Took my mid 70's Mercury 1150 on my 16' out this weekend. Ran good. Hit some low water (mud) at low speed, trimmed the motor and idled out into deeper water. Water out of pee hole did get a little weak but when I got back in deep water seemed to be peeing same as usual. Ran mid throttle for 15 minutes and then opened it up. 5 minute later lost power and died. Took a few tries but did start. Limped it back to dock but did not sound right and had no power. Pulled plugs and #2 looks melted. I've read special tools and talent required to rebuild these monsters. Soooo, I;m not trying to start a Ford, Chevy, Dodge thing here, but in all reality, what outboard in the 75 - 115 hp range would be the most reliable, easiest/simplest to work on with a good parts source. Budget limited to about a grant because I'll be buying a pontoon next year and would like the 16' ready for the few times we go tubing.