Starter seems to turn slowly

[prawntrap]

Hi,
J150NXEUC..., G04310147....., 1997 Johnson 150 Ocean Runner.
When I start the engine the starter seems to turn slower than it should. Definitely compared to other engine. If the engine is cold it can be difficult to start engine. I thought at first it could be a weak battery. I do have a guest battery charger which keeps it topped up. I took the battery in to have it load tested and they say the battery is healthy. I replaced the battery switch as it is quite old and cleaned all contacts. Could a weak or faulty starter solenoid cause this or maybe the starter is the culprit.
Thanks,
PT

[ELGIN]

Its a 1997 engine, the starter may be worn out. Look at grounds on the engine, starter solenoid, and battery. If all good get a new starter.

[prawntrap]

will do, Thanks Elgin

[ChampioNman]

If you want to save a little bit of coin you can bring your starter to an Auto Electric shop and have it rebuilt, I do this a lot for customers and it is usually about $75 USD.

Don't discount battery cables to the motor especially in a salt water environment. Depending on the quality of the cable you can have internal battery cable corrosion.

[prawntrap]

Thanks CM that is a good thought. I will check out both ideas.

[prawntrap]

Update: I have done a lot of troubleshooting on this problem. Checked and cleaned all connections. Thought maybe it was the battery switch, and changed it. Was not the problem. Did a voltage drop test and that did not show any problems. I was left with the starter itself. Replaced it with an old one I had from years ago, ( thats a different story, where it was replaced and did not need to be, but I kept the starter), starts up now like a champ! Thanks for the imputs