

Have you tried posting on here?

Bavaria Yacht Info - Index

 

[pvb]

Which Bavaria 41 is this? Is it a Cruiser 41 with twin wheels? I have a Cruiser 37 with twin wheels and I use my foot to work the lever.

PS Welcome to the forums!

 

[Wansworth]

That’s always been a problem having to bend down at the very moment you should be looking ahead

 

[Ann smalldridge]

Have you tried posting on here?

Bavaria Yacht Info - Index

Thanks-- just registered there

 

[Ann smalldridge]

Which Bavaria 41 is this? Is it a Cruiser 41 with twin wheels? I have a Cruiser 37 with twin wheels and I use my foot to work the lever.

PS

 

[Ann smalldridge]

It's got 2 wheels
I'm not sure I'm good enough with my feet ! Especially if a bit stressed getting into a tricky berth

 

[pvb]

It's got 2 wheels
I'm not sure I'm good enough with my feet ! Especially if a bit stressed getting into a tricky berth

OK, you'll find it's quite controllable with your foot - the neutral position is very positive. I generally wear trainers or deck shoes, both of which will grip the lever easily.

 

[prv]

Has anyone got experience of a remote control throttle that could potentially be a solution?

Electronic gear and throttle levers are quite common on motorboats nowadays, and once the system’s electronic it’s relatively simple to add a remote. The downside is the cost for off-the-shelf stuff - everyone I’ve seen consider it as a retrofit like this, abandoned the project as soon as they got a quote.

DIY would be possible for the technically skilled (this is the kind of thing I do for work) but you would want to be very sure of your work before relying on it at close quarters.

Pete

 

[Catalina36]

Mine had a bizarre, non-intuitive arrangement of separate gear and throttle levers which I replaced with one of these from Vetus.

Single lever remote engine control - Side mounted - AISI316 stainless steel

Ignore the fact that for some reason they've photographed it on its side, the case fits vertically on the binnacle with the handle at the top. Running the two cables to it is your challenge, I took mine up one of the binnacle legs. Works very well.

 

[ashtead]

It’s a real pain to go from the pedestal mounted engine control of a single wheel Bav to any twin wheel config where there’s no top to mount a throttle but it does get better with experience but nowhere as neat as backing an older style Bav into a med mooring on the single wheel where you could also back up to a mooring buoy in like fashion and Lasso fro m stern and walk forward with a line . All I can suggest is have a look around other twin wheel boats for a solution maybe ? Most with top mounted throttles have bigger pedestals but maybe the XC have a solution for example ?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Hi Ann,

Welcome along.

I spent some time a few years ago trying to find a way to solve this exact problem on my then-new Bavaria Vision 42. This is a twin wheel boat with the throttle at deck level on stbd side. Awkward to reach on that side, impossible obviously from port wheel. Findings (in theory) are that it's feasible. Bits needed: An electronic throttle, or a pair if you want both pedestals equipped. Somewhere handy to mount it (or them). A device to convert the throttle signals into motion for throttle and gear selection (an actuator). Some wiring between throttle(s) and actuator. Teleflex cable connections between actuator and engine/gearbox. All off the shelf stuff but not an officially supported solution. Cost: About £10k for the bits plus labour to strip and fit. Not an easy DIY job but doable.

For that money I learned how to live with the standard fit. I never liked it especially if using the port wheel was needed, so I made a point of trying to do all manoeuvring from the stbd wheel where you can at least reach the lever using hand or better, my right foot, as suggested. Port-side-to berthing and lock work especially trying.

I have in the meantime seen several new production yachts including latest versions of the Vision, where this is designed in from the outset. Pro: fixes the problem. Con: More to go wrong. Cost.

Link to my post on this in 2017:
Electronic engine control for Volvo D2-60

 

[ashtead]

Above from scala sums up so well -it’s doable but vastly expensive -it seems you are committed to the Bav but unles you find a Greek bearing gifts might not be palatable solution?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

There's nothing on the market more than a couple of years old that fixes this. New boats maybe easy now.

 

[James_Calvert]

If you are two handed you could revert to voice control...

One on the helm and giving engine orders.
The other on the engine control.

Feet kept in reserve...

 

[scottie]

with a pedestal mounted control if you have a large wheel if the wheel spins when you have your arm through the spokes it hurts !
extending the control lever increases the sweep which limits the available travel
using your foot is often the best option but takes experience to gain the confidence required
On a wide boat the control is not always on the best side
so take your choice none are perfect

 

[wizard]

Which Bavaria 41 is this? Is it a Cruiser 41 with twin wheels? I have a Cruiser 37 with twin wheels and I use my foot to work the lever.

PS Welcome to the forums!

+1

 

[Norman_E]

Quote "We have been told that we cannot retrofit the throttle onto the binnacle in a different position. "

I don't know who told you that, and I also don't know how much space there is inside the binnacle, but a control like the one from Vetus could be mounted on the side of a binnacle after a suitable hole was cut for the mechanism that pulls & pushes the two cables. You may need longer cables and you will have to work out how to route them without making any sharp bends but don't rule out doing it. It really helps when going into a tight stern to berth if you stand ahead of the wheel looking aft as steering is then intuitive, and having the engine control where you can reach it from either side of the wheel is a big help. On my Jeanneau its possible, but a bit of a stretch if stood ahead of the wheel.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

It's a twin wheel boat Norman. So relocating the mechanical arrangement could work but it would be on only one of the two binnacles / pedestals.

 

[cmedsailor]

Are you sure that indeed it cannot be done?
When I ordered my Elan Impression 45 back in 2018 I specifically asked for the throttle lever not at the almost foot level next to the wheel but on the side which was the standard place in older models (which by the way was also the standard place on older Bavarias). A top mount in other words, not a side mount.
Two weeks before visiting the factory to check my boat they sent me the picture that shows the lever in the wrong position. I refused to accept the boat and they (of course) agreed to correct. By the time I went to the factory the lever was at the position as requested.
I happened to look at the mechanism below the top mount lever and it doesn't look that difficult to replace the side mount lever with a top mount.