"Ree-Yees" wrote in message
...
I guess I dont have much luck on the water :-)

When I crank it it will try a couple times to turn over and some smoke
comes
out of the starter. Tried jumping it from a running car to make sure it
had
plenty of juice, but did the same thing.

I was floating out on the lake when this happened and had to have the lake
patrol pull me in for $50!

Anyways, anyone know what kind of starter I should be asking for when I
call
around tomorrow? My motor is a 1987 Mercruiser inboard/outboad motor.

I'll try calling some boat shops I guess to find one.
Thanks,

You already got the advice on getting your starter rebuilt.

What kind of engine is it? If it's an I/O, it is sometimes absolutely the
best route to get your current starter rebuilt vs. buying a new or rebuilt
one - there's some shimming issues (I was told).

If it's an outboard - in case you didn't know it, you can pull start them
(generally). I have done it many times in the past with quite large
engines. I actually have a starter cord in my box of "stuff" for my V6
outboard, never used it yet! My friend and I pull started his Merc 175
sport jet a few years back. Had to do this the entire weekend until he had
a chance to fix it.

It's not fun, but if need be, it can be a real life saver.

Cam