18 2+3 shifter mod

[Bobby D]

After owning this boat a few months I decided to do something about the appearance of a large aluminum plate used to cover up a large access hole created by a previous owner either to work on the original morse shifter or change it out. Ever time I climb in my eyes go right to the plate and the 15 screws (several different types) and each corner that has a slightly different radius. I am working on a cover plate that I plan to power coat off white with the hope that it will not stand out as much and possibly give it a factory look. Still a work in progress but let me know what you think.
I am also working on a new SS switch plate with studs welded on the back to hide the screw holes. Have not decided yet but I may have it chrome plated, will go after the trim tabs next.

[MOP]

Looks pretty slick will watch for more pics!

Phil

[Tom Smith]

That may be what I will have to do with my old worn out shifter. How well does that Morse shifter work in there? Tom

[Kirbyvv]

Very nice Bob. Taking a beauty and making it even sweeter.

[Bobby D]

Tom the shifter and cables are new and work very well. However my sky sporter shifts even better. The 18 goes in and out of gear smooth but the ski sporter shifts so smooth you cant hear or feel it shift, it just happens.

[Tom Smith]

On the 18 2+3 is that Donzi sign on the shifter plate a decal or what. It looks really nice on there.

[DonziBuoy]

Once again I am finding all the answers to my Donzi on this site. My cable is shot, but I am having a hard time getting off my Morse Shifter - can't understand why except I think the screws must be turning in place with the nut not giving.

I can't seem to reach around, so Bobby, is it possible your previous owner drilled out the shifter?

I hate to do that, but if I do, I like what you did, looks "stock".

Jim

[Kirbyvv]

Donzi Bouy, you need a skinny kid with long arms to reach the back of the shifter. Its a PIA, then the first thing that happens is you drop something and it is gone for good back there.

[DonziBuoy]

In fact, there is a skinny kid with long arms that works at the boat yard.

OR

I need a 3 ft adjustable spanner.

Seriously, I would like to know how you guys have done it, it is like one of those mysteries.

Jim

[Tom Smith]

Does the Morse shifter hook right up to the existing cables? Tom

[Bobby D]

Tom what you are seeing in the picture is me playing around with a paper cutout to get a feel for scale and what it would look like should I decide to have a sticker or emblem made.
The replacement morse shifter on the 18 is attached to the large aluminum plate and the plate is poorly secured to the tub with many screws. The plan is to install say 4 or 6 fasteners behind the screw holes in the tub and than screw the plate down tight and cover the whole mess up with the (bezel) cover plate. The other night I looked at the shifter from behind the tub with a see snake and yes both cables are directly attached. The original HM 302 and Volvo 270 were replaced with a 5.7 GSI EFI and Volvo SX so nothing is original including the cables.

Donzibouy, yes a previous owner cut out the original shifter to gain access and work on it. The plate covers up the cutout. Also Kirby is correct it can be done without cutting the tub but it is a real PITA, my ski sporter shifter was modified to work with a foot throttle and the the previous owner was small enough to clever enough to figure out how to do it and cut the boat.

[Tom Smith]

Thanks for the info. I was able to pick up a new in box Morse shifter on e bay. It should be here any day. Howard O is going to help me install it. I have vertigo and can't bend over much without getting dizzy and falling over. He said he will give me a hand to replace the worn out original one with the new Morse MV-2. What a great guy. Tom

[Lenny]

Working on the MORSE shifter is an unbelievable pain. :yes: You have to take off the nuts from the inside, try not to drop ANYTHING while using only one hand and the few available fingers. Obviously, definately, this item was pre-rigged prior to placing the deck onto the hull. It is the poorest design from a "have to work on it" standpoint that I can think of. Short of the larger cutout and then the blockoff plate mentioned above, it is a dreaded job.

I love the Morse shifter tho, just not the location and "all but" inability to remove it successfully once the hull/deck is buttoned up. I did mine last summer on the X-18. Thank goodness I am right handed and have a port boat and it requires my "good" right eye. I can not imagine doing this to a starboard helm 18...with my left hand/arm and bad left eye... :(

Also, I took digital pics with flash on with my camera and downloaded 'em so I knew what I was "looking" at when my blind hands went in.

[jl1962]

I fit just about anywhere.
Will work for boatrides!
:wink:

Lenny - the digital camera is a great idea.

JL

[Tom Smith]

What is the thickness of the one with all the screws in it. And is the new one you made being glued over the old one to hide the screws. I have a flying buddy in NY who is a machinist and he is going to make that back plate for me out of aluminum or stainless. What is the thickness of the stuff on your boat. It really looks nice on there. Tom

[DonziBuoy]

Tom what you are seeing in the picture is me playing around with a paper cutout to get a feel for scale and what it would look like should I decide to have a sticker or emblem made.
The replacement morse shifter on the 18 is attached to the large aluminum plate and the plate is poorly secured to the tub with many screws. The plan is to install say 4 or 6 fasteners behind the screw holes in the tub and than screw the plate down tight and cover the whole mess up with the (bezel) cover plate. The other night I looked at the shifter from behind the tub with a see snake and yes both cables are directly attached. The original HM 302 and Volvo 270 were replaced with a 5.7 GSI EFI and Volvo SX so nothing is original including the cables.
Donzibouy, yes a previous owner cut out the original shifter to gain access and work on it. The plate covers up the cutout. Also Kirby is correct it can be done without cutting the tub but it is a real PITA, my ski sporter shifter was modified to work with a foot throttle and the the previous owner was small enough to clever enough to figure out how to do it and cut the boat.
Bobby, I got a skinny kid 6'5" 130 lbs to reach around and unscrew the back plate. Even then it was a b-i-t-c-h. New shifter cable in and now I have reverse:wink:

Jim

[Bobby D]

Built-Rite Carpet
Refurbished Steering wheel
Registration numbers
Powder coated cover plate, first you see the aluminum plate with the screws and now you don’t …well almost. Pictures were taken inside with a flash, cover plate should look better in daylight.

