While there are (a few) Waterwitche’s that run well, a large number run as yours and mine. When its running rich, and I lean mine out to where it starts to run well, it lean backfires. They are also considered to be hard to start, however I never had that issue with mine. Mine seemed to run well in the barrel but on the boat it ran like crap. I messed with it most every day for 3 weeks and only went backwards. These motors have a bad reputation and they derisive it. The interest in these motors is in how they look, and they have value if the gas tanks are in really nice condition.
A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.
