If the compression is a bit low 2 strokes can be hard to start. Pull the
plug and see if it's wet. That will tell you if it's flooded. Might want
to keep a can of ether in the boat. Just give it a squirt and it'll
probably start right up. Some people will tell you ether is bad for a 2
stroke but used in a small quantity it won't hurt anything. You're putting
a lot of wear on the starter by cranking it a whole lot all the time.

"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...
My Yamaha 90 hp 2 cycle on my Tolman has always been hard to start if
she has not been run in over a week. I will crank and pump the bulb
crank some more, pump etc for a Looooooooong time before she catches
and runs in a cloud of smoke. If she has been run recently, she
starts right up.
Tonight, I started her after a lapse of a month and I was not sure she
would ever start but she finally did. I then shut her down 3 times
and started her again. I think, but am not sure that she may be
getting flooded because more throttle makes her not start. Maybe the
starting problem is getting worse, I cannot really tell. Maybe I am
squeezing the bulb too much and flooding here, cannot tell. Ideas?