Re: 1973 70 hp evinrude no spark
woodpac, you have to do what you have to do. The CD ignitions like yours that did away with points and condenser, although some would say they're more dependable, are much harder to diagnose. It takes some electrical test equipment that most folks don't have. I don't. On my last one, I got lucky. I suspected the powerpack and replaced it. That fixed it, but powerpacks can be an expensive experiment.
One last thing you can try - disconnect the main wiring harness at the large rubber plug on the engine. Then jump the solenoid and see if you have spark. If you do then there's a problem in the kill circuit to the controller. If you don't, I'm out of ideas. BTW, if you start it like this, you'll have to choke it with the manual choke, or pull the fuel line loose to get it to stop.