Throttle and shift cable route

I am in the process of replac

I am in the process of replacing the throttle and shift calbes on my boat. I notice many of the new boats at a local boat shop have a 1 foot diameter loop in front of the engine to I assume act as a buffer and keep sharp 90 degree bends out of the cables. Is this assumption correct. Is this a good practice to add lenght to the cables to reduce ware on the cables?

" Absolutely, These tight ben

" Absolutely, These tight bends are usually what causes cables to fail. You will extend the life of the cable and get smoother operation if you add a couple of feet to your old cable length and this loop. "

"Scott.... On a boat that has

"Scott.... On a boat that has a throttle connection on the starboard side and a shift connection on the port side of the engine, the measurement is taken from the center of the control box, back along the the gunnel to the corner of the transom, then to the center line of the engine.

If that distance measured 12', one would add 1' to the throttle cable and 2' to the shift cable. That allows enough play to have the loop you speak of. (13' & 14')

Todays engines, most of which have both cables on the starboard side of the engine... 1' is added to both cables.

The console mounted control assy which usually has the cables running under the deck cannot be measured in the above manner.

Joe "