Gearbox neutral has disappeared - a common failure mode?

[Paddy Fields]

Hi

I’m on a sailing boat with a gearbox that has lost it’s neutral position. Of course the position is still there, but putting the throttle in the neutral position keeps the the boat in forwards gear. Made berthing today very interesting.

What could be happening? Is this a sign of a worn gearbox? I suspect I’m going to get into a big argument with the charter boat owner over this.

Thanks in advance

Dan

 

[jamie N]

Bad luck. However, I'm not sure than on a gearbox, there's anything that one can do negligently to induce that fault? Other's will be along with more knowledge than me though!

 

[jwilson]

Hi

I’m on a sailing boat with a gearbox that has lost it’s neutral position. Of course the position is still there, but putting the throttle in the neutral position keeps the the boat in forwards gear. Made berthing today very interesting.

What could be happening? Is this a sign of a worn gearbox? I suspect I’m going to get into a big argument with the charter boat owner over this.

Thanks in advance

Dan

Are you sure the gearbox itself is actually faulty - much much more likely that there is a fault in the top end of the Morse/Teleflex control lever mechanism. That's pretty common. There's a silly little metal £5 clip that breaks and causes a similar problem.

Many years ago I berthed an absolutely brand new chartered Moody 40 in a marina berth in Lymington with the +10 and -10 buttons on the autopilot after the wheel locked solid in the entrance channel (with ferry approaching). Wheel totally ummovable by hand, but the autopilot would do it. Called the Hamble charter co to say the autopilot wouldn't disengage. Turned out the AP was fine, just the AP ram a lot stronger than me - steering cables graunching round whilst jammed under quadrant. Told the charter co about the one quite small scratch on the hull from the extremely difficult berthing and they did not charge me. Lost a day though while they fitted and adjusted (correctly) new cables.

 

[scrambledegg]

Dan,
I had a rather similar problem where I gradually lost forward gear ie had to advance the throttle more and more before forward would engage. That got a bit alarming having forward engage at high revs. My problem was a combination of me having reassembled the Morse mechanism incorrectly and the Morse cable length adjustment having gradually slipped. There's a nut on the threaded end of the cable which you can turn to adjust the working length of the cable.
In your case it is possible that this nut has shifted, or the cable has stretched a bit.
You could try disconnecting the cable at the gearbox end and pushing the gearbox lever manually with the engine running to see if you can get neutral. Of course taking care that you keep clear of rotating parts.

 

[dunedin]

Possibly the gear change cable has broken or become disconnected. This is a pretty common issue.
(Though the muppets who seem to come into marinas and berth at 6 knots, slamming into full reverse at the last minute clearly haven't thought about this. Seen a 37 foot Sunsail boat go clean up onto the pontoon when the muppet tried this and the gear cable failed)

Check at the engine / gearbox to see if the gear change moves when the morse control is moved - preferably with the engine turned off.
With a fully crewed boat it is not unknown for berthing to be done Navy style, calling instructions down to a crew member below decks working the throttle and/or gear linkage manually (ensuring very carefully that clear of the moving alternator belts) as an emergency get home after such a failure.

 

[RichardS]

As other have said, almost certainly a simple cable adjustment required. I can't see any reason why the charter company would have any beef with you. Quite the opposite in fact. If your cruise has been negatively impacted, you are legally entitled to appropriate compo.

Richard

 

[vyv_cox]

Test by disconnecting the cable at the gearbox end and moving the lever by hand. I suspect, as others say, that it is a Morse ir cable problem.

 

[Paddy Fields]

Thanks all.

Engineer from the charter company will be along tomorrow morning. We will see what we will see.

 

[mjcoon]

With a fully crewed boat it is not unknown for berthing to be done Navy style, calling instructions down to a crew member below decks working the throttle and/or gear linkage manually (ensuring very carefully that clear of the moving alternator belts) as an emergency get home after such a failure.

That's how we coped on "free sailing" in a flotilla trip to get into Bodrum marina to have the cable fixed, as arranged by the company.

Mike.