Re: o. k. to put electric fuel pump on outboard?
Having tried it on an old 150 Merc I got to agree with CATransplant. I experimented using a Holley redtop. If I got the pressure up to where it ran good at WOT it would overload the needle and seat at low RPMs. Never could come up with a good setting with the regulator. Aside from all that there is the safety aspect. If your motor stops running for whatever reason, you want that pump to immediately shut off automatically.
I disagree to a point...
As stated above, do not install an electric fuel pump in place of your outboard mechanical pump do to the mentioned problems.
However, You can install an electric fuel pump in place of the squeeze bulb to prime the carbs. Just be sure to hook it to a momentary button like the one used for the a horn. When your at the ramp, be it in the prep area or right before you start to pull off the trailer just push the button for a few seconds to prime the carbs and fire up the outboard.
You need to be sure to use an low pressure/low volume electric fuel pump the will allow fuel to flow freely through the pump when it is in the off position. These pumps are readily available at NAPA Auto Parts all over the country.
I have had this very setup installed on all my outboard powered boats and currently have it installed on my Euroline 195 running a 150hp Force outboard and have had zero problems with it and it works every time.
I should also mention that you can leave the squeeze bulb in place as a back up but be sure to install the electric fuel pump between the tank and the bulb.