Need your help folks.  Before I take my boat to the shop I figured I'd ask the question here to get some insight.  Here's my issue:

I have a 96 Johnson 150, never had issues before other than replacing a seal or two.  Lately, after the engine has been run, turned off to fish and restarted, every once in awhile as I gun it to get out of the hole it will completely die.  Not slow down or cough, just quits.  When I go to restart it the motor will start right up but won't idle, it jsut stalls out.  After a few minutes it runs fine.  Any thoughts?????? :-/

Had a similar problem on my V-4 Johnson (same motor minus 2 cylinders.)  Sync. carbs.

Could be heat soak.  Have you tried pressing the key in to prime it as you are starting off?

Not while starting off.  Once the motor dies I do have to prime the engine with the key held in for a bit to get the engine to stay idling.  I'll give it a try.  Gonna take her in anyway, she is due for her six month check up.  It amazes me that we take our cars in for every strange sound etc. but some guys have never even taken their boat motor in for a tune up??????

It's gotta be a fuel issue. Otherwise you would have the problem in other throttle ranges if it was an internal issue. I would start there.

would a bad fuel pump possibly cause this?  I always use the same fuel and use StaBil marine for the ethanol year round.  would adding too much Stabil per gallon of fuel effect the performance?    

There are a few things that can cause the problem.  Doubt it would be fuel pump, that usually causes surging at WOT when it starts going bad.   Link and Sinc and idle screw adjustments can cause it.  Dirty carbs can also cause the problem.  Heat soak is a very common cause and once it starts from heat soak, they usaully can be hell to cure.

As for the StaBil, I've never used it, I only use SeaFoam, so can't give you any info on StaBil.  

I'm no boat motor mechanic but could it be a loose wire somewhere. That would be where I'd look on my motorcycles, trucks and cars.

Forgive me for my lack of mechanical prowess but what exactly is Heat Soak?  And what is WOT?

Wide Open Throttle (WOT)

Heat soak, The heat in the engine cause the fuel to evaporate from the crankcase so when you try to crank it, there is no fuel in the case.  You prime it and it gets a shot of fuel to start but it's still starving for fuel, that's why it dies when you give it gas, pressing the primer when starting off give it a healthy dose of fuel so it takes off and goes.  

Dirty carbs will give a very similar situation.  Idle needles set too lean or mid range orfices create a lean condition that will make one bogg real bad coming out of the hole.

As far as I know Stabil shouldn't be an issue. I know with the regular one it says right on the bottle you can use double the amount if you are storing whatever it's going into. So, I would imagine it should be similar with the marine Stabil. Check the bottle out.

Great info guys!!!  Thanks