I was given a small aluminum runabout last fall. It has a 33hp
Evinrude "SkiTwin" engine. I put it in the water and it fired
right up. Perfect little boat for a small lake and tubing for a
10yr old. I've been guessing on the fuelil mix as I haven't
been able to find any docs or info. Just informal and conflicting
advice ranging from 24:1 to 50:1. I've been running it on appx
40:1 and its been happy. I've put about 3 hrs total on it from
then till now, 2.8 of them last fall.

A few days ago I fired it up for the season and it ran great. Ran it
for about 20mins at all speeds. Tank was low so I pulled it and
refilled it. I found a bit of info on the web that said 32:1 , so
since
it was the 1st time I found something that sounded firm, I mixed
up a fresh tank of 32:1 and plugged it in. Started and stalled,
Started
and Stalled. No start after that. The next day I realized I had left
the
vent on the tank closed, and opened it expecting ignition. No
joy. Still no start.

So, I pulled the cowl, and checked the plugs, they're a bit dirty
but not fouled or worn. I pulled the fuel line at the engine and
confirmed that gas is coming thru the line by pushing the ball
valve in and squeezing the bulb. I see fuel/oil in the water when
trying to start.

I know car engines and am a careful DIY mechanic. It behaves
like theres no spark, but that doesn't jive with changing fuel.
I expected fouled plugs due to a possibly wrong fuel mix for
this motor, but found them to be OK.

So there's the whole puzzle. My questions a
- My next step will be to verify a spark on the plug. Can I pull
the plug, attach the wire, ground it on the block to test or is
that a No No on this motor?
- Does ANYONE know what fuelil mix i should be feeding it?
I read 32:1 and was also told that 50:1 is Ok with modern day
2cycle oil.
- should I pull the hose from the output side of the fuel pump
looking thing and verify flow, or does the slick when trying to
start already confirm flow?
- Based on the events as described, any ideas? I'm starting to
think it may be an unrelated failure of some sort, but as I stated,
I'm completely new to 2cycle engines.

Any advice other than pull the engine and hump it off to a shop
is requested. I'll hump it off as a last resort, but would rather
figure it out with the help of some good advice.

Heres the patient:
http://geocities.com/mpdsville1/MyBoat/

Thanks !
Mike D