9.8 merc thermostat issues???

Ok fellas... I went out to run my merc in a barrel this morning because i havent ran it in about a month , It started right up and started spitting warm water with good flow.... after about 2 min it went from spitting warm water to hot water,,, hot enough that i couldnt hold my hand under for too long... does this sound like a thermostat problem??? or an impeller problem??? its getting good water flow through it its just way too hot.... Any thoughts would be much appreciated.. thanks!

Depending on the size of your "barrel" it could be picking up warm water and then it just gets warmer again as it passes back through the engine. Since you say the flow seems okay I would suspect the thermostat, assuming it has one????

im assuming it has a thermostat , i believe its around a mid to earlier 1980s merc 110.. im using a garbage barrel to run it in