Idea's

Took boat/15 hp evenrude to lake for !st time since bringing it to NY for summer. Installed new water pump/impellar last fall and winterized it. Would not start at lake. New gas, bulb hard even used a little carb cleaner, got spark etc etc, finally gave up went home. Put things away and went to get tools, gave it one little pull and it fired right up. Put water in barrell and started it 4-5 times the rest of the day, one pull each time. What causes this? Sometimes I think it takes a little while for gas to get all the way thru the system, other times I think the fuel lines get kinked when I lift motor to trailer or back in water.

Could be a vent issue. Had one that drove me nuts. In the cool of the morning I had issues. I would get it home latter in the day it would start. Next morning nothing. Had an intermittent kill switch one time it would run the next time nothing.

Your not alone,in the last 40+ years of farming I've had that happen so many times with small gas engines I've lost count:)

My vote would be that the trip home gave the carb cleaner time to soak through a small blockage of a firm bulbn the needle valve. With a blocked valve you may also get the sensation of a firm bulb. It broke loose between the pressure from the fuel line and soak time for the cleaner, when you got home the bowl could fill and she fired up.

If you are leaving your fuel line connected, you may be flooded by the time you get to the water. Those motors are prone to do that and the EPA style tanks make it more common.

If getting spark, next time pull the plugs to see if they are wet with fuel.
As they say, if they get air, fire and fuel, they usually run!

Thanks for helpful tips. This issue was Friday. Started numerus times Sat, Sun., Mon. morning and off to the lake. Started right up but would not go past fast idle for 10 minite trip up/down channel. Took cover off, nothing pinched or out of whack. Checked fuel line, bulb etc etc. Might have been dirty carb, or junk or just older gas in line cause I had added 3 gallons of fresh gas a while back. Restarted put in gear, shifted several times, it hiccupped a few times in reverse and then off to the races, wide open, 67 years old with a millon dollar smile on my face for a nice ride up/down the lake and to top it off lots of panfish. Life is good!

Something to consider: I run a fuel stabilizer all the time in my boat, mowers, weed eater, and pressure washer. I use Mercury Quickaire Fuel Stabilizer at the recommended 1 oz. to 10 gallons of gas in the boat, mixed 5 gal at a time (Half oz.) in my 6 gallon jug for the small engines. Get it at Walmart, one $6 bottle treats 120 gal of fuel, so it's not going to break the bank. I put a fuel filter/water separator on my boat with the clear bottom on it where I can check it when I want, and drain anything out if needed. Life is too short to deal with stale gas issues, especially with my pressure washer that I only run once or twice a year, and that little Honda engine has been flawless for nearly 15 years.
Ethanol or non ethanol, it all gets stale or contaminated over time. Around here, the stations that carry non ethanol sell much less of that fuel than they do the others, so freshness of that fuel may be in question the day you buy it. Hit or miss, who knows.
Keep check on your fuel lines. Old fuel lines can lead to trouble. Consider newer style marine fuel hoses if yours are really old, and not just cheap auto parts stores rubber fuel hose off the spool. I went with the "Sierra" line, gray for "above deck", and their line of hoses for "Below Deck". These are actually REQUIRED for newer boats, and for good reason.
Just more ideas, ...

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Originally Posted by RM Fishin

Took boat/15 hp evenrude to lake for !st time since bringing it to NY for summer. Installed new water pump/impellar last fall and winterized it. Would not start at lake. New gas, bulb hard even used a little carb cleaner, got spark etc etc, finally gave up went home. Put things away and went to get tools, gave it one little pull and it fired right up. Put water in barrell and started it 4-5 times the rest of the day, one pull each time. What causes this? Sometimes I think it takes a little while for gas to get all the way thru the system, other times I think the fuel lines get kinked when I lift motor to trailer or back in water.

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In my experience carb cleaner, the spray bottle kind, can damage some of the rubber parts in outboard carbs. The diaphragms of pumper carbs seem particularly vulnerable. I learned this the hard way...

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Originally Posted by SpeckMaster

In my experience carb cleaner, the spray bottle kind, can damage some of the rubber parts in outboard carbs. The diaphragms of pumper carbs seem particularly vulnerable. I learned this the hard way...

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Same here! I used to be a big fan of Gumout Carb Spray, it cleaned the metal parts like "New Money", but melted away carb seals in an older Tecumseh Engine once, so I give it up.
Perhaps a lot has to do with what the seals are made of, who knows, but it sure bit me good. In a Chevelle I had for several years, I cleaned a big Holly 4 barrel double pumper with it frequently with never a problem, but after the Tecumseh episode, I gave it up for good. Maybe Seafoam Spray might be a better alternative, but honestly, I have never used the spray version of it.