My water pump was damaged and I don’t even know it! Here’s how I found it and prevente damage to my outboard motor.

 

 

 

One cause of that is having the motor trimmed up in shallow water and forgetting to trim it down when you start it.  As you stated, people just don't realize just how much and how fast that impeller can get hot when there's not water going through it.

I've seen people do that and just trim it down while running, wrong move, turn it off instantly.

Nicely Done @Glenn

 

As a side note Mercury Marine offers digital Smartcraft Gage systems that provide at-a-glance boat and motor information with precise digital accuracy.

 

Been running them in my rig for going on 5 years with 2 different motors ~ Big Fan.

Not fool proof by any means but can offer a bit of peace of mind rather than using the force. 

 

HOW IT WORKS

Smart Tow Launch Profiles: Set the cruise speed as low as 10 mph and create perfect conditions for wake surfing. Smart Tow comes with five launch profiles, and you can create up to eight more (with VesselView502 and larger displays).

Link to SmartCraft® digital technology: Your portal to Troll Control, Smart Tow® and dozens of other smart and useful digital control systems.

Combine with additional sensors to provide the utmost in comfort, safety and control. Perfect for a wide range of boat styles and engines, including outboards and sterndrives, and single- and multi-engine configurations.

Covers dozens of boat and motor functions, including speed, rpm, trim, depth, alarms, water pressure, fuel flow and more.

 

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/boating-experience/smartcraft/product/sc100-sc1000

 

A-Jay