Marine engine enthusiasts may have a reputation for being loud (always getting that motor going in the wee morning hours), but they’re actually a thoughtful bunch. If you’re one, how many times have you been the only person out on a dock, just at sunrise, taking in the cool air that’s travelled across the water for miles, and gave some grave thought to the fact that marine engines could benefit from having assembly and disassembly procedures that were more straightforward? Then you probably made a count of how many summers it took you to get the drill down for that first boat you helped your father care for. You settle on description instead of a number: All the summers of puberty.

These days you know your way around a Mercury outboard parts diagram but still hanker after a watercraft with better operational economy. Although marine engine technology continues to improve, and no one can complain about the better automation systems, noticeable emissions reductions, or the turbocharging that is considerably more commonplace nowadays, one can’t help hoping for the arrival of more intuitive procedures. It can feel a bit onerous to give such careful consideration to fuel use, the accumulation of contaminants, and the proper application of lube oils, but thank goodness that at least ordering marine outboard parts online is not a huge hassle. Of course the pay-off of all this ponderousness is having an excellently running motor, and an excellently running craft. What could be a bigger joy than that?