Re: primer bulb not hard...
The primer bulb should pump up hard when you go to start a cold engine each day. Once the engine is running, but bulb will get softer, but should not collapse. That's normal. If the bulb won't pump up properly, it's likely that one of the ball valves is not functioning properly. Likely the bulb is bad. Sometimes those bulbs won't work properly depending on how you have the squeeze bulb oriented (positioned) in the boat. The flow arrow on the side of the bulb should be oriented upward when priming. If the bulb is laying downhill in the boat's spashwell, you can have problems with those ball valves in any bulb. Try reorienting the bulb before you purchase a new one and see if it makes a difference.
