Hi. Noob with questions here.

[cptmarvel]

I just got a little boat with a 25 hp Force motor. Its says its a Mercury.

All of the references I see to a Force on here are with Chrysler.
I did not get an owners manual with it and cant find one online. So, I'm hoping someone will be patient enough for me to get it going. Be advised, though I've been working on cars and trucks since the late 70's, I know ZIP about boat motors! Thanks in advance and heerreee we go!
1. What is the sparkplug gap?
2. Spark plug torque?
3. Fuel/oil mix ratio?
4. Anything else to mix in fuel? If so, how much of what?
5. Can I run it with the muffs on? Little inlet, round ones work?
6. Why don't they have a darn airfilter?
7. Motor is mounted on a 14 foot jon boat. 2 people type. Should the motor be tilted up to transport on trailer? Seems like it should, but the mechanism to hold it in that position doesn't seem to sturdy. Soooo, should I use a transom saver for that?
8. Any other questions that I should be asking, but aren't?
9. Oh, yeah! Does it just use regular, unleaded gas? Or do I have to get gas from a station without the ethanol?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[flyingscott]

I can answer some of your questions.
fuel mix is 50-1
Yes you can run it on muffs as long as the water intakes are on the side of the lower unit.
No dirt in the air on the lake so no air filter.
Use a good fuel stabilizer in the fuel.
Yes use a transom saver
87 octane should be fine ethanol is fine.

 

[cptmarvel]

Outstanding sir! Thank you. That gives me a starting point. But the air filter thing still puzzles me. I understand that there is no dirt on a lake or river, but there is still plenty of dust, pollen and what not in the air. There is even some stuck to the carb inlet now. Just sayin.

 

[flyingscott]

No outboard motor has an air filter on it. The boxes you see on the carbs on some engines are not filters they are more for quieting the intake noise. Snowmobiles are the same way no dirt where they are operated. They have been this way for yrs