Sounds like you covered the two most obvious potential problems. You said this motor was new.
How new?
The accelerator pump is supposed to shoot a little extra fuel into the chamber when you accelerate. You can see the piston rod on the outside of the carburator on the side. In Part # 14
Honda Outboard Parts 2007 and Later BF20DK0 LRTA OUTBOARD ENGINE, JPN, VIN# BAMJ-1400001 CARBURETOR (AUTO) Diagram
is the rod that you can see coming through the little rubber bellows. You should be able to see the rod go down when you advance the throttle. In fact, you can take your finger and push it down and the engine should accelerate in speed...then the speed will come back to where it was.
It is highly unlikely that a new carb would have the same trouble as the old one.
Although, it could happen.
Have you checked your fuel for water?
Also, check to be sure that the oil level is below the full mark. If these motors have too much oil, they will bogg down.
So some things to check/do...
1. Check your fuel...better yet...try another tank of fuel.
2. Check your oil level...be sure the engine is vertical when you do.
3. Make sure the motor is not tilted down too far on the boat. This can cause acceleration and running issues.
4. Make sure the motor exhaust reliefs are well above the water level.
5. Make sure it has the right prop on it for the size boat that you have. If you have a fairly large boat and just using it as a kicker, you probably need a high thrust prop....about a 7 pitch. These usually come with a 10 pitch prop unless it is a high thrust model. If you have a small fishing boat (dinghy), the 10 pitch is probably pretty close to the right one.
6. Has it ever accelerated normally? If not....take it back to the dealer to get it right.
Mike