Engine Controls 

Have a look at your throttle and gear shift cables, their attachments to the motor and gearbox levers as well as the operation of the main lever in the cockpit.

Make sure that the cables move freely and all nuts are tight and clevis pins are secured with a sound cotter pin ( split Pin).

Also check that the cables are properly adjusted to give positive engagement in forward, neutral and reverse, and that the motor idles at the correct speed. This is very important with single lever controls because if the motor rev’s to high in neutral it will make it hard to engage the gearbox into drive and can very well damage the cones and gears.

TIP: If you adjust your cables while on the hard just double check them when you go back into the water as the hull can flex when not fully supported by the sea. This could result in a small change in settings and cause the gearbox not to engage correctly with if not disastrous, then an embarrassing situation!