Add Clutch to Jet Boat?

[FeelinNauti]

I was wondering if anyone added a clutch to their jet boat. My twin engine 2012 Challenger is a bit of a pain starting at a dock since it starts moving as soon as one of the two engines are started and then you have a slight delay starting the second. You can't start it in reverse (throttle is tied to bucket position - not separate controls).

 

[DooGuy]

That sounds like a hassle to add. Shoot us some pics of your bucket angles. Forward, reverse and neutral. Sounds like an adjustment is off. I can go 30-40 seconds between firing left and right engines with barley moving on the docks. I have dual controls though so I have different perspective but I’d start there before interrupting the drive line. Just my 2 cents.

 

[JPass]

I have the same boat and it's not that difficult to maneuver. If it's windy or I'm worried about moving forward when starting I'll just put my right hand on the throttle and start the motors while quickly slipping it into reverse enough to keep us steady.

You can also try giving yourself more room on the dock if you have it.

Adding a clutch or transmission to these boats would be costly if was even possible.

 

[slaizer2000]

I keep a dock line attached to middle cleat on boat and then threaded through or around cleat on dock (kind of like a pulley). I or someone holds the end so when I start the boat I don't move very much. Then when I do the throttle you can slowly release the dock line and pull the end attached to the boat cleat up so it doesn't get sucked up. This gives me some time to get both engines running without drifting away from the dock due to the one engine. I tend to do this more often when the dock/ramp is very narrow and there are other boats/ramps around so I don't hit anyone.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

clutch would be VERY VEEEEEEEERY hard to install. Believe me. When I was retrofitting my 97 Challenger, I went through many options and ideas, including putting a bike engine in there. There is not much space, and you'd have to do $o much cu$tom $tuff, you might as well hang an outboard on it.

 

[dsm]

Besides the complexity of the clutch itself, you would also need to add a pump for cooling water for the exhaust, since that is currently tapped off the jet pump, and if that wasn't spinning you would melt the exhaust.

 

[anthonymsaad]

I didn't see it mentioned but I have the same boat and my engines fire up at nearly the same time. Last year, it may have been 0.25 second delay but after replacing plugs, they've been firing up at the same time. I definitely understand where you're coming from with one engine fired up and having asymmetric power till the second one fires up. Like @DooGuy said, could also be a bucket alignment issue and would help too.

 

[Premix]

The reverse gate safety latch adds some imprecision to the gate position. With your boat on the trailer and the shifter at the neutral position, you can move the gate by hand and see hot much it flaps around. Is there a better spring for that latch? Is the latch really necessary?

 

[gazzaskirepair]

Adjust the reverse cable which will decrease the movement
This repositions the reverse bucket may not get a zero movement but a more manageable one

 

[JrFiero]

It's definitely a cable adjustment like gazzaskirepair says. A pain to do (at least on my Utopia, twin engine one control) and it's trial and error until you get the forward and reverse thrust balanced in "neutral."
I'd forget the clutch idea.