If you have a two stroke engine and are running it with no load, you cannot burn all of the oil in your fuel mixture. If the engine is running cold because of failed thermostats or prolonged trolling, some oil will accumulate.
If you have a VRO or OMS and there is an air leak, the system will overcompensate and deliver too much oil.
It's a 1972 Evinrude 2 stroke. We bought it and the guy started it up several times for us. We then took it to a repair shop and they changed the water pump out for us and we brought it home. We started it yesterday in a drum of water and ran it for a few seconds...cut it off and now it won't start again. He notice oil in the water and oil on the plugs. Any help will do !
As stated, you can't burn all of the oil in the mixture running with no load. It is normal for the excess oil to go out with the exhaust; it has to go somewhere.
You put oil in the gas. The gas goes through the cylinders. The spark plugs stick into the cylinders too. So of course they get oil on them. In normal use, most of the oil gets burned off the plugs and the rest goes out the exhaust. Running in a barrel is not "normal" use.
Clean the plugs good or pick up some new ones for it. Be sure the gas is good and not old and some of it has evaporated making it rich with oil or has gotten water in it. The gas now a days with the ethanol in it attracts water. Then try starting it again. If it starts them you know it was the eccess oil on the plugs caused by eithre gas/oil mixture not right or not burning the oil as suggested in other replies. If you find it will start with clean or new plugs next time put the boat in the water and run it to see how it does.
Make sure you're mixing the gas/oil at 50:1, and use TC-W3 oil for best results. If you're doing a lot of trolling, or running at slow speeds, you might want to go to a slightly hotter plug, and open the spark plug gap a bit.
