RE: Problem caused by cowl ?
I have to agree with a few of the posts here. The Sukoi has a pretty big cowl opening and is draggy. The engine may just be battling a larger load.
First pull the cowl and give it a go. The airflow within the cowl at airspeed may be starving the carb inlet. If the cowl off does not give you any gain then you might want to try a few different props.