Pull the shaft and take it to a place (a 4-wheel driveline & truck shop, or a machine shop with a press and a lathe) and have them straighten it. You are on a budget, rebuild or fix things, don’t just assume you have to buy new. The mechanic is use to working for and with people that have a very large income and lots of cash to spend. But he’s not the end all for how to fix things on a limited budget.

I have fixed lots of things that should have been replaced, and they worked great.

As far as replacing the motor? I don’t understand. If it runs and he says it basically needs points (a tune up) why replace it. It may not set a speed record, but it seems you only want to use it for maneuvering the boat while close to the dock. As long as it runs, it will do this fine.

Outboard engines are expensive and would probably cost more then having the shaft fixed. As far as modernizing the plumbing & water jackets, if it worked for all that time I would guess that as long as its sound, it will continue to work.


They say necessity in the mother of invention.