I'm new to boating. I recently purchased a used boat that has a 9.9 Yamaha 4-stroke outboard motor.

The previous owner showed me that the motor works, by running it for a second while the boat was on the trailer.

He gave me a few tips about how to operate the motor and said I shouldn't run it while it's not in the water -- since it's water-cooled and would overheat. I've never operated a motor boat, so I'd like to try to start up the motor at home a few times before using the boat in the water. (I'd like to get the hang of it first since it seems like starting an outboard can be a bit fiddly.)

Is there a way that I can start the motor a few times when it's not in water -- without risking damage? For example:

A. Start it for a second. Let a cool for a few minutes before starting again.
B. Or, when testing, would it help to place the bottom part of the motor in a large container of water to cool it? Or is that unnecessary?

For what it's worth, here are some photos of the motor from the original classified ad:

I'm new to boating. I recently purchased a used boat that has a 9.9 Yamaha 4-stroke outboard motor.

The previous owner showed me that the motor works, by running it for a second while the boat was on the trailer.

He gave me a few tips about how to operate the motor and said I shouldn't run it while it's not in the water -- since it's water-cooled and would overheat. I've never operated a motor boat, so I'd like to try to start up the motor at home a few times before using the boat in the water. (I'd like to get the hang of it first since it seems like starting an outboard can be a bit fiddly.)

Is there a way that I can start the motor a few times when it's not in water -- without risking damage? For example:

A. Start it for a second. Let a cool for a few minutes before starting again.
B. Or, when testing, would it help to place the bottom part of the motor in a large container of water to cool it? Or is that unnecessary?