I hate engines

It's winter again, so I have to keep the boat at a slip. Not a mooring. That means I have to depend on my old 9.9 Merc. It's not dependable. Tried to go for a short sail yesterday. The outboard started first try. Ran it at idle for a few minutes, then it just stalled out. I spent two hours f*%king with the damn thing. Changed the Gas, changed the plugs, screwed up the gear shifter again. Never got to sail. I guess I'll go down and mess with it some more today.