[Kirbyvv]

Very nice Bob. Now how'd you get those screws in the cover plate to magically disappear???

[BigGrizzly]

Bob very nice indeed. You do good work.

[Bobby D]

Kirby,
Simple what you are looking at is an aluminum cover plate (bezel) that I made to fit over the one that is fastened to the tub with all those screws. I was going to have DONZI engraved on it and plate it but later decided to powder coat it off white and make it blend in with the interior, figured it would look better that way. Last night I smooched it on with dab of RTV silicon in each corner and if I have to work on the cables I can pull it off and reuse it later. If the RTV does not work I have some very thin 2 faced tape that will keep it on for sure. I’ll do something with the trim tab switch plate over the winter I was going to do both at the same time however when I pull of the switch plate I found a rats nest of wires and jumper and decided to deal with it later.
Next step is to install this switch plate that will replace the existing one on the port side of the steering wheel, it holds the trim and cockpit lights toggles and fuses. I made this one with studs on the back and eliminated 4 more screws on the dash.
Bob

[Bobby D]

Had the boat out over the weekend and took a few outdoor pictures.

[Just Say N20]

Looks very nice indeed.

At some point someone used green acrylic to cover a larger hole where the current shifter lives.

[Bobby D]

Completed the last two mods for 2009 last weekend, installed bunks on the magic tilt trailer and it loads much better now that I have something to aim at. Also had the new switch plate chromed and installed it on the port side of the steering wheel. Will start working on a new dash design over the winter.

[BigGrizzly]

Bob, very nice. I will get the hub out tomorrow. I have been burried in getting ready for trips and Tests to make Doctors happy plus a summer cold knocked me out. Everything has been slowed up. We are still working on the prop thing. The left hand thing is throwing a curve on the particular prop I wanted to use. We are getting close, They may make a special one for you, lets see what happens.

[Bobby D]

Randy,
Thanks and I look forward to working with you on a “special prop” for my setup. I agree with your description of the SX it is a beast. If this one performs as well as the ski sporter prop my wife will be very happy. Good news with the existing prop, based on your suggestion I set the tabs parallel or in a neutral position with the transom and did not touch them. During the run I only trimmed the ourdrive up and after finding a good position I was able to drive thru the proposing. Performance and RPM’s were much better.
Bob

[BigGrizzly]

I figured that would help a little. You see you can't tell where the tabs are. I had to get manual indicators from Stainless Marine to work on mu setup when and if I need them.

[Bobby D]

See my control installation in post #21 and N2O’s in post #22, question which one is correct? I reviewed the MV-2 owner’s manual last night and it shows (4) four possible configurations, all are horizontal side mounting and do not match what I have. Last time out the Donzi developed a throttle problem during cold start where the idle speed did not drop back to the normal 650 rpm range without bumping the hand lever several times and than finally manually pulling back the throttle arm on the carburetor. Once I got it to normal idle mode the shift worked perfect, however once I moved the hand lever forward I got very little throttle response between 600 and 2500 rpms when accelerating and decelerating. I believe the cables are 10+ years old and may be fatigued and or worn out due to the bending radius where the throttle cable turns at the hanger assembly back to the motor. When I got the 18 the original owner had already cut a larger hole and mounted the control on a piece of aluminum so cable changes and adjustments should be easy. Before I do anything stupid any suggestions on what to look for and where to start?

Bob

[Kirbyvv]

Mine is positioned like Bill's (N2O's), with the neutral saftey button toward the stern. I also added a trim switch to the Morse shifter, which is very sweet.

[Tom Smith]

My neutral pull out button is also mounted to the rear on my left hand drive setup. After replacing just the old shifter with the Morse MV 2 one we tried it and it still gave me fits trying to find neutral. . So, two new red jacket Teleflex cables later, we are in business. She shifts smooth as glass now and always comes back to a low 700 rpm idle. My old cables were so bad it wasn't funny. Probably were the originals. I used a 12' for the shifter and a 10' for the throttle. Tom

[Bobby D]

Tom,
Roger that the owner’s manual calls for 33C red jacket cables so I’ll call Teleflex today and discuss replacement options. Also it looks like there are other cables available that are high flexibility for reduced bending radius. How did you determine you needed a 10’ throttle cable?

Kirby,
Thanks and nice job on the tank replacement this summer.

[Tom Smith]

Kirby, I just measured the ones I removed. Yours may be different, but mine were 10' and 12'. I found no need for the super flexable ones. The bends that mine make don't hinder movement any that I can detect. Tom

[Bobby D]

Tom,
I would like to use the existing cable to help pull the new cable in so I’ll look at the end near the engine it may say how long it is either in ft. or inches.
Thanks for your input.
Bob

[Tom Smith]

My boat is a 1967 and it was easy enough to just remove the old cables, measure them, and fish the new ones in there. From the front of the motor compartment to where the hole in tub is for the shifter can't be more than 5 or six feet. Howard O and I had no problem what so ever putting the new ones in. Only screw up I made was attaching the cables to the new shifter. Throttle was OK, but foreward was reverse, and vice versa. That was fun on the first launch. Easy fix, but be careful. No matter how many times we read those Morse directions we still got it wrong. Well, I did, Howard was simply trusting my judgement. Tom