hey guys,
im new to motor boats (been sailing since i was 5, but im no expert, little rusty havent been out in a long time) and i just picked up a outboard motor. i havent checked the s/n but its a 96-98 Merc 8hp 2 stroke and i have a few questions. i fairly good at using my auto tools, so i dont think much on this is out of my league with a little direction.(***is there a shop manual or maintenance manual or owners manual anywhere??**)

i want to give her a good tune up, but the boat is at my cottage and im not.. what kind of spark plugs does it take? i noticed the current 1s are NGK but no idea the model number.

ive heard that the 9.9 can be converted to a 15hp with just changing out the carb and i think exhaust manifold, i was under the impression that the 8hp was the same as the 9.9 just a similar form of detuning (this is just something i heard years ago)...maybe a restrictor plate?? any way to squeeze a couple ponies out of this thing?(im on a small lake and i dont need it but i like to tinker with things)

im going to be doing a lower unit fluid change asap, thats top of the list, how much fluid does it take and is there any brands of g/o that are better than others? also what specs should i look for? all i see is "mercury lower unit oil" no specs on the bottles. also, where can i get a lower unit g/o pump that threads in the fill hole?

ive read there are 2 different impeller sizes that merc uses, how do i know which one i need? and what would it be?

my prop is in ok shape, no bends but it had tapped a few things from previous owner so it was grinded down slightly to take the sharp edges off...but besides that, would i benifit from putting on a slightly larger 1? or 1 that is 4 blades? not worried about power off the line, more top end would be nice(ya i know its just a 8hp lol)
i will eventually (big eventually especially with their boat sittin just 4 docks from mine lol) be buying a 16-19ft sport/fishing boat. my sister and her husband just got a legend with a 60 merc bigfoot i think its called. they put a lot of addons on it..ill probably be looking for the same or similar boat to theirs but hopefully in good shape used, not new like they did.