Re: Clutch dog question
In a nutshell, there are two gears on the prop shaft that are driven all the time by the drive shaft but they rotate freely on the prop shaft. At the end of the drive shaft is a bevel gear that sits between these two gears. As the driveshaft spins, one gear spins in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. Dogs are nothing more than protrusions on each of those gears. On the prop shaft is a sliding device that, depending on which way it slides, grabs the forward gear or reverse gear, or neither of them. If the forward gear is grabbed, the prop shaft rotates forward. If the other gear is grabbed, the prop shaft rotates in reverse. There is no "clutch" as such, just two parts that grab each other when the shifter is moved. That's why you should not slide the shift lever into gear as the dogs grind against each other and eventually get rounded off and therefore chatter as they slip, grab, slip, grab again. It is best to pop the shifter in gear.
