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...Phil T...thx for the consoling words. The marina that is doing the work is a Boston Whaler/Mercury dealer. I could never imagine that a deteriorating bulb fuel line, and I think it's the original, could cause such an expensive repair. I've grown up around boats, I live in RI, and I've never heard of having to periodically replace the bulb/fuel line to avoid cleaning and rebuilding the engine's carburetors. The repair is underway...any money I might have saved by going somewhere else didn't seem to justify putting more hands into the soup. Any other input on this condition is more than welcomed...

An "older, wiser," boat owner,

Geoffrey