Originally Posted by
TheGrandPoohBah
Sounds like some carb work is probably in order.
I highly recommend you run fuel stabilizer in your boat all the time at the recommended mix, regardless of type of fuel. I use Mercury Quicksilver Stabilizer, recommended one ounce to ten gallons of fuel, and have had no problems. I use it in my mowers, weed eater, and pressure washer too (And my pressure washer only gets ran once or twice a year in the spring, for about 12 years, never a problem). Best price I have found is at Walmart, a bottle lasts a long time, and the price is not bad.
I no longer go along with the theory of unplug the lines and run the motor out of fuel. Contrary to popular belief, it does not get all the fuel out, residue remains, and it dries to a sticky goo. I recently rebuilt a Welbro carb for a friend who did such, and man what a mess inside it was.
If you go with the carb work, I recommend you replace all fuel lines with the proper type, a new bulb, and start anew.
In the meantime, pull your plugs and look them over, they may have a story to tell you. Incidentally, I clean my plugs with the wire wheel on the left end of my bench grinder, cleans them up like new money. Threads too, then anti seize the threads. All my plugs get this, except iridiums, of course.
"Ya gotta get to the fish, Man..." my Buddy says...