With the boat in the water, engine running, try engaging the gears slowly. You'll hear sort of a grinding sound UNLESS you have the old electric shift, but your engine doesn't look like it. They only made the electric shift for a short while and you shifted it by pushing on a set of buttons. A family friend had twin 50s on his 21 footer with the electric shift. They worked good when they were working, if you get my drift.

The clutch and gears are all down at the prop, so that's where the sound will come from.

If all you are hearing is a click or quick thunk when you're shifting, then you're doing it the right way and there's nothing to worry about. Too often, newbies are afraid so they shift too slow and the clutch's teeth wear out before their time. When they wear out, it won't stay in gear.

BTW, watch out for those rubber hooks. Many a fish has been lost because of them...

 

Ahhhhh yes, the rubber hooks.


When I shift, I just hear a clunk, so I'm assuming that I'm doing everything right.

Thanks for your help Dennis, you really seem to know what you're talking about. (You know more than me, which is a good thing )

 

You're welcome. First time my father let me steer (couldn't really "pilot" a boat back then) a boat (19 foot that was originally a 21' inboard powered double ender with the stern cut off to install a transom for the outboard with a single 35 hp Johnson with cable and pulley steering) was when I was 5 years old, sitting on his lap. He replaced that boat with an 18' Seabird that came with the white 120 horse Mercruiser and later repowered with the black 140 Merc with the old Chevy 181 c.i. 4 cylinder engine. Anybody olde enough to remember when Mercruisers were white? If you watch the old Flipper series, the boat had twin Mercs that were white. I'm 46 now, so been boating/fishing for 45 years.

Haven't had an outboard in ages, so advice is mostly from memory and just being around friends and their outboard powered boats. The lower end of the outboard is pretty much the same as the lower end of sterndrives, which is what I know most about. The last sterndrive with a dog clutch was the Mercruiser in my old man's Seabird, but that boat was sold almost 30 years ago, which explains why it took me a while to remember certain things.

Most of my recent experience has been with Volvo gas and diesel sterndrives (DuoProp) and straight shaft inboard diesels. Not much of a fan of Mercruiser. Mercs don't hold up as well as Volvo, especially when used in heavy boats in saltwater.

Anyway, if you have any other questions that I might be able to help you with, don't hesitate to ask. If I don't know, I'm sure there are other boating and fishing enthusiasts on this site. My knowledge is limited, however, to saltwater fishing and boating.

Don't know anything about freshwater fishing, except for salmon and the only thing I know about bass fishing is how my jaw hits the ground with complete and utter awe at the boats bass fishermen use!

 

New to the board, but glad my first post is about a boat! Congrats on the new boat, I have been fortunate to be selling my 6th right now!!! When are ya gonna get bigger, have ya had that feelling yet?!!!!! Good luck

 

Yes, already want to go bigger.........