Its a long shaft. It was idling beautifully until i tore apart the carbs and rebuilt it. I will take a reading when i go boating again. Yes this was on a water hose.
Assuming the compression is approximately 100 psi and fairly even on all cylinders... and with all the spark plus removed, the spark will jump a 7/16" gap with a strong blue lightning like flame... a real SNAP! (Check it)...........
Let me know what the compression is on all cylinders, and if the spark is as it should be... as above.
Therein your quote lies a clue you know.
Assuming you cleaned all the jets thoroughly, including the two (2) high speed jets in each carburetor.... and not intending to insult your intelligence BUT... are you sure that you got "all" of the jets reinstalled in their proper location? A very easy mistake to make (Don't ask me how I know).
(Read the NOTE below before you do this)
The synchronization between the carburetors is pretty close to critical as is the relationship to the timing. Back the cam away from the roller... now make sure that the linkage between the two carburetors is set so that both throttle butterflies start to move as the same time... and also close at the same time. When closed, double check to make sure that the linkage between the carburetors isn't slightly too tight whereas one throttle might be closed and the other ever so slightly open.
Now, re-adjust the carburetor throttle cam roller so that the throttle butterflies just start to open when the scribe mark on the metal cam is dead center with the roller.
NOTE: The roller of yesteryear was a one piece roller, approximately 3/8" in diameter. Today's rollers, perhaps yours, are manufactured of two substances... a small black roller which is covered with an inferior clear plastic covering to bring its diameter up to the 3/8" size. The inferior clear covering breaks away resulting in the rollers diameter dropping to the approximate 1/8" which throws the engine/carburetor out of synchronization which in turn makes it impossible to function properly. (Check It!)
Let me know what you find.