Uflex B184MERC Single Lever Side Mount Control

A few weeks ago I bought a 19 ft 1986 Four Winns 195 Horizon Cuddy that for the most part is in pretty good shape. The interior is in really great shape and the engine is the cleanest I have seen outside of a showroom.However, the Mercruiser Quicksilver throttle control was a little flaky from the beginning and the neutral safety switch on it went out not long after I got it. With a dead throttle, unable to shift into neutral, the engine wouldn't even turn over, much less start. The old design was doing it's job, protecting against an in gear start up.The first dealer who looked at it wanted to replace it with a new Mercruiser control, which wasn't compatible with the existing cables; He would have to install new control cables and he would have to cut a bigger hole in the side panel to mount it. All for the low, low estimated price of $800 - $900! Ouch!After a little research I found this gem from Uflex. Originally, I had planned to tackle the job myself. I'm not a complete slouch with tools and the job didn't look to be overly hard, just a bit time consuming for an amateur like me. Unfortunately, time is not something I have an abundance of to waste. After spending an evening working on the disassembly of the old throttle control, I was only half way there. At the progress I was making, boating season was going to be over before I got this thing installed.Next day I tried another dealer, who agreed to install the Uflex. He billed me 2 hours of labor, coming in just under $250. Already I am ahead by $500 and no new holes in my boat!I happy to report the B184Merc is fully compatible with my existing setup. No new holes were needed, it quite literally fits right in where my old Quicksilver sat. The footprint is actually a little smaller, leaving an impression outline of the old control.Shift operation is the same as the Quicksilver, but neutral is different. No button to push, you pull the handle out, which seems a little unnatural if you are used to the Mercruiser. But for warm up, who cares? It works! Otherwise, operation of the throttle is smooth and gives enough resistance that you aren't going to accidentally over-accelerate.It was a good choice for my set up and I would recommend it to anyone needing to replace their old Mercruiser control.

I bought this and a B183 (exact same thing, but no built in trim switch) to retrofit into a 1977 Sylvan to replace the original Marmac M-1093-D2 control. For what it’s worth, the boat is equipped with a Mercruiser 120 sterndrive. Original cables had mercury ends by the engine, and 10-32 ends by the controls.The B183 doesn’t have a trim switch. The B184 and B184Merc have a built in trim switch.The B184Merc is exactly the same as the B184 except it includes a X50 neutral switch and the K35 adapters.The X50 neutral switch is a 4 pin switch. I’m not familiar with what the extra 2 pins are for, but I definitely didn’t need it for my simple 2 wire neutral safety switch.The K35 adapters are simple extensions for your cable ends at the controls (IF you need them). They extend the eyelet of the cables by approximately 2.100” (just shy of 2-1/8”).This boat had controls for the trim on the dash. I considered using the B184 to allow me to adjust it from the shifter (I would have to wire in relays) but ultimately decided against this. These handles are on the small side, and the trim switch makes the handle not as easy or comfortable to grip (not bad though). I decided on keeping the B183, which doesn’t have a trim switch and is slightly easier to grip and handle. I also thought if I let someone else control the boat, they wouldn’t accidentally adjust the trim.I was happy that I could hit full throttle within almost exactly 90 degrees of rotation. The old Marmac control was sloppier and probably hit about 120-130 degrees. Never cared for that. Maybe some adjusting would’ve improved this, but I decided after 40 years of use, it’s time for a new control unit.Very nice overall feel and smoothness. By the way, to control the engine throttle separately without shifting, the whole lever is pulled out about maybe 1/2” and then rotated to the desired position for fast idle warm up or whatever. I also installed some seastar extreme cables and the boat controls feel amazing now, and makes the boat more enjoyable to drive.Highly recommend! Will update this review if things change, thought I doubt they will.

This controller made a nice replacement for my worn out unit. Seems to work very well so far. Downside is, installation instructions are pathetic. The controller is actually more versatile than the instructions indicate, but you have to figure out how to assemble it yourself. I even, as suggested in the instructions, emailed Uflex support with questions, but got zero response. Bottom line, it's a good operating unit, but don't expect any installation support.

Had this installed on my 87 stingray with the 1st gen mercruiser I/O. She works like a charm, no issues at all Thankyou.

Easy to install and simple to operate. Missing think is a cower of the cables conection box.

Not installed yet. Marine mechanic says they seem to be OK. A few summers and some salt water will tell.The instructions are lacking. I suggest assembly before installation to become familiar with your particular application. You may need new cables or cable end adapters.

Easy to install. Instructions were easy to follow except for the neutral safety and trim switch. Still can't figure out what they mean in the instructions. I have extra wires that are not called out in the diagram.

The only real complaint for this unit is the details/instructions which are very vague.Luckily the unit is very straight forward in design and function. Quality is good as is operation of finished installation.