Lets get some terms defined.
REVERSE GATE: This is the metal flapper thing that coloses off the nozzel outlet. Closing off this outlet, forces the water to come out the bottom and forward, giving reverse. 1/2 closeing it gives something like nutural. 1/2 and 1/2 goes nowhere.
DIVERTER: Optinal doohickicky that adjusts the nozzle itself up and down. This controls the ride trim of the machine and allows shooting roosters. You may, or may not have a diverter.
CONTROL LEVER: Controls the reverse gate. Forward, nutural-ish, backwards.
THROTTLE : Typically a foot throttle like in a car.
You need to be able to control the engine (gas) without changing the reverse gate. Or, this thing just isn't going to be much fun.
Now, using these terms tell us -exactly- what is going on? Is the throttle hooked to the control lever? That -should- have been hooked to the reverse gate? Or, do you really have a diverter and the control lever is controlling that?
Do you have a foot throttle? Or is it also hooked to the control lever?
-jim lee
And my response:
Oh, okay. I was using the wrong words. Yeah, I have a diverter, it's controlled by a lever (says Place on it) on the floor. Works fine, I can feel the boat pitching up and down as I adjust
it.
There's also a reverse gate and a control lever for it mounted on the inside of the boat by the steering wheel. No foot throttle, instead the throttle is incorporated into the control lever (says Morse on it). I pulled the control lever apart, and there's a fancy linkage in it. The linkage raises the reverse gate and opens the throttle when the lever is forward, lowers the reverse gate and opens the throttle when the lever is back, and closes the throttle and lets the gate go up and down when the lever is in the intermediate position. There's an unmarked knob on the control that rotates as you move the throttle, and something that looks like a reverse lockout on the front, that doesn't move. I just took the boat back to the storage yard, or I'd take a picture of it. I'll get one this weekend.
It's kind of exciting when you pull the control lever back, and the engine revs and the boat shoots forward. Really makes those jet ski boys jump out of the way. I can see the point of
having separate throttle and reverse gate controls. I wasn't able to make the boat back up, even with the engine running almost wide open. And I have to open the throttle pretty wide to get
the engine started, so when it does catch the reverse gate is wide open, and the boat really starts to take off. The fisherman on the dock wouldn't look directly at me, but he kept watching
me out of the corners of his eyes. I think it made him nervous when I kept banging into the dock. I was paying close attention to everything I was doing, so that later on I would be able to
remember where it all went wrong. But I ran the boat, and got it back on the trailer without it sinking or catching fire. Only problem is that I only filled the gas tank on one side, so the
boat is cocked at a 20 degree angle on the trailer because it was listing to one side. I'll take a video camera next time.