simple test to see if it's the connection to the battery, most likely cause of the problem, put engine in neutral, turn key to start, if it just clicks you have a power problem. Don't start the engine unless you have water hooked up to it.....Always check the simple stuff first before tearing into t...

Original impeller on my 2003 Mercury Bigfoot, used in both fresh and salt...ymmv

That would be hammertime, jack hammer that is....

Good luck guys, ohh some engines like the suz you have to unscrew the shifting linkage, and some you have to put the engine in forward to get to the linkage. The suz. threads are reversed threads, remember that when you reinstall the shift linkage, or you'll be all day trying to catch the thread. 8)...

Hi the last one I did was for a guy at my storage lot, he was told that, by his mech, that the pump and other things were taken care of regularly. I found the pump was never changed, and the leg of his motor was frozen. I almost didn't want to finish, because the lower leg had to be pried and hit wi...

I only ever replaced a water pump that really needed it once, the rest, mabey 15 water pumps in my life, were what we call preventive maintenance :? I run my boats in salt water so change my pumps about every three years, the problem with waiting till the pump gets weak, or bad is it never happens i...

Depending if you started a few times without running water to the motor and things like salt water or polluted water, about every three years is good. Your DUE. I have done a few merc's, its pretty straight forward, and easy to do, the problem you might run into is the seven years the motor hasn't c...

You did your test run with full ballast? Than it sounds about right, speed that is. bow down an inch or so? normal with full ballast. I take it you never had the boat in the water before. So you have nothing to compare by. 10 knots with water ballast, that's about it. if you prop your motor to get 5...

I had replaced my valve with the electric RV valve, although it was neat and worked great, it didn't last long. I believe it was about 3 months and the salt water got to it. I sealed it up best I could from the salt water with 5200 before I installed it, but water still got into the motor. Its not m...

looks like the cavitation plate's are a couple inches below the transom, so you should be fine mounting it up with out the wood
mike

Looks like a regular shaft to me, maybe the PO was trying to make a cheap jack plate for more performance or something. I would mount it right and drill the new holes so you have lots of upside adjustment. See the slot where the bolts go? you want to hang the motor so the cavitation plate is as even...

regular shaft about 20 inches from where the motor sits on the transom, in your case the wood, to the top of the cavitation plate. If its a long shaft you can buy the right parts to make it a regular shaft, there should be a spacer in the long shaft motor legg, and you take that out, and buy a regul...

I have Karen close the valve, so if she falls in, its no biggie Naaa I just close it when Its safe and not going to run into anything.
Mike

If the motor is a regular shaft motor, its mounted right to the transom, No wood, The bottom as well as the top bolts we use 5200 marine sealant on the bolts before you push them into the holes. Regular shaft engine will have the cavitation plate on the motor even with the bottom of the transom. Got...

Only had a 50 percent chance to get it wrong, ohh well....
Mike

because of the prop rotation, boats will turn very well to port, starboard will be sluggish and wont turn as well. Unless of course you have left hand rotation on the prop, then the boat will turn better to starboard. In tight slow maneuvering this is something to keep in mind. Even with rudders ful...