Check your tranny fluid level just to be sure. I would bet on cavitation though. If you were listed pretty good, you were most likely pulling in some air/wash from the opposite side. We experience it constantly when really loaded down. It can definitely startle a new driver that has not felt it before. As a precaution we do check all of our fluids at the end of every day of surfing. As for oil circulation, I wouldn't really be too worried, as the pickups in a boat are going to work at more extreme angles than that of an automobile. Obviously there is a point of no return, but there really should be no problem with surfing (unless you're about to completely dunk one side of the boat). Think about the angles that most boats can operate at and how often is your boat actually sitting perfectly level? I haven't ever seen the inside of an oil pan out of a boat motor, but I would bet there is some sort of baffle(s) built into the pan to help keep the pickup submersed in oil at all times. Trevor, did you happen to see where the smoke was coming from exactly? You may have a leaky gasket, which could allow for some oil to seep out while you are listing. Which would begin to burn off causing the smoke. As for the starting difficulty, I've never experienced that, but then again, we rarely shut the boat off completely.
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