Hello all - Had this boat in the family since new, but new to me for keeping her running and maintained. Ron and Dan have helped with quite a few things recently, so wanted to put this out to all in case they are getting tired of me!:)
I thought we may have replaced the carb over the years, but I'm guessing it's not likely considering the research I have done. The stamp on the butterfly housing indicates it was specific carb made by Holley for Ford Commander conversions. Obviously, they don't make this exact carb anymore and I suspect they have not for well over 30+ years. No exact rebuild kit is still made for it, but Holley said they have kits that have almost everything needed for my carb. I got the one they recommended, but am feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of the work and knowledge involved. I have recently replaced the original distributor with a Pertronix marine Flamethrower, and have dealt with the resistor wire/ coil issue. The below likely carb issues were present before and after that change.
Here's my issue... I am having problems popping up that lead me to believe the carb needs some work - inconsistent starting, poor hot starting (floats stuck causing flooding?), hesitation when aggressively pulling someone up and not when you ease into the throttle (accelerator pump issues), and a random issue that seems to be due to the vent house out the back of the metering plate (small amount of oil/ fuel mixture accumulating in the external recess of the block right under the hose). She runs great at speed always... I would like to know if it's a good idea to just get a new carb (seems like $500+) or can I take the carb off and send it to someone who knows what they are doing to have it rebuilt/ tuned? Is it reasonable to expect to ship a carb somewhere and have it serviced and get it back and have the boat run great without having it serviced with the engine it's meant for? Is this a much cheaper option? I just don't trust anyone in my area to have the knowledge needed to do it right... Thanks for the help!