longliners don't use lures. The Andrea Gail was a longliner.
Frankly, I imagine all editions of the book past the first had the dumb
sentence removed. Up to that point in the book Younger sounded to be extremely
knowledgeable. that single sentence stopped cold his claim to expertise.
sorta like pair of lox claiming he has a EE degree in physics.
It could be fishing lures (plugs), and the engine was used as a table.
Could have been oil plugs. As I stated it is not clearly sated the
boat had a gas engine. It is implied but not clearly stated.
Don is considered the guru of the A4 and is most helpful with everything
from free advice to a full rebuild.
You will learn to curse at it, skin knuckles, contort your body into
positions never thought possible, but in the end you will come to consider
your A4 to be an old reliable friend. There's a good chance the engine
will
outlast you.