1982 BF100 burning oil

I own an early 80’s BF100 four

I own an early 80’s BF100 four stroke. The motor is new to me. I use the engine as a kicker for my 17’ run about. After approximately 50 hours of run time I changed the motor oil. The oil is very dark and thin. Is this normal? The gear lube is fine.
I lay the motor on its tiller side like the manual says in the back of the pickup truck when transporting the boat from lake to lake. When I get to the boat lunch I place the motor on its bracket. I start the Honda usually with in 15-20 minutes from being on its side. The engine starts first or second pull but bellows a plum of rich (oil?) smoke. The smoke burns off and engine runs fine. I checked the oil level on a regular basis and the oil level doesn’t seem to drop. When the Honda is running I think I smell oil burning but it could just be regular exhaust.

I tried to make this scenario a clear as possible and would appreciate any feedback.

Grant

"Grant, I don't work on 4

"Grant, I don't work on 4 stroke outboards, but apply the same scenario to an old car.

Those symptoms would usually indicate that the piston rings have seen better days - I imagine that may well be the case with this outboard...."

It may well be that a little o

It may well be that a little oil goes in to the cylinders when it is layed on its side.Make yourself a stand to hang the motor properly and see if there is a difference on start-up.After the motor sits say overnight on the boat does blow it smoke on start-up??

"Sometimes oil will get into t

"Sometimes oil will get into the crankcase breather tube when you lay the engine on it's side. THe crankcase breather tube is vented to the air intake, just like any other motor. When you stand the motor up, any oil in the tube drains down the tube to carb air intake. This is probably what is causing the smoke. Some oil may be dripping out the front of the carb and onto the engine, which may be the cause of the oil smell."