20 minutes ago, chill8888 said:

so a bad battery would give the symptoms of what I've got going on?? you can hear the starter turning freely, but not engaging when you hit the button, and all other electronics are working

 

 

Probably not, but it's easy to check before you remove parts.

15 minutes ago, chill8888 said:

so a bad battery would give the symptoms of what I've got going on?? you can hear the starter turning freely, but not engaging when you hit the button, and all other electronics are working

 

 

If the battery is not strong enough to spin the starter at the correct speed, the gear on the end of the starter might not engage the flywheel.  Checking the battery is a way of ruling out that problem.   It is more likely to be the starter bendix due to age or dirt/grease. 

I'll bet you find a bad starter/solenoid/bendix

so a bad battery would give the symptoms of what I've got going on?? you can hear the starter turning freely, but not engaging when you hit the button, and all other electronics are working

8 hours ago, SodaBay said:

    We are in Northern California.  Find it hard to believe the site would not direct me to a dealer, even if it is 300 miles away.

It is my understanding that 

VS Marine Atascadero, is now our dealer ICBW

If so, that is a wonderful thing. Kris and his crew are AWESOME!!  

They are worth the 3 three hour drive for me.