Transmission Lever...sluggish ride

[mjohnh]

Believe it or not, Serenity Now (28TE) got out for the first time, today. It was SLUGGISH. Waves only 1 foot and wind not a big factor. It is no fresh water and there seems to be a lot of green algae etc that has collected around the boat. At 1100 rpm it was at about 5kt as it should be...when I opened it up to about 2200 rpm it would only get to about 8kts..even if RPMs went to 3000.
When we started out, I noticed that the gear shift lever would not would not "pull out laterally" while in neutral as it has before. (It should pull out so that you can rev the engine while not in gear).

I am wondering: 1. why would the lever not pull out laterally; 2. could there be a relationship between the lever issue and the boat being sluggish. (I define "sluggish" as not wanting to gain speed as RPMs are increased); 3. could the bottom be fouled enough with vegetation to effect the operation this much? 4. I added about 1 quart of LUCAS OIL injector cleaner solution to the diesel fuel about 6 days ago. Could that explain the sluggish condition. Thanks for any response to this.

[Nancy]

What engine is in the boat? Has it been sitting in the water? For how long? Lake Michigan? When is the last time it ran well?

[mjohnh]

Yes, at my slip in a river leading to Lake Michigan. It was launched around June 1 and ran well then. It has not left the slip since launch. The engine runs fine. But, it acts as if it is dragging a extra 1000 pounds on acceleration. 3 weeks ago, the transmission lever would move laterally while neutral and the engine could be revved without difficulty. Not sure why it won't do that now. It has the Yanmar 315 6LPE.

[carolmarie]

No doubt in my mind that the bottom is fouled; it’s a classic symptom of the impact on performance you describe.
Don.

[mjohnh]

Thanks, Don....I will have it pulled and power washed. I still can't figure out why the transmission lever won't "pull" laterally when in neutral, now. It was fine a few weeks ago.