# Why 2-lever controls?



## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

I'm seeing more and more of these for single o/b skiffs.

Is there an advantage? Or is it mainly style points?


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Style


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## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

It does look cool.
Not sure I'd enjoy using it though.
Best of both worlds would be a single shift/throttle lever 
with a 2nd lever not connected to anything.


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## KeepingItSimple (Mar 20, 2011)

I've had single throw controls for awhile. Tried the dual levers on a friend's boat and it certainly wasn't instinctive. In fact, we both agreed that in "emergent" situations you might be at a little risk if you weren't used to double throw levers and were trying to react instinctively. 

Alex V


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

> I've had single throw controls for awhile. Tried the dual levers on a friend's boat and it certainly wasn't instinctive. In fact, we both agreed that in "emergent" situations you might be at a little risk if you weren't used to double throw levers and were trying to react instinctively.
> Alex V


Been there, done that, weren't pretty........


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## jacack (Jan 3, 2011)

a lot of guys use them (ie livorsi ) because you can have both a jack plate and trim on one throttle without some add on switch zip tied to the throttle


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

pure nightmare but theft deterent at shooters dock


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## mikeregas (Mar 15, 2013)

Nightmare agreed, I'd hate to get them confused...


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

> I'm seeing more and more of these for single o/b skiffs.
> 
> Is there an advantage?  Or is it mainly style points?


some advantages are:

cabling is simpler
shifter last longer than the boat
universal solution for any engine make, model, inboard or outboard, etc...
throttle holds the position you want better, and not the position it likes to drift down to.
bling


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I think the Livorsi looks Cool and it would look good on my boat. But I am going to stay with my single lever and get over the cool


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## reallyshallow (May 19, 2010)

I love mines, but I have to admit it did take some getting use to.


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## alain_vallejo (Jun 24, 2010)

Its like a car, you have a shifter for the transmission and a gas pedal.


i wouldn't go any other way.
good luck finding people who have had *"MECHANICAL"*l failures with these.


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## Parrboy (Nov 18, 2012)

I have them on my boat because I bought them with the motor. I'm used to it now but if I let someone else drive the motor will get reved up in neutral from time to time. Or your wife will throw you off the boat when you're trying to throw a castnet  look cool but wouldn't buy them again


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

Now there is an honest man. [smiley=1-thumbsup2.gif]


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## warrenpb50 (Mar 18, 2013)

Didn't boats years ago have the two lever binnacle? Seems I can remember a boat my dad had with two levers.


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

Yes, but they weren't so close to each other and didn't look exactly the same.

To me, it's a HB thing...you wouldn't understand.












I'M KIDDING PEOPLE!! JUST KIDDING! lol


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

> Didn't boats years ago have the two lever binnacle? Seems I can remember a boat my dad had with two levers.


Yes, it was gearing. The smaller lever switched between forward and reverse. The larger was for throttle.


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## mikeregas (Mar 15, 2013)

> Its like a car, you have a shifter for the transmission and a gas pedal.


At least in a car when you have an "Oh Sh!t" moment all you have to do is step on the break. With these I guess you can grab both and pull them back, but it takes a lot of getting used to. We had them on my mom's boats for awhile and they really look neat but truly are a pain in the as$$!
i wouldn't go any other way.


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

They were on inboards on the sportfish size boats.

Never saw em on outboards


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## mxbeebop (Mar 22, 2013)

Can you get them single lever with the shift operation?


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

Gee thanks guys. You've really made me feel like crap. As a kid, I had them on my Whaler. Standard issue.

In fact the only single levers I remember from that era on outboards were with mounted with those tall Merc 6's. 

Let me finish if you're losing interest. Those engines had no neutral; you were either coming or going, no in-between so single levers were the only way to go. You went forward, then the engine shut down in the position where neutral should have been to drift in to whatever immovable object you were heading for then hit reverse and the engine would start and go into reverse. Docking with those things was a blood sport and pretty good entertainment as long as you weren't near the poor soul running his boat with a tall boy. It has been my life's learning that once in a while kids are a little brighter than their elders. This setup was an extreme puzzlement to me at that time and more than once I wondered who the dumbass was that came up with that idea.


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## PLAYIN_HOOKY (Nov 12, 2013)

Have them on my Osprey, it was confusing at first now wouldn't do it without them.


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## swampfox (May 9, 2007)

I wonder how many motors have been popped from putting it in N?  While the throttle is wide open.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I've used both and perfer the single lever setup, but the 2 lever setups are easy enough to use and fairly bulletproof. However if any of you guys, or someone you know, are so confused by the 2 lever setup that it might cause a safety concern, then please for the sake of humanity don't ever operate a tiller! LOL


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

Unless it is a merc tiller 

I'm wondering if there is an advantage to the two lever set up?


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