"Sailor" wrote
Could it be anything more than the cable adjustment?

With your drive raised, you should be able to see or feel the
upper/intermediate shift shaft interface. (They're parts 21 and 22 in this
pictu http://www.mercruiserparts.com/IMAGE...9964/30065.png) You
might need an inspection mirror to get a good look. Those parts should be
pointed straight toward the front of the boat when your shifter is in full
forward, just like they are in the picture. If they are *not* pointed
straight ahead in full forward, it's probably the cable adjustment. If they
*are* pointed straight ahead, the problem is probably that the intermediate
shaft didn't get indexed correctly on the shift shaft splines during
reassembly, as others have suggested.