I posted here to try to help the original poster. My first questions to him concerned prop and rpm. I don’t believe he ever answered. When the ignition question came into play I pointed out that checking the coil for a 3/8” spark didn’t check spark plug condition. Just my opinion but I think if spark is a question then a person would want to know the plugs are good. Seems like common sense to me since having a healthy coil does not guarantee a spark in the cylinder. Apparently the 50+ year mechanic didn’t agree.How many years experience do you have working on outboard motors ? You ask for help from a group of folks with many, many years of outboard expertise, yet you want to challenge the recommendations given. We can't see, touch, or tell exactly what your motor is doing. By doing simple tests that would help us draw conclusions, you choose to challenge our recomendations. If you already have the answers, why did you post ?
I don’t believe I have ever encountered a troubleshooting tree/chart that starts in the middle of any system in my 49 years of professional wrenching. They are typically pretty linear from one end to the other.
Buster actually posted the best idea for checking the ignition system. Quick, easy and it checks the entire ignition system at once.
Without more information from the original poster we are all just pissing in the wind.