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Reversing assembly on Elm Street
Dear forum members,
I have been trying to get my reversing assembly right since last September. It all started to go south when I was trying to reverse and drive my anchor into the bed out at the Channel Islands in California. I got a horrific whining and engine dying. I also bust my head gasket at the same time and just sailed home without engine at all the next morning.
FORWARD:
Many months later, after a general overhaul and much futzing around, I found the true spot for my forward gear that gave a) solid thunk of detent, and b) about 5 knots of speed on the water. Having got into some nasty weather and having to be towed home (because I had only about 1.7 kts in forward) I finally felt.. Ah, how satisfying! Meanwhile I also had a "good enough" reversing situation to know that if I teased into the slip and hauled on the whining reverse I had a 50/50 chance of not crashing into the dock box.
REVERSE:
Sadly, it only took another day on the water or two before my reverse took over the whole procedure. I was moving my boat up the coast 40 miles from Oxnard to Santa Barbara that day and as I pulled out of the slip with my new, charming Swedish milk-maid crew-member I realized that all I had was reverse, and now at quite a heady clip! Embarrassment aside, I swung a few wide figure eights around the harbor until I found my new helmsmanship in reverse and then my Swedish lovely friend gamely took the wheel and throttle as I jumped off and grabbed the rail and we made it back in to the slip. I popped the gearbox plate off and found that the roller had broken off the reversing bolt, which now clattered away uselessly. Why it was stuck in reverse, I do not know, but after I put it back together (with no reversing bolt in place) we were now able to get only forward gear. This would get us to our destination, with fun and slip games to be had in my new downwind slip.
KAMINSKY MOD:
When I got to Santa Barbara, I did the only decent thing, I bore a hole in the side of the reversing assembly box, (and adjacent bulkhead, naturally) and removed and replaced my new reversing band bolt. I slowly adjusted until I recognized the approximate place where forward gear releases and pulling back tightens the reversing band. I maintained the same forward notch on the collar as I still wanted my five knots of fun.
DISASTER SMILES ON OUR FOOLISH SCHEMES:
Sadly my reverse was only "piss-poor" as my grandfather would say, no matter how many times I adjusted it. And I adjusted it about 15 times. I got three options. a) It died a death when I put it into reverse, with the hopeful appearance of going backwards and then a loud "THUNK" and the engine died. b) There was no reverse at all, ("sorry we are ignoring your request for reverse, reverse does not exist on planet Atomic Four, there is only forward.") c) There is kind of reverse, but it is so weak that you have to really watch the propshaft to be sure it is actually vaguely turning anti-clockwise, and barely any movement backwards. More of a neutral + milktoast, really.
SAD ENDING:
For some reason, after the last time that I got the deadening "THUNK" and the engine died, my forward would not get into the forward detent. I loosened the forward adjusting collar a few notches, nothing. I tightened it, nothing. I lost my notch place altogether (the collar spins if you don't control it very carefully) but I still have no forward detent in the groove, I have no idea where reverse is, I cannot get neutral or reverse and I think I am getting some kind of forward though I don't know how. (when I push the lever into forward, there is a metallic clunking against metal as if something has reached its limit. Oh, and I cannot prize the three fingers open.
QUESTION:
Beyond the adjustable forward and reverse mechanisms, is there something else that could be binding or preventing working of both gears? What happens when the gear wheels and pinions and whatnot gets funky? Do they sieze or bind or foul up or something? Could it be aft of the gear mechanism? Or is it time to spend the ghastly $90 per hour and get a mechanic here (from an hour south, mind you) because something is wrong? I must have had that lid off the reversing assembly 100 times over the past 9 months. I have tightened and loosened and adjusted and linked and unlinked that system of bands, bars, pins, springs, retaining pins, collars and levers. Please hit me with a hammer and take my wallet. I'm toast. (or enlighten me with your higher understanding).
I have been trying to get my reversing assembly right since last September. It all started to go south when I was trying to reverse and drive my anchor into the bed out at the Channel Islands in California. I got a horrific whining and engine dying. I also bust my head gasket at the same time and just sailed home without engine at all the next morning.
FORWARD:
Many months later, after a general overhaul and much futzing around, I found the true spot for my forward gear that gave a) solid thunk of detent, and b) about 5 knots of speed on the water. Having got into some nasty weather and having to be towed home (because I had only about 1.7 kts in forward) I finally felt.. Ah, how satisfying! Meanwhile I also had a "good enough" reversing situation to know that if I teased into the slip and hauled on the whining reverse I had a 50/50 chance of not crashing into the dock box.
REVERSE:
Sadly, it only took another day on the water or two before my reverse took over the whole procedure. I was moving my boat up the coast 40 miles from Oxnard to Santa Barbara that day and as I pulled out of the slip with my new, charming Swedish milk-maid crew-member I realized that all I had was reverse, and now at quite a heady clip! Embarrassment aside, I swung a few wide figure eights around the harbor until I found my new helmsmanship in reverse and then my Swedish lovely friend gamely took the wheel and throttle as I jumped off and grabbed the rail and we made it back in to the slip. I popped the gearbox plate off and found that the roller had broken off the reversing bolt, which now clattered away uselessly. Why it was stuck in reverse, I do not know, but after I put it back together (with no reversing bolt in place) we were now able to get only forward gear. This would get us to our destination, with fun and slip games to be had in my new downwind slip.
KAMINSKY MOD:
When I got to Santa Barbara, I did the only decent thing, I bore a hole in the side of the reversing assembly box, (and adjacent bulkhead, naturally) and removed and replaced my new reversing band bolt. I slowly adjusted until I recognized the approximate place where forward gear releases and pulling back tightens the reversing band. I maintained the same forward notch on the collar as I still wanted my five knots of fun.
DISASTER SMILES ON OUR FOOLISH SCHEMES:
Sadly my reverse was only "piss-poor" as my grandfather would say, no matter how many times I adjusted it. And I adjusted it about 15 times. I got three options. a) It died a death when I put it into reverse, with the hopeful appearance of going backwards and then a loud "THUNK" and the engine died. b) There was no reverse at all, ("sorry we are ignoring your request for reverse, reverse does not exist on planet Atomic Four, there is only forward.") c) There is kind of reverse, but it is so weak that you have to really watch the propshaft to be sure it is actually vaguely turning anti-clockwise, and barely any movement backwards. More of a neutral + milktoast, really.
SAD ENDING:
For some reason, after the last time that I got the deadening "THUNK" and the engine died, my forward would not get into the forward detent. I loosened the forward adjusting collar a few notches, nothing. I tightened it, nothing. I lost my notch place altogether (the collar spins if you don't control it very carefully) but I still have no forward detent in the groove, I have no idea where reverse is, I cannot get neutral or reverse and I think I am getting some kind of forward though I don't know how. (when I push the lever into forward, there is a metallic clunking against metal as if something has reached its limit. Oh, and I cannot prize the three fingers open.
QUESTION:
Beyond the adjustable forward and reverse mechanisms, is there something else that could be binding or preventing working of both gears? What happens when the gear wheels and pinions and whatnot gets funky? Do they sieze or bind or foul up or something? Could it be aft of the gear mechanism? Or is it time to spend the ghastly $90 per hour and get a mechanic here (from an hour south, mind you) because something is wrong? I must have had that lid off the reversing assembly 100 times over the past 9 months. I have tightened and loosened and adjusted and linked and unlinked that system of bands, bars, pins, springs, retaining pins, collars and levers. Please hit me with a hammer and take my wallet. I'm toast. (or enlighten me with your higher understanding).
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