Re: motor issues, carbs dirty maybe?
 

A rubber hose on a barbed fitting w/o a clamp is asking for trouble because there's nothing to keep that hose from coming off in rough seas! I'd change that entire pickup assembly to a solid 3/8 pipe and make sure there is no smaller diameter in any of the elbows or fittings! 5/16" is too small for a V-6 and could cause you to burn a piston at WOT. The dealer that used to service my old V-4 said they had traced repetitive power head failures on a V-6 to that type of restriction - the lines were 3/8 but there was a restriction in a 90 degree elbow! I think the pickup in my OEM tank is a 1/2" diameter pipe! The V-6's on a 20 are more vulnerable to this problem than the V-4's because you have so much power that you're less likely to notice a small drop in power due to a lean cylinder!

Re: motor issues, carbs dirty maybe?
 

thanks bushwhacker, i thought the same thing. just water tested again w/ new ethanol free gas in main tank (w/ 5/16 pickup). ran about 8 miles between 3500-4800 rpm, like a top. hopefully greasy paws and skinned knickles have triumphed this time. im going to pull the fitting and see where i can find a suitable replacement tomorrow probably.

Re: motor issues, carbs dirty maybe?
 

You can get it at the West Marine on N. Rivers in Charleston.

Re: motor issues, carbs dirty maybe?
 

so after all this i think it was just a loose pickup inside the fuel tank. went out today for a cruise w/ the lady friend. covered about 15 miles round trip probably, never faster than 4200 rpm, lots of idling around, not a hiccup. we shall see...

thanks for all the sound advice everybody.

Re: motor issues, carbs dirty maybe?
 

since the motor seems good enough, time to get cracking on that lady friend