I'm not a motor-head, so please excuse the relative noob-ness of this question, but here goes...

We have a 4 cylinder Mercruiser motor in a semi-beater family boat. If I had to guess, I'd say it is a mid-90's vintage motor. The problem is the motor falters and can stall when you try to accellerate the motor past about 1800 RPMs... This behavior disappears when the motor is REALLY warm, but in general happens for the first 15 minutes of operation each time we get the boat wet. If I'm very careful I can get the motor to come up to speed, it's just delicate... Almost sounds like the motor is flooding, but remember my assessments should be treated skeptically because I'm not a mechanic.

My question -- what an *I* try before taking to a mechanic? Will carb cleaner and/or a product like seafoam be worth trying?

Thanks to any and all suggestions!