Reply #1: Sadly, another expensive failure point.

[MineralMan]

There are so many, now. It's not that they fail often, but when they do they're very, very expensive to repair. Diminishing returns in many cases, I think.

I can completely rebuild the ignition system of my 50 year old 5 hp. outboard motor for less than $80. That replaces everything. I also have a 1992 6 hp outboard made by the same company. It's actually almost the same engine. Replacing its ignition system would cost $250. It won't be around 50 years from now, but the old 5hp probably will. How much energy does it take to build an outboard motor, I wonder? Both start on the first pull and use the same amount of fuel to operate.