Technique for shifting without engine running?
 

A couple of months ago one of my big blocks idled too low while in gear and died. My Bravo drives do not seem to want to shift very easily when the engine is NOT running...so here is the conundrum.
When the engine died "in gear", I could not restart the engine (since the shifter was not in the idle detent). Ultimately, I had to "force" the shifter into neutral (which was uncomfortably hard to do) before I was able to restart the engine.
Anyone have a suggestion if this happens again to me (how to shift with the engine not running)? (I have bumped the idle up a little).

Try to shift it the second it dies and the boat is still moving..bravos need to be spinning to shift them and I have seen SEVERAL people bend/break cables by trying to shift with the engine off. Another option is to pull the cable off of the bracket at the engine, shift the shifter to neutral and refire it....just BE AWARE it WILL be in gear when it fires obviously...then you can shift it by hand at the bracket and reinstall the cable in neutral. Of course try to avoid all of this at any cost! Been there done that and it can get hairy pretty quickly hahaha

Sometimes you can hold the shift lever just far enough to get off the in-gear contact switch and use the starter. As the starter turns, it will likely pop out of gear, but be ready, it may go right past neutral into the opposite gear.

BOTH good ideas/suggestions!
THANKS!!!

Pull the kill switch so the engine will not start and just bump the engine over quickly while shifting back to nuetral.

If the neutral safety switch is connected, it won’t turn over. Unless you can disconnect that somehow.

[QUOTE=IGetWet;4861328]If the neutral safety switch is connected, it won’t turn over. Unless you can disconnect that somehow.[/QUOT

That's true. I haven't had one with the nuetral safety switch hooked up in so long now I totally forgot about that. Well I guess thats a good reason to carry a phillips screwdriver to get the shifter out and disconnect that switch on the shifter.

Just jump the starter solenoid while someone applies pressure to the shifter. Pops right out of gear.

Make a neutral override button (momentary switch) to bypass safety.

I did exactly as Rookie said. Installed momentary button under dash out of view. If i ever am in that situation again I can just push button and start it in gear.