I just had 2 shifter cables replaced replaced on my 39 Donzi, received my bill and am shocked at the number of hours charged. Twin 496 HO motors---I removed the tie bars, saddles and removed all nuts and washers on the drives except one nut on each drive together with the upper cover plates as well as the props--they were ready to come off. I also removed the top covers on each engine. There is a lot of room in the engine compartment to get around each engine. My question is what is a reasonable number of hours to change both cables?

If your talking bravo and they know what they are doing, I would guess about 1 hour for each one.

Shops have labor hours recorded for each individual job.
So Probably set labor hours for that perticular job and even if you prepaired them for quicker job they used their set price.
If so, maybe you should have negotiated price per your prep work.

Did you have both cables replaced. One from shifter to the adapter (do not what they call it) and from the adapter to the outdrive?

How many hrs did they charge?

If its like automotive, they go by book hours.

In the auto industry several companies publish book hours, the amount of time expected to do a job... This is how shops and mechanics actually make money.

If an oil annd lube schedules for 1 hour, and the shop and mechanic can do it in 15 minutes they are profitable. Some mechanics gets paid his hourly rate on book hours, so if he is a good and fast mechanic, and can do 4 one hour oil changes in an hour, he gets 4 hours pay.

It can bite him too.. If a job takes over book because of problems, a 1 book hour job that takes 2.5 hours, the mechanic only gets paid 1 hour.

Most mechanics I know would rather you bring them something complete. as they take it apart, put it back together, and trust themselves. important if it has to come back for any reason.

One cable from each drive to the engine bravo shifter assembly. I was charged 8 hours which I thought was excessive.

rediculous......

I haven't done it regularly for over 10 years but it takes longer to set up and break down than it does to change the cable.

Nice $1000 bill you got there!

That is a bit excessive.......

My bud just had both cables changes on his scarab , one broke , the other was preventative maint. He was charged 3 hrs each including removing and servicing the drives. I mean the cable from the shifter block on the engine to the transom.

It only takes about 10 min. to pull drive and a buddy. Done my quite a few times. I would say they got you,dont give them anymore bussiness