Inadvertent Throttle Engagement

[Mr. Ed]

Well, more like butt induced throttle movement. 😳 Full disclosure(s) I'm still new to the boat (R31-S), and I'm not petite at 245lbs. If I turn around (to my left) to check traffic behind the boat, once in a while a wave will catch me off guard and my butt cheek will bump the throttle enough to increase rpms. I kind of figured the culprit was my fat butt, but I just had two much less wide bodied friends on the boat, and each of them also had the same experience, even after I made them aware of the phenomenon.

I plan to upgrade the helm seat in the near future to something with fold down arms (I think this will help), but I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this, and if there is an interesting temporary fix. Cosmetic surgery to remove one gluteus maximus is not on the table.

Feel free to have fun with this, and if anybody has an actual solution please feel free to chime in!

 

[Matty]

this is like true confessions posting.

Only in the interest of providing useful information to others so they do not make the same mistake---

Docking in rain and wind at my home dock the boat got a bit sideways. While reaching out the starboard window to push off my sons boat on the lift next to me I inadvertently pushed the throttle forward a bit and his prop took out my starboard sliding window (remember his boat was on a lift if you are trying to picture that).

All I can say is that I rarely reach that far anymore and will work on reducing the mid-section.

 

[ShortCut]

I had a similar experience in our C242 (C24). I was docking in a tight space, turned around to check the stern position, and my clothing snagged the throttle. Revving the engine while docking is not a good thing. I managed to regain control quickly, but I felt like an idiot and hoped nobody was looking.

Marshall

 

[SLyle01]

Embarassing: departing slip in a strong portside x-wind, reaching out helm sliding window to fend off a rapidly-closing piling on Stbd. side, I inadvertently bumped throttle (R27 O/B). Boat shot fwd.,, just missing bow-anchor on a larger cruiser. Averted disaster, but having a Stbd. sliding window just above throttle is a definite (potential) HAZARD....for us klutzes.

 

[baz]

Mr Ed: Your confession is truly admirable.... 🙂

Now to the point... Yes, this has happened to me without having an oversized torso or gluteus muscles (I'm just a slim guy weighing in at 176 lbs). :roll:

It has happened on my three previous boats; R25 Classic, R21 EC and the R27/OB. For the R27/OB the issue can be quite dangerous in close proximity to other boats because the F300 HP outboard provides a significant thrust with just a slight throttle movement.

I now have the R29 CB and I'm happy to report after having the Volvo LowSpeed feature installed on its engine this issue for the most part is no longer a problem for me.

When I enter my dock's fairway I immediately place the throttle into neutral and engage the LowSpeed mode. Moving the throttle lever to the first detent and for the next 15º of fwd movement the LowSpeed mode is employed. Beyond this 15º normal throttle operation is activated. This now means as I dock any slight bumping of the throttle lever produces a very slight increase in prop RPM which is not in any way dangerous and does not present any sudden and unexpected increase in forward motion. It works well in avoid the issue you've raised. I had heard of people using the LowSpeed for docking and thought it odd as for the most part prior to having the LowSpeed installed I had no problem docking and leaning out the starboard helm window using a small box under my feet to provide me some extra height. However, this LowSpeed feature has really helped me avoid the issue of 'bumping' the throttle lever, and even if I did slightly, no problem would arise.

Yes, installing the LowSpeed is not without cost, but for me it's an added benefit as I installed it for my fishing/trolling activity.

Now docking with a strong side wind at a dock is another matter all together, and the LowSpeed feature likely is of less use.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Thanks to everyone for the informative and entertaining replies! What I didn't mention was that this only has happened to my crew and me in open water, and never in confined spaces. The main reason for that is that when the boat is scurrying along the bow rides high (even with the trim tabs fully extended) making it almost impossible to see traffic astern without rotating out of the helm seat and bending over (not sure what this position would be called in yoga, but sometimes it turns into a barking spider). To help eliminate the need for this awkward, if humorous contortion, I have installed a Garmin GC-12 rear facing camera that does a good job of showing stuff behind the transom at all speeds. Still, sometimes my crew and I like to get a visual confirmation of course and speed of overtaking craft.

So far I have not trusted my crew to dock the boat. If things go pear shaped, I don't want to be able to blame anybody but myself. I'm not interested in the low speed valve for several reasons, not the least of which is that I don't fish. And I'm a cheap bastage. My other reason is that the concept of deliberately slipping a clutch to effect slower shaft speeds goes against an entire lifetime of automotive training about NOT slipping clutches. I'm sure it works, but it's not for me. And whenever I get far enough in the slip to halt forward/rearward motion, I ALWAYS engage the throttle only button... that's a wonderful feature!

I imagine that all boats with throttle levers either under the window or next to the door are going to be subject to this phenomenon, and I kind of hoped that someone would have made a stainless steel tube that would install inboard of the lever to protect it from accidental engagement. In lieu of that, I'll look forward to a new helm seat with armrests that should (hopefully) protect the lever from my prodigious posterior.

 

[baz]

Mr Ed: If you drive a geared car the clutch plates will always slip as you change gears... they are designed this way for a reason

For your Volvo engine in your R31 S the clutch plates will always slip as they are engaged. Think about it, the engine is running at 700 RPM at idle and when you want forward motion as the hydraulic pistons push the prop connected clutch plate to the engine's clutch plate they will slip as the two plates engage. There's no getting away from this, and is as designed for making a smooth transfer of power to the prop shaft.

Yes, the LowSpeed when in use is causing the plates to slip continuously but from my readings and advice/info from qualified Volvo engine technicians this is not a big issue at all as the plates are purposely made for this slippage over time and there's adequate cooling in the transmission to get rid of unwanted heat caused by the clutch plate friction. It used to be that all Volvo engines came with LowSpeed feature installed as stock. It was after awhile that Volvo decided to make the LowSpeed optional so as to make some extra cash/revenue - a business decision of course.

Now get your butt in gear ASAP. :lol:

 

[ShortCut]

My previous boat had a throttle that locked in place at neutral, which was in the straight-up position. From there, I had to press a button on the throttle in order to move it into either forward or reverse. I always KNEW when I had it in neutral. With our new C24, there is always a doubt as to whether it is in neutral or not. Neutral is unmarked and at an angle instead of straight-up. Forward, neutral, and reverse all feel and sound the same.

Finding neutral is critical when docking. Failing to find neutral always leads to great entertainment for the people watching from the dock. The 300 HP engine is ready to compound the problem as you overcompensate. One time I docked with perfection, but discovered that the throttle was still in the forward position as I was stepping onto the dock.

I solved the problem with three pieces of blue masking tape marking the throttle position for forward, neutral, and reverse. Now I know for sure where neutral is. I highly recommend this fix for all boats where neutral is found by trial and error.

Marshall

 

[Mr. Ed]

Fortunately, my throttle has a green neutral indicator light, so finding neutral is easy.

 

[Joan and Jim]

Mr. Ed, in addition to the green indicator light you can find in settings a way to have an audible "beep" when you go to neutral.

 

[Mr. Ed]

I don't have a problem with neutral, but thanks for the info. My only problem is with bumping the throttle while under way.

 

[rackline]

We also experience the same issue using the pilot house door on our r29 where the the shift/throttle lever for the Yanmar extends well into the door opening. Regardless of the size of one's tuchus, it's difficult to squeeze past the lever using the door while underway without pushing it forward and accelerating the boat to everyone's surprise. I'm definitely looking for a solution by either swapping the positions of the trim tabs switch with shift/throttle control moving it further back, or finding a short, stubby lever replacement that doesn't stick out so far.