Dana Billet Side Mount Shifter

[Marine Industries West]

There used to be a billet porn section, but I'm not seeing it so I thought I'd post this here.

We get heavily complimented on the quality and function of our side mount controls so I wanted to do a quick write up so you guys can see all of the parts that go into one of these controls. As you'll see there are a alot of parts to make these controls come together. Every one of them custom made (except for switches). The design and engineering that Dana put into this control is nothing short of his own personal Picasso. This control hatched it's egg like many of our custom products. The usual engineering meeting included me and Dana at lunch with napkins and a borrowed pen from the waitress. It took over 6 weeks of day to day drawing and programming to produce the first proto type. We got such a great wave of interest on the control it was a staple moment for the company much like our billet trim tabs or power hinges.

The attention to detail it requires to machine each component and to assemble each unit is off the charts. Each control is hand assembled with custom delrin axle liners for a really smooth handle movement. The controls feature a neutral safety switch, trailer switch, kill switch, trim switches, and a neutral detent. We're very proud of these controls and the fact that we have been able to keep them in production to carry on Dana's legacy. Enjoy...

 

[Marine Industries West]

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[Marine Industries West]

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[LargeOrangeFont]

How difficult is the install?

Is it simple wiring and installing shift and throttle cables and tensioning them correctly? I have a 2004 drive package with stock Mercury controls. This looks like the direct replacement.

If not what is an average cost for install?

 

[Deja_Vu]

I'd like to know what it cost to convert from a Mercury Quicksilver also. Ball park

 

[Marine Industries West]

If you have a stock Merc control you will need to update the throttle and shift cables. You can expect to spend about $100.00 for cables and $35.00 for the engine connector kit. These are the good supreme cables. I wouldn't suggest the use of standard low quality cables. We supply detailed installation instructions. As far as the level of difficulty, it really depends on the boat itself. If you have easy access to the control area and the cable passage ways down the side of the boat, the control install will be very straight forward. It requires some cutting in the shifter mounting area, so it can be a little messy but nothing a running shopvac won't solve. Anyone who is mechanically inclined can do the install pretty easy. The wiring is a cake walk. Everything is properly color coded to meet with Mercury's trim wiring so it's just a matter of connecting the dots. We charge $500.00 labor for most installations. That includes running the boat and properly adjusting your new shift cable.

 

[Tank0088]

I actually just looked into doing this to my boat because this is my shifter now

The price I got was $750 for part and $250 for labor. I put the idea on hold for now.

 

[Shortdeck]

Hands down the best looking side mount control with a smooth action. Not to hard to install either. I would buy another.

 

[LuauLounge]

I ordered one, it sat on my coffee table for a week because I just wanted to admire it.
Installation in straight forward and relatively easy. I used stainless T nuts to mount it as there was plywood behind the old shifter.
Best improvement I've ever made to a boat......

 

[Waterjunky]

Very interesting! I am looking at doing an upgrade on my boat. The controls are now very stiff in certain locations and are difficult to operate in close quarters. I know it was designed as a replacement for Mercury controls, can it reasonably be made to work on a Volvo Penta system? I like the idea of separating the transmission control from the throttle. Of course almost anything would be an improvement over where I am at currently.

 

[Marine Industries West]

Volvo is no problem. We've done several Volvo installations.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Love my shifter!

Super high quality

Is there a way to adjust it so I don't have to always hold the throttle at anything above say idle speed. I think it might be a safety issue but all my merc shifter assemblies would allow you to throttle forward and stay for longer boat rides.

Hard to even take a drink of water and steer/throttle at the same time because the throttle goes back to idle.

 

[guest hs]

Do you make a replacement for the old Morse single lever that does shift and throttle?

 

[RiverDave]

Love my shifter!

Super high quality

Is there a way to adjust it so I don't have to always hold the throttle at anything above say idle speed. I think it might be a safety issue but all my merc shifter assemblies would allow you to throttle forward and stay for longer boat rides.

Hard to even take a drink of water and steer/throttle at the same time because the throttle goes back to idle.

I thought you did a foot throttle? Have B&D make a foot throttle over ride.

 

[bocco]

Have you considered making a single lever unit that works just like a stock Mercruiser but looks better? I just don't see any advantage to using 2 levers when one will do the job. I know most perfromance boaters like the 2 lever style but no one has been able to explain to me why they are better.

But they do look great. Compliments on the quality.

 

[Cole Trickle]

I thought you did a foot throttle? Have B&D make a foot throttle over ride.

No...Brian talked me out of a foot throttle.

I think they both have the +\-

 

[240Hallett]

Love my shifter!

