Suzuki 225 EFI suddenly stopped shifting

[mchlhailey]

I recently purchased a 2000 model boat with Suzuki 225 EFI. The engine vibrates a little at idle, but ran extremely smooth and powerful at anything over idle. I ran the boat about 5 miles to my dock and put it up on davits for about 6 weeks. On returning, the engine would not turn over, the starter just bumped. After several tries, the engine finally turned over and started immediately, but it will not go into gear. The cables appear to be fine and the throttle feels like it is snapping into gear both forward and reverse, but the propeller doesn't turn. With the boat out of the water, the prop turns freely in Neutral with a pop every turn or two. In gear, the prop turns with a grinding sound up in the lower unit.

I'm really perplexed since the engine ran fine until I tried to use it for the second time.

Am I missing something simple, or is it time to pay the piper?