Some (23) years ago I went down in shallow sal****er, engine running as the
powerhead went under. It was a small jonboat, overloaded in a short chop,
and skipper had had a few.

One of the passengers swam thrashing ashore, the other took my advice to
"stand up". To the amusement of a dozen or so friends on shore.

I walked the boat ashore, got into dry clothes, pulled the plug and poured
some gas thru, drained the carb, blotted the plug dry and re-inserted it.
Took a couple dozen pulls to get it going. (Then the real fun started -
diving for the case of vodka that was strewn across the bottom ;-)

Motor ran fine for years, but I couldn't get it started last year. Maybe I
should have rebuilt it at the time.

By the way, it's a British Seagull Forty Plus.

Sal's Dad



The "service" when they go into salt water is basically to flush it with
fresh
water and get it running.

You have one hour MAXIMUM after your pull your engine from the salt chuck.
Then you dump the powerhead in a tank of diesel. And if you cannot get it
in
for service right away, it's best to leave it in the water for just a
short
time. Or even in a tank of fresh water in the shop for a short time, if
you
have no diesel available. If you leave it exposed in the air, your
bearings
will begin to rust. And that will cost you a lot of cash.

Any engine that has been in the salt water must be dismantled and cleaned
to
remove all the salt. You cannot just flush them and get them running, that
is "back yard mechanic" nonsense. Any salt left in the area of the
bearings
could shorten the life of, or ruin, the powerhead. And while you have that
engine apart, you put in a fresh powerhead gasket set (of course), rebuild
the carbs and clean out the rest of the fuel system and electrical system.
If you don't do the above, you are in for "****" next time you hit the
water.

Basically, any complete salt water emersion calls for a rebuild.

Nope. Just rinse it out with fresh water, and crank it untill it runs
on its own.