I own a 1981 boat,w/a 1981 50 Mecury motor.Of course there's lots of kinks.Can you help me w/ this one?

Engine - sounds like the starter. When it finally engaged did it spin quickly (i.e. not the battery being low). Starters can be rebuilt and a local company may do this for you. You could dismantle and clean it yourself.

Boards - replace like for like easy enough.

What to do with boat - temporary use of a pontoon/mooring, leave it on a sandy beach, use tires as a resting place. If you can make up the boards ready you could launch, anchor and fix.

Well, the first bit of advice I can give you from this point on is to be very diligent in getting educated on boating in general AND basic do-it-yourself boat maintenance.

You either learn about these simple things you can check or fix, or you pay a lot more for having someone do it for you.

Now, regarding the starter. This could be a variety of issues or just the starter. This is where basic troubleshooting comes into play. Your starter could be giving out, you could have starter solenoid problems, or you could have electrical wiring issues.

I'd price a new starter for you around $150 to $200, that's a rough estimate without having pricing chart data available from most aftermarket companies. Remanufactured or rebuilt starter might be a little bit cheaper.

I believe Mercury provides parts and service for their outboards all the way back to 1968 I believe. If they don't have exactly what you are needing, I'm 100% sure some aftermarket marine parts company does.

I could go into a long explaination on how to diagnosis your starter issue, but I'd prefer not due to your multi-problem question. I recommend you ask this in a new seperate question.

If you are mechanically adept and follow instructions exactly, I'd recommend you buy a service manual for your outboard and troubleshoot it yourself. Never monkey around on any marine engine without knowing exactly what you are doing or following service manual instructions.

If you feel this is too much for you, well you probably need to take it to a reputable Mecury service shop to be looked at.

As for the trailer bunk boards, this is almost a stupidproof repair if your bunk board bracket mounts are in fair condition or better. That means the bunk board mount brackets aren't falling apart and the bolts to hold the mounting brackets aren't fused together by rust.

Regarding on what to do with the boat, have all tools and materials ready to work on your boat trailer at a suitable location. If you live close to a lake, take it there and have it launched. Get someone you completely trust to babysit it and leave it with them while you work on the boat trailer at home or a shop you can use.

What you will need for bunk boards repair:

Measure bunk boards and purchase pressure treated lumber for their size (2 by 4, 2 by 6, 2 by 8). Make sure you purchase a long enough board to match the same size, if you can, get them cut at the home improvement store you are buying them from. It probably will cost you, but you won't need to spend all that time cutting them at home. Don't forget to have all the measurements written down for each different sized bunk board before you have them cut.

Also, only use the same height, width, and length bunk boards that are the trailer.

Next, you need to purchase bunk board carpet. Take the width of the board and add 4 inches to that number. If its a 2 by 6, then you need 10 inch wide bunk carpet. You can usually get this in 10 to 12 foot roll sections available for purchase. You also however can buy just a bulk roll of bunk carpet that you pay by the running foot or use thick boat carpet, but bunk carpet is cheaper and just as durable.

If any of the lug screws that screw into the bunk boards are in bad shape or broke, remember to replace them. Try to find some of the same size and length that are stainless steel or are galvanized.

Finally, you need to have a heavy duty staple gun that can use standard sized staples that are stainless steel or rust-free. Using regular staples that do not resist rusting can result in the staples rusting out quickly and failing.

motor, 1st check the battery connections on the battery 2nd if thats good check the volts in the battery useing a multimeter it should be atleast 12.2 volts 3rd change the starter selenoid that should do it

put the boat in the water have tools with you and remove the old bunks and install the new ones have them ready to go on when you take the old ones off

sounds like the started I was just lokoing for one for my boat and 82 searay 220 they were running about 500 new. If you ever get stuck again like that try just jumpinh the celonid (sp) with a screw driver as you have the key engaged in the ignition that should help you with your emergency starts if you do not replace.

before you do anything to the starter:

92% of all electrical problems on boats is caused by corrosion/loose connections.

take apart all the connections battery to solenoid to starter, make 'em bright & tight. I mean polish 'em till they shine, use sandpaper if you have to. Then put 'em back on tight tight tight! if you have wingnuts on your battery posts, use pliers.

inspect the battery cables for nicks in the insulation -- the cables can corrode on the inside.

still no go, make sure the battery is fully charged. The ultimate test of a battery is a "load" test; car parts store will test it for free.