While I agree with you on the controls, I'm gonna be a grinch here on something

Posted By: Charlie Jones, Meridian 25 "Tehani" Magnolia Beach, Tex
Date: 12/15/07 6:06a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: OBs and OB control (James Newsome)

We chose our Yamaha JUST because it had the shift on the tiller handle so we didn't have to watch anything to get it shifted- just reach down and do it- Ours is in a well at the end of the cockpit. Now to the grinch part- If you NEEDED the engine in reverse to stop your forward motion coming into a dock, you were moving too fast. You should NEVER depend on a reverse gear stopping your boat. Because one day it won't work!! I've seen two boats go up onto docks because the reverse failed. One was a Morgan Out Island 41 and the gear shift handle came off in the skippers hand. Fortunately it had shifted into neutral first or it could have been really bad. Years and years ago, when I was just starting sailing I had an old timer tell me- NEVER rely on reverse- approach docks, etc as if you didn't HAVE a reverse. Then when you want to use it, it MAY have a shot at doing it's job. We always kill all way just before arriving, then use bursts of forward to get us in. Reverse is for backing out of the slip But I still agree on the controls- it's such a PITA to crawl back, reach over the stern and try to shift an engine, or change the throttle setting. A remote set up is really nice