Started putting the boat back together today. I had an epiphany at work today – what if water came through the vent in the back of the cowling when it was on the beach? I pulled the cowling tonight and it looked okay in there. I got some electric parts spray and hogged down the engine. I put new terminal ends on the electric leads, and hooked them up to the battery. The hydralic lift worked and the outboard turned over. The electronics did not work yet but I think the ground may be at fault so I’ll track that down tomorrow. Damn, this stuff is hard when it’s failing daylight my eyes are 52. I pulled the boat out of the garage, hooked up the earmuffs to the outboard, turned on the garden hose, and cranked the engine. It started right up. I ran it for 1/2 an hour to get it hot and dry it out. Everything seemed great. I’ll continue tackling the electronics tomorrow but a big relief that the outboard appears just fine.