On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 10:53:29 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Is this price too low for this to be an item that can actually be used?

Who can say. Ignoring the $20 rebate it will probably be about $175
or so with shipping, and another $25 if you aren't happy and have to
return it for a refund. Will they give you a full refund on returns?
Is the price within your pain threshold if it turns out to be a dud
and dies a day after the warrantee is up? Can you get parts and
service for its brand-X motor? If not it's a throw away.

My favorite remedy for emergency starting is to keep a small to
mid-size gel cell battery on the boat, fully charged and totally
disconnected. Gel cells have a low self discharge rate and only need
to be topped up every 3 months or so. It's always there and you
don't have to tote a generator and gas out to the boat. All you need
is a set of jumper cables and you can be started up in less than a
minute. Once you get the engine started you can have all the AC you
want with an inverter which is a handy thing to have onboard in any
case.