A couple idle thoughts (they sometimes are very intermittent for we old farts) ...
Lou's question regarding where you are located was probably not just idle conversation (right Lou?). The environment in which this ski lives is very relevant to how to approach the problem, biggie is fresh or salt water.
Screws in the carb are JIS vice Phillips and to deal with them requires JIS screwdrivers. They are a PITA no matter how you look at it ... be patient.
Were I live, the fresh water is typically very hard and stuff like "Lime-away" or "CLR" (calcium, lime, rust) will clean up a lot of the deposits. Ocean is similar, just more so.
Look in the post-its for some excellent posts on cleaning up and adjusting carbs. Likewise there are a batch of youtube stuff showing the process.
I have been dealing with 2-strokes for 1 or 2 lifetimes and they are kinda like women: apparently simple, but very touchy ... oh gawd, did I really say that?