Re: 125 force 89 arriva 20' boat help me please
After setting the carbs ON THE WATER as outlined in FAQ at the top of this page, (Very important so that you don't burn up the engine) if it stilll is a dog (likely) then there are a couple of things you can do.
The 125 is a small bore, long stroke engine. It does not produce power the same as, for example, the large bore 120 and has a different curve. It must be kept at the top of the operating range. It is even acceptable to exceed the top RPM of 5500 by a couple of hundred. I run my 125 at 5900 on a little go-fast hull.
The 125 is regressively geared at 1.76 to 1. Find an old 90 HP lower unit (or some 85s) with 2 to 1 gearing and swap that onto it. Using the same 17 pitch prop, the hole shot will improve, the top speed will improve, and WOT RPM will increase about 400-500. By all means, try to find a good used stainless prop. The same pitch in stainless will increase RPM by 200-400 over the aluminum prop and increase the top speed by about 2 MPH.
Aftermarket reeds are sold, the ones that come to mind are Boyeson, but there are other manufacturers too.
For skiing, on a 20 foot boat, you may just have to bite the bullet, get a 15 pitch prop, and accept the loss in top speed for the added acceleration to pull out a skier. Again, try for a stainless prop. I run nothing else on my Force and Chrysler engines; aluminum is just my emergency spare.
If I read you correctly and the timing is all over the place, then you have a problem with loose linkages. Check for loose bolts and cracked plastic fittings. Since timing is controlled by the flywheel center magnet and trigger assembly, It should be dead on and not vary at all.