I have a older boat and the engine starters up pretty about on the 3 try every time so it is pretty solid.  The previous owner (brought the boat 3 years ago) and he said he just had the engine overhauled.  I don't think the engine is running to the top performance because I only go 21 by myself (10-11 loaded with 1-3 people) and I have been told it should go about 30 and maybe 20-25 with it loaded.  Also even when I have it in neutral it has enough exhaust coming out that it moves the boat.  I can't just sit still.  I think the carbs need some cleaning but I'm not sure if the can test the prop (well prop shaft) to see about torque or anything else to be able to see if it is at full power or only running at 70% or lower or what percent it is at.  I live in Nashville, TN but I ever had to take a boat in, my first running boat.  If any has any prices ranges in your area or in the Nashville that would be great.  I'm not sure if they charge you to look at, like car places, or just charge you when they start to actually work on it.

I have a older boat and the engine starters up pretty about on the 3 try every time so it is pretty solid. The previous owner (brought the boat 3 years ago) and he said he just had the engine overhauled. I don't think the engine is running to the top performance because I only go 21 by myself (10-11 loaded with 1-3 people) and I have been told it should go about 30 and maybe 20-25 with it loaded. Also even when I have it in neutral it has enough exhaust coming out that it moves the boat. I can't just sit still. I think the carbs need some cleaning but I'm not sure if the can test the prop (well prop shaft) to see about torque or anything else to be able to see if it is at full power or only running at 70% or lower or what percent it is at. I live in Nashville, TN but I ever had to take a boat in, my first running boat. If any has any prices ranges in your area or in the Nashville that would be great. I'm not sure if they charge you to look at, like car places, or just charge you when they start to actually work on it.

i think your best bet is just find an outsider (non mechanic) thats knows a lil about them and let them try to help. i try some local mechanic shops round my way and they dont work on them and from what i hear its not cheap to work on.

have you ever check your carbs?? you might just need to soak em in some cleaner like 2+4. or just run sea form through the gas. if want to check, check your drain plugs under each carb  and see if its gooey. thats what was wrong when i first bought my boat the carbs was so cake that it wouldnt throttle. a buddy took them and soak for an hour or so and man the boat would punch. i had a 70 on my 16 thundercraft tri haul and it ran bout 25-30. but than after 2 years i blew a ring. got another motor that i no runs (was a friends) but i might have an ignition problem it wont even try turning over and when checked with jumpers  it does turn over . so i dont know right now,

AT your bigger shops price will be from 60-80 bucks a hr, maybe even higher. They start charging as soon as they touch it.

I bought an older 18 hp motor from a guy earlier this year, that did all the work on it, gave me a 3 month warranty, and the motor never failed.

I'll try and find his number and pm it to you, he might not charge as much to work on it and he will probably have it back to you pretty quick.

He lives in Greenbriar just north of Nashville if that's not a problem for you.

You will pay a mint at the dealerships (go figure). However, there are bound to be at least half a dozen professional grease monkeys near you that will do just as good a job at a fraction of the price.  I found one near me by asking a few folks at the launch with similar (but older) motors like mine. You might get some good feedback positive and negative.

Does your boat have a tachometer? What RPMs is the motor turning at WOT? What HP is the motor. You will have a big performance hit adding three people to a boat. You may need to change to a smaller pitch prop with that increase in load.

Call the shops and find out their prices is probably the easiest and smartest way to find out what they charge.

As to boat in neutral and still moving , try shifting to reverse and back into neutral .  The performance issue could be due to trim. If your boat does not have power trim you have to adjust it manually. I am assuming the boat sounds like it is running smoothly.  You might also change the lower unit oil. Do what you can yourself , but don't be afraid to go to a marine mechanic.  Try to find one that is more into fishing clientele than pleasure boating if possible . I had a bad experience once with a so called mobile mechanic that comes to you. I will stick to the professional who is in business for the long run and cares about his reputation.

Check your yellow pages under boats.  Your larger dealerships will have a set diagnostic fee ($70-100) to put it in the tank and give you an estimate.  I'd look for the guys that work on older ob's only and that aren't tied to a dealer.  You'll get a little better labor rate and the upfront diagnostic fee isn't as much.  

That gives me a lot of good feedback.  I was going to call around but I wanted to know what a good around about charge would be so I knew if some was over pricing me or if it was normal.  

No I don't have a tach on my motor, but maybe that might be the easiest and in the long run I might just need to upgrade the engine to a slightly newer, 80's-90's model and more HP since it is rated up to 75HP and only has 55HP on it right now.

thanks for all the feedback guys.

I was at Bass Pro the other day buying some parts and asked about the labor cost on motors.....$99.80 per hour.....

Get a manual. Learn to do it yourself.

I have a manual for when I replaced the water pump and I am kind of handy around cars but I'm still learning about outboards.

$75 -$90 hr in south florida