Let me preface this post by saying that I have limited boating experince,
but considerable automotive experience, so I am trying to learn the marine
jargon and make things easier on myself.

In my quest for spark plug wires for my newly acquired waterbound money
waster, I went to the local BoatUS of all places, thinking that they might
have what I need.

After twenty minutes of waiting in line without an employee to be seen, I
said I needed a set of plug wires for a Mercruiser 165 hp four cylinder.

After about 48 minutes of looking through his big book, answering the phone,
asking other employees, etc, he says "I can't find a listing for that
engine".

Huh? Is this engine that uncommon? I realize that the 165 is the horsepower,
and not the displacement. It is an inline four cylinder, with points
ignition. So should I be referring to this engine as a 165 hp, or a 3.7
litre, or as a 224 cubic inch, or all of the above?

The other item on my list, which he said was discontinued and not available,
was the heat exchanger end gaskets. I need two of them in the three inch
diameter variety.

I asked him if any of the other local locations would have these parts, and
he said they are unusual items, and would need to be special ordered. Is it
that unusual or was I just dealing with an inexperienced parts counterman?