nicest throttles / shifters for recreational sportboat?

[Tim.M]

What are the smoothest operating nicest throttles / shifters for a recreational sportboat?

[Frosty]

You dont have much choice, Morse cable or their copies are the norm. Electric is fabulous but a bit worrysome as failure would be /could be catastrophic, and they are very expensive in comparison. I suppose there are neumatics but you asked about recreational boats.

So morse is fine if its fitted correctly and friction settings are complied with etc.

Hynautics, when they work right, are wonderful but I will never regress from electric (Volvo's and ZFs are great. Don't know MMC after initial glitches)

ZF Mathers are very sophisticated and high tech, but count your bucks before you purchase.

[Tim.M]

Thanks Guys. I noticed mercruiser has a lot of electric no-cable controls now too (didn't realize that when I posted), but that makes me a bit nervous about glitchy operation or failure at the wrong moment... maybe worrying about nothing. I'm sure eliminating 20' of push pull cable would make it a lot smoother and effortless to operate. I've seen ads for ZF Mathers but never seen them in person yet.

A boat capsized up here in a river and rolled down with the current. It was salvaged two days later and the only dry spots on it were the connections of the Volvo electronic controls. The engine and transmission were flushed, some form of water displacement was sprayed into the connections "just because" and the thing doesn't miss a beat two years later (tho needed boat repairs and smells mildewy). Look at the PC running continuously under your desk for tthe last four years - electronic things are more reliable than most mechanical things these days.

[Frosty]

Just when I was getting used to you again you hit me with this.

I just don't know what to say.

Does any one else know what I want to say? --it begins with B and ends in S with a K, and a couple of L's and and 2 O's in the middle.

[Landlubber]

Tim,

It is simply a money problem, I have no money, so no problems.

If you wish to have a complicated electronic system, go buy it, in boats, the KISS principle rules supreme, that is if you actually use them (the boats I mean).

I know the Morse KE is very nice, but it fails where it was last position, not to safe, so it is up to you where you want the accident to happen....it is only a matter of time.

[Tim.M]

Anyone like livorsi or zero effort or kiekhaefer separate shifter/throttles on a non-race pleasure boat? Or are they mostly for show to look like a raceboat?

[Wynand N]

Tiller arm for simplicity and smoothness...and one is close to the music as well

[Fanie]

I also prefer the electronics controls. Sorry Frosty, it doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. There are many app's where it can be made as reliable or even more reliable than mechanics. That said, keep in mind that mechanics cannot be ruled out, it will always be required.

While the electrical or electronics can be made complicated, and is more than often a threat to somone with limited knowledge it is not rocket science and with very little insight is within anyone who chooses to's abilities.

Really, nothing to it.

[CDK]

My electronic controls, posted here some time ago, work perfectly.
At the moment I am concerned with other projects, like designing an automatic sat-dish for both my mobile home and the boat. Once that is done I want to experiment with hydraulic throttle controls with membranes instead of pistons and cylinders. My ancient Porsche has such a system for fine-tuning the headlight positions. No expansion tank, no valves, just two nylon 5 mm hoses connecting the actuators.

[Frosty]

CDK I have no doubt that your controls work perfectly and i am sure the bought ones do too. However after sitting in a marina for a good few months as we tend to do I would not be able to find trust in such a system.

I have so such thoughts about mechanical cable operations and even so I will select forward and reverse a few times before I command loose the lines.

The result of a simple failure to select reverse when entering a marina would make the already expence of these things a miniscule comparison, and for what? to say in the pub "oh I have electronic controls" .

I may be an old stick in the mud but basically I cant see the benefit for the expense.

[Landlubber]

Frosty,

And to make matters worse, when you ask them about redundancy, they say, just install a mechanical system....ya got ta be kiddin.

KISS....you understand this because you actually use your boat, the armchair admirals all have great toys.

[mydauphin]

I like my Hynautics and I have enough spares to boot... If they were ever to break.