"Stan, these don't need th
"Stan, these don't need the battery for the ignition, so while that may be an issue for the starter, it won't affect the ignition itself.
This motor has a Prestolite ignition. 1 stator, 1 sensor/trigger, 2 CDI boxes and 3 coils.
It is unlikely that all 3 coils and both CDI boxes went "flooey" at the same time and ditto, all three feeds from the trigger.
So your troubleshooting should include testing the stator, plus the keyswitch or stop switch if equipped, plus all the wires to make sure nothing is broken, rotted, fallen off etc.
If you have the ability to do it yourself, you will need at least a workshop manual (Seloc's etc).
These ignitions can and do develop "phantom" problems which are sometimes very difficult to track down - which is probably why they are no longer used on outboards..."