Ya it idles a hair rough, but doesnt die. Other then that, runs strong.
It idles a tad rough because up to 1800-2000 RPM (depends on how your linkage is adjusted) you are only running on the upper 2 cylinders....but they fire 180* apart like the old OMC "alternate" firing 2 cylinder engines that were smooth running for 2 cylinders. The lower 2 cylinders also fire 180* apart but the pairs are 90* apart giving you an nice smooth 90* of crank rotation for a bang when running the engine at the higher RPMs.
One thing that works for you when getting on plane...the hole shot. Firewall the throttle when you are ready to get up, don't ease it up, and then as the boat is coming up to your desired speed, cut the throttle back to your liking.
There is an activation fuel pump connected to the throttle linkage that transfers fuel to the lower two. It has a diaphragm, like your main fuel pump. The cavity containing the diaphragm fills with fuel as the engine runs....your idling out of the No Wake zone does the trick. If you hammer down on the throttle as I said, the activation cam "squirts" that volume of fuel into 3 and 4 giving you a faster response of these two cylinders coming on line and producing power. If you just ease the throttle forward for the hole shot, it just dribbles that volume of fuel into 3 and 4 and you get a less responsive result in power increase. I have one, a 2002.