98 Johnson 200 Ocean Pro shut down wot

Took the boat out Friday. Started right up. We headed out and I noticed the outboard would only produce 4000 rpm at wot.
We ran 15 miles than heard a small noise that came and went. Felt as though we were dragging something. I ended up reducing throttle and trimmed the motor. Nothing there.
Power up again and the boat took forever to get on step. Once on step the motor lost all power and I shut off.
We could not get the motor to turn over. Turn ignition and we get one crank. Tried this twenty to thirty times, then decided to fish until we could get a tow.
I service this outboard once a year. Last service, mechanic changed power pack, vor, plugs and wires. Any adviceis appreciated.

Re: 98 Johnson 200 Ocean Pro shut down wot

Ouch!
its possible the gearbox locked up...

the way to check is seperate the lower leg from the head and see if the engine rotates freely.

worst case scenario, something simple like a dirty carb ran a cylinder dry without fuel or lube.
engine can't rotate because it locked up (threw a rod or whatever).

But the good news...
Fixing it yourself with the help you get here could cost less than that last service you paid for.....literally.!

Most of us here are not mechanics.