8. Why does my boat move forward, even when I have the shifting lever in neutral in the cockpit?

Both forward and reverse are achieved through clutch functions. Neutral is simply the space in the shifting lever's travel between forward and reverse.

If it is difficult for you to find a neutral place in your shifting lever's travel, it probably means that your reverse adjustment is set needlessly tight. If the adjustment on the reversing band is a bit tight, it will frequently appear even more tight as the mechanism heats up and expands. Proper adjusting procedure calls for setting up the forward mode first, using the adjusting collar just behind the pressure plate next to the forward clutch disks. Assuming that your forward mode is OK (meaning that it goes into a solid “forward detent” and does not slip under full power), you may be able to loosen the reverse mode a bit by loosening the 3/4” nut in the upper left corner of the reversing gear opening. This is the nut held loosely in place by a spring clip. You can turn the nut within this clip without removing it.

There is no need to have the reversing adjustment very tight. As long as you encounter reverse comfortably before running out of travel on the shifting lever, you're OK. Remember that there is no “reversing detent,” so you have to hold the lever back to keep the reversing gear assembly in reverse.

After you have the reverse mode adjusted satisfactorily, you should be able to find a neutral place without too much difficulty. Do not expect to necessarily find the best neutral position with the lever straight up, or any other particular place in its travel. Once you find the neutral position on the engine's shifting lever, you may have to adjust the boat's cable system to have the lever in the cockpit be straight up. - Updated: November 4, 2003