2008 SAN 236 Shifter Issues

[jmarshall]

Hello all, my shifter seems to not engage into drive sometimes. I lift the lever, move it forward and it is like it is still in neutral. Doesn’t happen all the time, I put it back in neutral then reverse for a quick second and then it goes into drive. Most of the time it is fine when I put in gear, this happens rarely/occasionally. The previous owner had the shifter replaced last season. I just bought the boat in April.

Any help/guidance is greatly appreciated.

[NautiqueJeff]

It is likely just out of adjustment. The cable can be adjusted to fix this.

[SilentSeven]

Hey NautiqueJeff - how would you describe the symptoms of a worn shifter cable? When operating our 2004 206 this weekend, I noted that the shift engagement felt a bit different than normal....not quite as smooth as before (when coming off the neutral detent). Had me thinking that maybe the cable was starting to go. In all my years of ski boat ownership, never replaced a throttle cable.

Looking at Nautiqueparts, a cable for my boat is $49...cheap preventive maintenance for sure.

Is the swap straightforward or would describe it more as a PITA? Says my cable is 17' long which means it's snaking quite a ways reach my engine and trans.