How much smoke is too much?

[dmiles]

Went to look at a 96 Speedster today. The guy has done a lot of work on it as far as replacing throttle and steering cables and such, and has put a brand new Bimini top on it. He gave me the name of the mechanic that just rebuilt the carbs, and said he has the printout form the diagnostic tool that shows hours, (he said around 375 best he could remember), and that I could get the compression numbers from him, or check it myself.

He started it up and it started and ran good, and there was smoke, as I expected. My only previous experience running a two stroke out of the water was my 135hp Mercury outboard from back in the 90's. It smoked as well, but it seemed like these engines put out a lot more smoke than I was expecting.

So, how much smoke should I expect? This was so much after a few minutes of running, we had to walk a few feet away from the boat so we could breathe. Do these engines have that issue with the crank seals allowing oil to leak in? He said it had been a couple of weeks since he had it out. If it is an issue with the seals, would it be something that I could put off until winter to fix?

His bottom line best price is $2800. Should I keep looking, or keep talking? He needs the cash, as he is looking to move up to a bigger boat. Thanks!

 

[Lumps]

All two strokes smoke. I guess the question is did it smoke too much for you? Mine use to smoke. If I left it sit for a few weeks it was really bad. But once out on the water you don't notice it much. My understanding is these get worse over time so the smoke you see today may be just the beginning. You price seems good though. If you have it in you mind to fix it it can get pricy

 

[dmiles]

All two strokes smoke. I guess the question is did it smoke too much for you? Mine use to smoke. If I left it sit for a few weeks it was really bad. But once out on the water you don't notice it much. My understanding is these get worse over time so the smoke you see today may be just the beginning. You price seems good though. If you have it in you mind to fix it it can get pricy

Yes I expected smoke, and I realize it will hardly be noticeable once it's in the water. This was just more than I expected. Although it's a pretty good indicator that the oil injection is working eh? But they both started right up and ran fine. If the compression checks out, and it runs OK when we take it out for a test run, I'll probably go for it. It's all a crap shoot buying boats at these prices anyway. Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.