Won't shift out of forward

[bachurch]

Have a 50hp 4 stroke and today when taking the boat out of the water the rear anchor rope became tangled in the prop. The engine stalled and into the Mississippi I went in order to get the boat back on the trailer.

The following is the only thing I could find that makes sense of what happen to me today.
Many engines if stalled in gear wont release the shift mechanism

I can turn the prop, so I know that's free.

Since the motor won't start due to it being in a gear is there a way to start the motor in order to place it back in neutral?

Thanks,

Bob in Moline, IL

[catacom225]

Hi Bob, I think your anchor line may have bent the clutch or shift rod or something like that, therefor preventing you from shifting gear, otherwise stalling the motor should not effect gear selection. Try having a closer inspection

[bachurch]

Thanks for the thoughts. It was a newbie mistake and I forgot to turn the throttle back to the idle or low speed position. Everything is working OK now.

Thanks again