Super high quality

Is there a way to adjust it so I don't have to always hold the throttle at anything above say idle speed. I think it might be a safety issue but all my merc shifter assemblies would allow you to throttle forward and stay for longer boat rides.

Hard to even take a drink of water and steer/throttle at the same time because the throttle goes back to idle.

There is an adjustment. Look for a small set screw that takes an Allen wrench.

 

[RiverDave]

No...Brian talked me out of a foot throttle.

I think they both have the +\-

you can have both and set it up where the and have Brian set it up where the hand throttle will maintain speed and the foot throttle will over ride. so you can leave the hand throttle at idle and drive like a normal foot throttle.. you can push hand throttle forward and it will maintain speed etc

 

[Bpracing1127]

This is something I really want to do but @1k in price may not happen for sometime

 

[BHC Vic]

How difficult is the install?

Is it simple wiring and installing shift and throttle cables and tensioning them correctly? I have a 2004 drive package with stock Mercury controls. This looks like the direct replacement.

If not what is an average cost for install?

I think cobra charged me 200

 

[BHC Vic]

 

[1rvrryd]

Love my shifter!

Super high quality

Is there a way to adjust it so I don't have to always hold the throttle at anything above say idle speed. I think it might be a safety issue but all my merc shifter assemblies would allow you to throttle forward and stay for longer boat rides.

Hard to even take a drink of water and steer/throttle at the same time because the throttle goes back to idle.

Same thing here. Tons nicer compared to the merc shifter, install was straight forward and much smoother with the new supreme canles- but I have the same problem; I've adjusted the Allen screw some to not make it too tight, but it'll still move back toward neutral if I take my hand off.

 

[Rattle Can Lou]

I had a master craft with tuned port injection...and the throttle assembly on the engine had a throttle return spring that you could unwrap one round to lighten it. It allowed me to circumvent the throttle throw back to idle when lever was used...made it much nicer to drive and was able to drink my high levels of alcohol...(that's a joke)...

Don't know if that applies or helps..

 

[Marine Industries West]

There is an external adjustment for the the throttle lever. Its located in the round hub. I attached a pic for reference. That set screw drives a spring on top of an aluminum brake shoe. It will tighten down enough to lock up the handle, so adjustment should be no problem.

IMO, the two lever design is far superior compared to a single lever dual function control. Once you're underway it doesn't matter a whole lot, but getting in and out of docks is much easier with this style of control. There is no lock out button to depress when passing from forward to reverse, just a smooth transition. You also don't have to worry about accidentally revving the engine and slamming the boat into gear. I've actually received phone calls from customers praising the simple operation compared to their original dual function single lever controls. So many happier wives because they can drive the boat so much easier.

 

[Cole Trickle]

There is an external adjustment for the the throttle lever. Its located in the round hub. I attached a pic for reference. That set screw drives a spring on top of an aluminum brake shoe. It will tighten down enough to lock up the handle, so adjustment should be no problem.

IMO, the two lever design is far superior compared to a single lever dual function control. Once you're underway it doesn't matter a whole lot, but getting in and out of docks is much easier with this style of control. There is no lock out button to depress when passing from forward to reverse, just a smooth transition. You also don't have to worry about accidentally revving the engine and slamming the boat into gear. I've actually received phone calls from customers praising the simple operation compared to their original dual function single lever controls. So many happier wives because they can drive the boat so much easier.

Just standard righty tighty will give it some friction to hold the throttle?

 

[Marine Industries West]

Just standard righty tighty will give it some friction to hold the throttle?

Yep, just twist slow in (right) and move the handle back and forth to your desired tension.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Yep, just twist slow in (right) and move the handle back and forth to your desired tension.

Thank you[emoji106][emoji41]

 

[J DUNN]

How are the wires managed or routed on the back side of the trim switches? Any pics?

 

[Sbarry]

I liked my brother's so much... I copied him [emoji41]

 

[Marine Industries West]

The wires are routed thru the handle. This one wasn't soldered yet, but it gives you the idea.

 

[Sbarry]

Awesome thread by the way... had no idea so much went into these controls. Very cool sir.

 

[Rattle Can Lou]

I truly wish you guys would build one without the switches...for a v-drive application..I would buy one tomorrow..

 

[Cole Trickle]

I truly wish you guys would build one without the switches...for a v-drive application..I would buy one tomorrow..

wire it to the stereo so you can control the volume

 

[Marine Industries West]

Just finished soldering one, here's a pic of the back of the switches with and without the cover plate..

 

[Marine Industries West]

I truly wish you guys would build one without the switches...for a v-drive application..I would buy one tomorrow..

Soon. Very soon.

