Bluebird is on her mooring -- and I'm holding my breath. The launch went well and there did not seem to be any water where it shouldn't be. We shoved her over the edge on the launching cradle, and she rode down the rails and into the river. The 35-year-old Evinrude started and powered her to the dock where I left her for a couple of hours to see whether there were leaks.
There were none, and so I started the engine to begin the trip to the mooring. That's when I noticed that there was no water coming out with the exhaust. That, I suspected, could mean overheating.
So I spent the rest of the afternoon (once Bluebird was safely on the mooring) trying to understand the motor. It seems pretty certain that it needs a new water pump impeller or maybe the whole pump. The parts are available. It's the mechanical work that I'm not sure I'm up to.
Maybe I'll find a shop that can fix it.