Let me first start this post off by saying thanks in advance. I am a first time boat owner and I bought a 1966 Drift-R-Cruz 32' houseboat. It has passed through a couple of owners and I have inherited some issues from the previous owners. Since I bought the boat in mid-July, the shifting has gotten more and more stiff. I have noticed a small amount of oil in the engine bay, but it seemed very intermittent and I didn't think much of it. This last weekend shifting was near impossible and I discovered about 3 gallons of oil in the engine bay. I found a rubber boot was completely off the rear of the engine. Tracing back the connections to this boot it looks as if it has connection to my shifting problems. I attached some pictures. I don't know the technical names for these pieces and I haven't been able to find any information online to help with this part. The shifter cable connects to what looks like a hydraulic connector. A hose runs from that connector to a metal drum. I have no idea what that piece is as I don't see any moving parts when shifting from forward to reverse. In the picture you can see the rubber boot that is loose. Is that where the oil would be coming from? Is this a severe issue? Any help you can offer would be much appreciated.
