Merc 15 hp is getting the best of me, I'm at a loss, won't run right (S/N 0T533347)

It is difficult to get the fuel-strainer bowl back in place without knocking the fuel strainer out of place.
I've found the easiest thing is to separate the fuel-strainer assembly from the recoil starter, remove the whole
recoil starter (3 bolts) and then mount the fuel strainer and the bowl. Replace recoil starter and push
the fuel-strainer assembly back in place.

Now, you should make ALL the adjustments called for in the manual.
Idle speed, idle wire, low-speed mixture, timing, etc.

Aren't you glad you stuck with it?
If anything goes wrong in the future, you'll be able to deal with it.....

It does feel good to know how much I've been through it. I understand the thing inside and out for the most part, short of disassembling the crankcase, which I was willing to do. Sure I could have brought it to someone, but given that I did have a series of issues going all the way back to a bad set of plug wires, corroded Tstat, etc., they probably would have charged me $1000 to do what I did, if not more, and I would still know nothing about how to do it myself. Plus, I've had too many cases in my years where I've paid someone to do something, only to find they either didn't do it, or didn't do it properly, and then I just ended up doing it anyway.

As for adjustments, they pretty much are where they should be given the small tub I was running the motor in. But once I get it behind my other boat at the marina, in the water, I'll then double check all the settings, mainly the low speed mix, idle, and max rpm timing.

I really appreciate all the help everyone gave me...on the dinghy it goes. The bigger boat launches Monday, so this should go in about a week later. The season is here, and I just finished in time!

...seems to be no follow up reply to steveg_nh's Apr 8, 2019 question. I have the same question concerning the reed block with the factory rubberized seal. Can you simply install an regular gasket between the read block and carburetor flange face?