There are minimum distance requirements by Mercury for when they allow for warranty work on engines, especially for things like access to bolts, water pump, and simple maintenance items (that they would have to replace under warranty). Dimensions like this are established so they can create baseline work hours for tasks.

In other words, you can't install the motor in the hull, and then encapsulate it by putting on the deck and surrounding on it.

However, some manufacturers really do take those dimensions down to the nitty gritty. Example: Change a SWP impeller on a 36 Outlaw, 38 Top Gun, and 37 Active Thunder, and you will have vastly different actual task/work hour durations.

Same goes for getting access to all the things you would need to disconnect to pull a motor, as well as engine hatch removal & clearance..

I cry bullcrap on the manufacturer having to give ez access for service. You haven't been in enough of the swoopy newer boats and looked. Not uncommon for the power to go in ,then put deck on ...

This is true on how some builders construct them. Formula is one of them. But you still must have adequate clearances & access once the deck is on. Last information I read, Formula bonds and screws the deck on the boat, not fiberglassed together like other manufacturers; FWIW.

do not forget you may need two or more people at times...

"must have access" and "do have access" aren't always one and the same

Totally agree, which is why I mentioned such in post #31.

It would take a VERY large chunk of money to get me to change an impeller in a 30' Baja Outlaw.

GH700 - the point is that I know how to run a business AND turn a nice profit. And yes I do know what the COST OF RUNNING A BUSINESS IS. SO then because the last two jobs took a little longer than planed it is now OK to screw the next two guys. And last I looked the boat mechanic didn't come to my boat I brought the boat to him.
I have to have mobile warehouses and tool boxes.
AND the last time I had work done on my boat they didn't fix the problem and made a mess of the interior.
NO THANKS - I will do it myself.
when I was 21 I could do better work then most marine mechanics.

BY the way Tinkerer was a name given to me by a friend - I did not just pull it out of my butt. I come up with ideas that surprise most people. One of those ( I never thought of that ) moments.

Theso your mobile shops are probably 50gs each, maybe more, whats the overhead on a full survice repair facility?

If you have anything at all as far as merc parts your talking hundreds of thousands in inventory, convenience aint cheap, but a lot of people are, which is why walmart is taking over and our economy is moving to china.

Sounds like you need a new boat mechanic then if they made a mess and didn't fix it. The finding different ways is fine when it's yours. When it's a paying customers then you do it the RIGHT way. As for cost etc of biz I own my own and we used to own and run a marina and boat repair until we sold it a few yrs ago when we got an offer we couldn't refuse. Also you charge a fair and even rate wether it takes extra or you're a head and it comes out in the wash no rip off no giveaways just even fair flat rate.