I recently bought a deck boat with a 1974 Evinrude Starflite 115 hp outboard. I have two questions about the motor<br /><br />1. The third time I used it, I got water in the gas (I could tell by draining the carbs). I subsequently fouled the plugs trying to start it. The following weekend, I installed new plugs but the motor had no spark. I messed with it for about 3 hours, and in a fit of despairation, I loosened and wiggled every wire connection, and wala, it now has spark. I took it out yesterday and ran 10 gallons of gas through it. It ran great, not even a hiccup. Does it seem possible that it just had a bad connection, or do you think something else is wrong. <br /><br />2. The motor doesn't charge the battery. The battery voltage stays constant at about 12.7 volts (I charged the battery before I went out). The fellow near me who owns a marina says just to charge the battery every couple outings, but I'd rather have the motor charge the battery as designed. That way I could have lights, a fishfinder and a radio without worry. What usually fails to cause the charging system to die. My marina friend says the stator, but he was at a loss as to how to check it. I'd prefer not wasting money throwing parts at it without diagnosing the problem first. <br />Also, my marina friend says that this motor only uses the battery to start. He says it will run with no battery since it uses a magneto ignition system, that is seperate from the charging system. Is that true?<br /><br />I didn't pay much for this boat, but its in good shape, and a blast to cruise around on. Its from Texas, and only saw fresh water. It wasn't used from 1989 through 2002, and in 2002 I have a receipt from a marina rebuilding the carbs and waterpump to "un-mothball" the engine. <br /><br />Were these good engines? I've had so-so luck with OMC stuff in the past. Is there any special maintence this motor needs? <br /><br />Thanks!<br />Aaron
