Engine throttle/shift controls for twin engine boat -- question

AndersonAcres

AndersonAcres

Member
Oct 30, 2006
725
Iowa
We're planning to purchase a used 310 DA in a couple of years. I'm starting to look now to familiarize myself with that model.

All of them are twins. Some have combined throttle/shifters, others have separate throttle and shift controls.

What are the advantages/disadvantges of either setup?
 
Eric,

I've never used combined throttle/shift controls so I can only speak to the seperate shifters. I like them. When docking or manuevering in a tight space I rarely have to touch the throttles and only use the transmission levers. The only disadvantage is that it takes twice the panel space.
 
AndersonAcres-

Someone else will need to confirm my memory here, but I believe a 310 with separate controls will be a V-drive and one with combo controls will be an I/O.
 
I've had both styles and in my experience the split shifter and throttle arrangement gives you a little more flexibility. You can set your rpms up to 950 and come in a little hot on a day when there is a heavy cross wind which happens a lot where I boat. The combo shift/throttles on my Formula were a tad sticky and you could add too much power or not enough around the dock as you were going into and out of gear. Both work fine, but I prefer the split arrangement.
 
Yup. The Split arrangement is VERY flexible. Very, very good for docking.

You can also shift the engines out of gear at 3,000 RPM -> No sweat! (gulp)

My throttles have indents. It is not possible to run 3100 RPM. Choices are 2400 RPM 2900RPM, then 3200 RPM, then 3600RPM.

On balance: I like the split throttles!
 
comsnark said:
Yup. The Split arrangement is VERY flexible. Very, very good for docking.You can also shift the engines out of gear at 3,000 RPM -> No sweat! (gulp)
On balance: I like the split throttles!
Click to expand...

Yes, the "out of gear at high RPMs" is a potential issue, especially if you are running in a rough sea and go to reach for something on the helm and miss because of a wave. You also have to watch people when they move around the cockpit while running as some have a tendency to want to hold onto to something like your shifters not realizing the potential for dissaster.
 
My brother-in-law has split throttle/shifters and I remember his warning to be sure the throttle is at idle before shifting.
 
I believe most manuals say to not shift above 1000 rpms. I seldom dock above 500.
 
My 320 is I/O with split throttles -- I love it. Very easy to get used to. Only thing to learn was that it didn't pivot perfectly at the lowest throttle point with the stern drives. Sometimes I need to give reverse just a bit of extra throttle to turn the boat. I always dock w/o the wheel so that was a bit of a learning curve.
 
i've never used the single lever system, other than in my previous boats (outdrives). if you speak to split owners, they all like it. if you speak to single lever guys, they like what they have. it's all what you get used to.

when i was a kid, my dad had a 1970 35' chris craft commander with a split setup that i havent seen since. the throttles were on one module in the slot to the right of the steering wheel. the shifters were separated, port engine was way left and the stbd way right (like wide receivers). so as you are maneuvering in close quarters, you have both hands spread way out laterally - it really gave a good tactile sense of "pushing the boat" in the direction you pushed the lever. i like that setup better than what i have now (two shifters on one module to the left of the wheel, two throttles on one module to the right of the wheel).
 
There's a HUGE DIFFERENCE between single-level controls that use cables and the new ones that operate digitally. I will never, ever go back to a boat with split levers if digital single-lever controls are available.

I agree that single-lever cable controls aren't very good, perhaps bad enough to justify using split lever arrangements. With digital levers, however, you get much more precise control over both the throttles and the transmissions.

Some systems are even smart enough to automatically adjust their throttle curve when you're docking. That is, the system applies the power on a different curve when docking. When on plane the curve is instantaneous, as you'd expect. But when docking the system will more slowly ramp up how much throttle gets applied. This helps avoid the sudden panic problems of too much throttle. It's hard to explain this in text, you really have to try it to understand how great it is to use.

Sure, there's always the usual criticisms about electronic controls and reliability, but the same thing applies to cables that bind or hydraulic systems that leak. All systems, hydraulic, cable or digital, all provide manual control in the event of failure, so you never end up completely 'stuck' if a control fails.

I'd chose in this order: single-lever digital, split levers and (dead last) single-lever cables.
 
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