Sorry I'm late to the party MM but this topic was posted in Announcements.
I would have see it earlier if it would have shown up in the Boat Owner's Forum so, I took the liberty of moving it here and now let's break down the problem.
First off, I sincerely doubt that you'll find a shop to take your engine & outdrive and give you much of a trade at all.
If you're sure that it's all in decent running condition, my advice would be to pull the engine, replace the starter and, I would seriously consider replacing the oil pan as well.
Why? well, I've had them rust through and there's no greater sorrow than pulling & replacing your engine, only to find drips of oil in your bilge shortly thereafter.
Also, get a complete tune-up done, including distributor cap, rotor, plug wires and spark plugs. If your engine is not equipped with Electronic Ignition... Now's the time to get a new distributor as well. While your at it, take a good, hard look at your exhaust manifolds and risers. With the engine out, there will NEVER be a better, easier time to replace them!
Look for the root cause of why the starter went out in the first place. My guess is that the water in the bilge under your engine simply got too high and soaked your starter.
Consider giving your bilge a complete and thourough cleaning and adding a second Rule 2000 Bilge pump with a float switch under your engine.
Having two pumps under your main minimizes the amount of hot, salty brine splashing around your engine and is the best way to ensure you always have at least one working pump in your bilge!
Good luck and let us know how it all works out!
Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 7:10 pm