so a bad battery would give the symptoms of what I've got going on?? you can hear the starter turning freely, but not engaging when you hit the button, and all other electronics are working

8 hours ago, SodaBay said:

    We are in Northern California.  Find it hard to believe the site would not direct me to a dealer, even if it is 300 miles away.

It is my understanding that 

VS Marine Atascadero, is now our dealer ICBW

If so, that is a wonderful thing. Kris and his crew are AWESOME!!  

They are worth the 3 three hour drive for me. 

1 hour ago, chill8888 said:

thanks for the replies guys,, im sure hoping thats all it is, im going to pull the starter today and check it out.

on the batteries, i havent thought about that,but havent had any issues, ill put them on charge today as well to check out.

Check the voltage on the battery before charging and again a day or so after you charge them.  If they are more than a few years old, you might take them to an auto parts store and have them load tested.  Here is the @shawndoggy battery chart.

I would at least clean your existing carb or maybe rebuild it again before buying a new one.  Poor idle could be just gunk in the throat near or on the butterfly, debris in a jet, a leaky bowl gasket, bad float valve, improper float level, etc.

Carb rebuild is easily a DIY activity.  I would buy a kit and a gallon can of carb dip and have an enjoyable evening.  The can of dip works a whole lot better than the spray cans at removing gunk.  Compressed air is a bonus too, but if you don't have that you can use the spray carb cleaner as a substitute after the dip.

13 hours ago, FrankB said:

I once found a cross reference guide for my boat trailer but I cannot find it anywhere. I want to say the calipers were from a 70 something Chevy sedan? Anyways if anyone can help me find the parts I need I would really appreciate it!

Posting a photo of the parts you seek is a great idea.

Yes, the site will let you post photos.  See the post about posting photos.