97 xp now running rough??

[Banana Yellow]

Spent about 2 hours on the water today....ran pretty well but had to cut short because started to bogg down and now won't even get up on a plane. Could barely limp back to the boat dock because it was running so rough. I did notice it smoking more than usual. Need some advise please?????

 

[Mouse]

Mine had a similar syptom (both lost power and the excess smoke) last weekend - tho it went off song fairly quickly (bout 5 mins). Turned-out to be the head seal (o ring) on 1 cylinder. I pulled the head off to see - but a compression test would have confirmed it without removing the head. It does serious damage if you carry-on running - head warping etc. Mouse.