The boat's battery ran flat after I accidentally left the nav lights on during the day four days ago. The boat is sitting on a dock-mounted boat lift, so I dropped the lift so the leg is well below the surface. I boosted the battery and started the engine to charge the battery a bit. It was quietly idling for about 30mins. when smoke came from the engine. I immediately turned it off and opened the engine cover. Nearly had a panic attack when I saw that the two plastic elbows connecting two pipes that run from the airbox to the valve covers had melted into something resembling black lava. The engine was hotter than I had ever seen a gas motor get. My fear is that the engine overheated badly and didn't get water, but why? How can it be if the leg was well below the water and the engine running so smoothly and quietly? What can the damage be and where should I start looking? Shall I replace the two elbows and try to run the boat for a short distance? What else can go wrong in this situation - I hear horrors about cooked exhaust bellows etc etc. Please help!
