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throttle adjustments

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allentownsend

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As I approach my second season with my boat I am trying to better understand the throttle adjustments.
I posted a description of my 20' Bennington tritoon earlier. It is my first power boat. I have many years of experience with sailboats and auxiliary motors, but this weighs about twice what my latest sailboat weighed and has 140 vs 3 hp.

I find the throttle hard to control when docking. I am not able to "feather" the engine when stopping and starting which leads to excessive banging forward and reverse. As soon as the gears mesh, the boat responds with more power than I would like when I am maneuvering close to the dock, and so far, I cannot get it out of gear quick enough. Clearly, I need more practice, however, my concern is that the motor is not set up as well as it could be, and I do not know what is possible or what it (or I) should be doing.

I got minimal on the water help last year, but I was not prepared with specific questions. I have arranged with my dealer to try a smaller diameter prop and do a lake test with one of the technicians before he delivers the boat later this month.

Do you have any thoughts on how I can get the most out of the lake test?

Thanks,
Allen
 
Mechanical throttle (i.e. cables)? There can be some adjustments there. Also the binnacle itself has some adjustability with how much effort or friction is involved with moving the throttle, typically a set screw.

But yes some practice and experience is needed to get your particular situation down where you can safely maneuver your craft. Prop is unlikely to be the main culprit - for example I swing a roughly 15 inch diameter SS prop on a 250 hp outboard and can shimmy that boat into our tight slip without bumping a fender. Wind and tide would certainly make things tougher. It's more of an RPM thing in my opinion, if you can keep it between 500-1000 then you should be able to gently move the boat around without to much drama. If the RPM is spiking, then maybe adjustments on the throttle are the answer.

Gear clunking could also be related to the type of hub you have inside your prop, but that's not going to impact maneuverability.

I think working with the dealer is always the best answer as they do this day in and day out. If you are a DIY type lots of info out there on other boating sites and Youtube.

Good luck!
 
And I'll add, unless you are fighting a significant wind or current, there is no need to power into a docking space. I cringe when I see someone pull rapidly into a slip and then jam the motor in reverse to act as a brake. A lot can go wrong doing that.

Use coasting to your advantage. Bump the throttle into gear briefly and then back to neutral. Coast a little. Adjust steering. Put it back into forward (or reverse) for just a brief time then coast again. Adjust and repeat.
 
I would guess the type of steering you have is behind what is going on. Do you have mechanical (cable) steering? Hydraulic steering? Power assist hydraulic steering?
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Mechanical throttle (i.e. cables)? There can be some adjustments there. Also the binnacle itself has some adjustability with how much effort or friction is involved with moving the throttle, typically a set screw.

But yes some practice and experience is needed to get your particular situation down where you can safely maneuver your craft. Prop is unlikely to be the main culprit - for example I swing a roughly 15 inch diameter SS prop on a 250 hp outboard and can shimmy that boat into our tight slip without bumping a fender. Wind and tide would certainly make things tougher. It's more of an RPM thing in my opinion, if you can keep it between 500-1000 then you should be able to gently move the boat around without to much drama. If the RPM is spiking, then maybe adjustments on the throttle are the answer.

Gear clunking could also be related to the type of hub you have inside your prop, but that's not going to impact maneuverability.

I think working with the dealer is always the best answer as they do this day in and day out. If you are a DIY type lots of info out there on other boating sites and Youtube.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comments.
I generally coast into my dock. If I am coming in too fast, I will try to slow it by putting it in reverse, but as soon as the gears engage, it usually stops the boat instead of slowing it. I expect it is just getting accustomed to it, but it feels to me that there is a lot of dead space in the neutral position.

Thanks again.
 
I was told many years ago when I got my first pontoon . Practice .
Go to your marina on a day when it is not busy and practice docking .
One of the features I have on my Verado , the binnacle has a "dock " button that limits my rpms
1780489871207.png
 
I have a dock button on my Mercury Verado throttle like in Jacks pic above. Do you have something like that? If so, try it out. Huge difference in “cutting” throttle power, and changing the power arc, for docking. Either way, practice is the key. Our first year with ours in 2017, my neighbors said they got a “kick” out of hanging out on their deck and watching me “learn” docking….lol

Not going to lie, that was embarrassing to hear a few years later. That said, boy did I need that practice. I would honestly just go out and practice docking for a bit, take a break, and revisit it. You’ll get the feel for it and muscle memory will kick in eventually.
 
What is the age of the boat? And you didn't mention if you had mechanical controls (cable actuated). If it's an older boat with cables they can deteriorate over time and cause issues. Mine are digital so I don't have that problem, but my wife's bicycle just blew her gear shift cables where they split the outer sheath. Water and time can play hell on metal.
 
allentownsend said:
…I find the throttle hard to control when docking. I am not able to "feather" the engine when stopping and starting which leads to excessive banging forward and reverse. As soon as the gears mesh, the boat responds with more power than I would like when I am maneuvering close to the dock, and so far, I cannot get it out of gear quick enough. Clearly, I need more practice, however, my concern is that the motor is not set up as well as it could be, and I do not know what is possible or what it (or I) should be doing…
Click to expand...
The throttle and shift cable adjustments are under the engine cover. They were initially adjusted when the boat dealer installed the motor (not in the water). If the the engine speed starts to ramp up before shift engagement the ability to ‘feather’ the throttle is lost. Throttle drag adjustment is at the control lever. If the throttle drag is too high the control can be heavy handed. With drag too low the lever must be held in position to maintain speed. The typical pontoon will have a much higher power to weight ratio than any sailboat. This makes the pontoon much more responsive to throttle. A single control lever for both shift and throttle will use half lever displacement just to engage throttle. Going from forward to reverse involves a lot of dead band. If conditions allow it approach the dock slowly by bumping control in and out of forward.
 
Thanks, it seems to me that the engine might be reving up too soon. I will ask the technician about the adjustment under the cover.
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
What is the age of the boat? And you didn't mention if you had mechanical controls (cable actuated). If it's an older boat with cables they can deteriorate over time and cause issues. Mine are digital so I don't have that problem, but my wife's bicycle just blew her gear shift cables where they split the outer sheath. Water and time can play hell on metal.
Click to expand...
the boat was new last season. It's a 2025.
 
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