[96MariahZ220]

I had the oil changed in my boat in April of 2015 and have used it quite a bit since then. Not sure how many hours but maybe around 60? I checked the oil and it was about a quart and a half low... Has a little blow by in the tubes going into the air intake but doesn't appear to be too bad... Is this excessive or somewhat normal? its a 96 model with a 5.7 merc with about 770 hours. Thanks.

[Hudson River Steve]

At 770 hours on the clock I don't think 1.5qts is excessive. With that amount of time you just need to check the level more often then a newer engine.