 

[Waterjunky]

IMO, the two lever design is far superior compared to a single lever dual function control. Once you're underway it doesn't matter a whole lot, but getting in and out of docks is much easier with this style of control. There is no lock out button to depress when passing from forward to reverse, just a smooth transition. You also don't have to worry about accidentally revving the engine and slamming the boat into gear. I've actually received phone calls from customers praising the simple operation compared to their original dual function single lever controls. So many happier wives because they can drive the boat so much easier.

And this is exactly why I want one. Along with the wildly varying resistance my current unit has, docks are a little complicated at the moment. You currently have to jerk it in and out of reverse. Exactly what you want when trying to thread a needle broadside to the current............

 

[CobraDave]

How much for the shifter?

 

[Marine Industries West]

How much for the shifter?

The shifters are $790.00. Unless a bunch of you RDP'ers get together, the price could go down on a group buy.

 

[Ouderkirk]

Do you make a replacement for the old Morse single lever that does shift and throttle?

What he said. I would love to have the Morse jet/ski boat single lever replaced with something that is this quality. :thumbsup

 

[Marine Industries West]

What he said. I would love to have the Morse jet/ski boat single lever replaced with something that is this quality. :thumbsup

Not out of the question.

 

[Bpracing1127]

Im in for a group buy, but I would need the cost to get to 500 or so for a color of my choice, purple, blue or silver

Who else is with me?

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Im in for a group buy, but I would need the cost to get to 500 or so for a color of my choice, purple, blue or silver

Who else is with me?

I'd be in for a group buy, I doubt we'd see prices that low though.

Can someone explain (or confirm) the action of this to me? So the small lever selects forward or reverse. When in forward does the stick function from straight up to 90ish degrees pushing the stick forward? And when in reverse it functions by pulling back the stick back?

And it sounds like there is no detent when the stick is straight up between forward and reverse?

 

[Cole Trickle]

I'd be in for a group buy, I doubt we'd see prices that low though.

Can someone explain (or confirm) the action of this to me? So the small lever selects forward or reverse. When in forward does the stick function from straight up to 90ish degrees pushing the stick forward? And when in reverse it functions by pulling back the stick back?

And it sounds like there is no detent when the stick is straight up between forward and reverse?

It's similar to the off shore controls that most of the upgraded 12 year or newer boats have.

Instead of being a bottom mounted plate that mounts to a console with two sticks it was built to mount directly to the gunnel.

Correct small handle is shifter and large handle is throttle. No detent but it's a very positive feeling unit like a standard off shore control.

I was always under the impression that off shore controls shifted easier and were better on the drive.

I personally hate the single stick controls...way more control with off shores.

I would try and put a group buy together and see what can be worked out .No way are they going for $500 I think you would be surprised at what it takes to build one.

20% off would be a deal

 

[Marine Industries West]

In the normal position, the short lever (shifter) is in neutral at the 12 o'clock position. There is a locating detent for neutral but it is not locking. You basically push thru it when engaging forward or reverse. The tall handle (throttle) is typically at idle in the 2 o'clock position and will accelerate to full throttle in the 10 o'clock position. That's the way the shifter comes out of the box.

The tall lever (throttle) can be re-located to move the idle position if desired. Example, I had a customer where the throttle handle was hitting his arm rest on his seat when pulled back into the idle position. In that case, we can move the adjustable arms on the back to make the idle position 12 o'clock and the wide open throttle position at 9 o'clock.

One of the more complex features of this control is that it is fully adjustable at the cable anchor points. This allows for the cables to be entered into the control at pretty much any angle. The control arms that move will the outside handles can also be clocked to work with push or pull cable operations. As mentioned previously, the engineering on this control is very advanced. I've attached a copy of the installation instructions where you can review the installation as well as seeing the cable anchor chart which shows all the possible cable routing and connections.

http://marineindustrieswest.com/installation/Shifter_1-6_WEB.pdf

 

[CobraDave]

I'd be in on a group by for $500 Alex.

 

[Kbach]

I'd be in on a group by for $500 Alex.

Ditto although doubtful it can happen.

 

[Marine Industries West]

500.00 is a little light. If you guys come up with five buyers I'll go to 680.00 each.

 

[Bobby V]

The shifters are $790.00. Unless a bunch of you RDP'ers get together, the price could go down on a group buy.

What shop in Havasu would be able to install the shifter and upgrade the gauges. Also my 98 Eliminator has a trim switch on it. Is that switch on your shifter.

 

[Bpracing1127]

If we can do 10 buyers can we do 600?

 

[RCDave]

What shop in Havasu would be able to install the shifter and upgrade the gauges. Also my 98 Eliminator has a trim switch on it. Is that switch on your shifter.

Call Fallon marine. They do great work