It's quite normal. One thing you certainly DON'T want to do is shift
slowly... you'll grind up the gears (over time) that way...

-j


"B. Alexander" wrote in message
...
Hi,
I've got a 20' bowrider with a 3.0l mercruiser inboard and an Alpha 1
outdrive. Whenever I shift from neutral to forward/reverse, I can hear and
feel a fairly loud clunk sound. Is this normal (it's my first boat) or
should the shifting be smooth? If not, any suggestions on what might cause
this to happen?
Thanks.