"Glenn Deneweth" wrote in message
news
When running at idle, the smell of gas is strong from the exhaust, there
is
no smell inside the boat, it's only from when the boat is running, I
noticed
a couple other boats on my finger doing the same thing.


If this is just a cold start issue then I wouldn't worry too much about it.
If this continues after the engine has warmed up then I would suspect the
choke.

If the choke doesn't back off then perhaps the choke heater isn't working.
A common arrangment is to have an electric heating element next to the
bi-metal spring that operates the choke. When the ignition is turned on,
the electric current heats the spring and slowly opens the choke. If the
wires aren't hooked up, or if the heating element is broken (common failure)
then the choke will never open.

In most cases, the amount of choke applied is easily adjusted. The choke
housing is usually secured by three clips around the outside. If you loosen
the screws you can rotate the housing. Rotating one way will increase the
amount of choke, rotate the other to decrease.

For sure, when the engine is fully warmed up the choke should be fully off.
Unless it is really cold I would not expect the choke to be fully engage.
If you take the spark arrester off the top of the carburetor you should be
able to see the choke valve and establish if it is fully open or not.

Rod