Bucket control lever

[Ben Okopnik]

Hi, all -

Newbie jet owner here, so still trying to figure out the basics; any help would be appreciated.

My little Rinker Rocket came with an obviously "after-market" control lever (can't say I think much of the quality, or the installation):



Now, in addition to being ugly, it also seems to have a tendency to drop into reverse - at least on land, where after trailering the boat, the lever is always pointing backwards - which is sorta nervous-making if you imagine it happening at speed in the water. The way it feels makes sense, more or less; moves very easy initially, then feels like I'm swinging a largish weight (smooth but somewhat heavy) as you move toward center, then very easy again.

So, some questions come to mind:

1) What does the standard control for this look like?
2) Did it have a neutral detent originally?
3) Would it make sense to gin up a couple of springs behind the plate that would center this thing by default?
4) Is there any sort of an adjustable brake on these cables?

I can clean up the way it looks - replace that plate with, say, some StarBoard and radius the corners, reposition the mounting screws, etc. - but I'm mostly focused on how it should function right now, and being unfamiliar with jets, I'd like to get some feedback from you more knowledgeable folks.

 

[Scottintexas]

As I mentioned before, I think you're the only Rinker Rocket member so info will be short,

Here is a picture I was able to google for the original lever,


I would think that the heaviness you are feeling is the actual bucket dropping down. The bucket is probably shaking during trailering and causing it to drop into reverse. There is probably a tension adjustment behind the plate.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Ben Okopnik]

@Scottintexas - awesome; I couldn't find anything like that when I looked around. Thank you!

So: it was a single-lever Teleflex that controls both the bucket and the throttle. Makes total sense. No positive detent, has a neutral safety switch... nicer modern versions are running ~$300.

Love it. I'm getting rid of that stupid, ugly, corroded foot pedal as soon as the mailman brings me my replacement lever.

 

[Bruce]

Love it. I'm getting rid of that stupid, ugly, corroded foot pedal as soon as the mailman brings me my replacement lever.

Wow, a foot pedal would be difficult in rough water. Anytime you cross a wave the impact is going to force you to throttle up!

 

[Ben Okopnik]

Wow, a foot pedal would be difficult in rough water. Anytime you cross a wave the impact is going to force you to throttle up!

Yep. When I saw the lashup I have now, I thought "well, maybe there's something weird about jet boats, and the previous owner knew better than I do!" Nope. And yeah, pounding
into the chop in Hillsborough Bay immediately demonstrated why it's such a bad idea. I didn't let it run away from me - as it was, I was playing the throttle a bit and trying to learn
what the boat would do - but I could see somebody really getting into a mess with it.

I emailed SeaStar earlier today to find out if I can use one of their (nicely ergonomic) dual controls:

If not, then I'll get one of those Teleflex jet boat controls and call it a day. Well, I'll still need to glass in the hole they made at the base of the bench to run the cable through
(cruuude...), but me and West System epoxy and CSM are old friends.