Firstly make sure its getting full voltage. After that, I would guess you
need a new starter. It has a solenoid in it that extends the shaft long
enough to engage the flywheel. Car starters fail this way also.

Be happy it happened on the driveway. According to Murphy's Law these
things usually happen at the worst possible location out in the lake.

If the starter is expensive, call an auto electric shop and ask if it can be
rebuilt.

--
Denis Roy
D. Roy Woodcraft
www.ideasinwood.com
"Don Dando" wrote in message
t...
Perhaps the battery is low and not giving the starter a quick snappy
starting spin to engage the starter drive.

Don Dando


Charlie Brown wrote in message
...
Just got my boat back from the shop for new throttle cable, trim seals
and oil tank overfilling.

I get home, want to test boat, hook up the water, turn key and all's I
get is a spinning of the starter motor.

I see that the gear of the starter motor is below the flywheel,
basically spinning free. I'm not much of a mechanic, but I can
surmise that the starter gear must somehow mesh with the flywheel to
turn the motor over. Looking at the service manual, it doesn't look
like anything complicated. Is the starter gear supposed to move up on
the shaft as it spins? I don't get it!!! I am mad as heck.

The photos in the manual have me just as confused, some of the photos
show the starter gear below the flywheel and others seem to show it
meshed together.