Boat Stalling

Question
I just purchased a 1990 18ft Bluewater Riviera with a 4.3 V6 Mercruiser I/O engine. Boat runs fine as long as I dont try to accelerate in reverse. I can get into reverse gear and boat moves in reverse but once I attempt to accelerate in reverse the engine cuts off. When this happens I am not able to start the boat again for at least twenty minutes. Please let me know if you have any idea why this might be happening and what I can do about it. Thanks in advance.  

Answer
Hi Rob   There is a switch on your shift cable linkage that(when adjusted properly) will stall the motor just for an instant so as you can go from foward to neutral with out much pressure on the shift cable. This shift linkage will in time and use need attention(replacement of worn parts,and adjustment).The next time this happens try moving the shift lever from reverse to forward then back to neutral,then try starting the motor. Best bet is your mercruiser dealer for the repairs as this can get to be real tricky if your not trained for this.  Good luck