FoMoCo , if you have the Harman marinized Ford ,give them a call and ask for a top mount starter.I had the same problem with my jetboat for 26 years [ ca 6 starters in all ] and my buddy who owns it now just replaced his ford starter and got the topmount.The old starter sits too deep in the bilge and it's nearly impossible to keep water out that slung by the flexplate.