I finally dropped the whaler in the water. We put new seals in the lower unit over the winter. Engine started right up but would not shift into gear.  Ended up pulling it out at the ramp. Dropped the lower unit and aligned the shift spline. After about 15 minutes of running the motor started making a racketed out by the railroad bridge.  I shut down the motor and started paddling home. Thankfully a charter fishing boat towed me home.   Turns out the flywheel was loose and was an easy fix.