Evinrude 150 starting problem

I have a 1996 Stratos Fish and Ski with an Evinrude 150 outboard engine. We ran the boat with no issues several times this summer with the last being just a few weeks ago. Last week I tried to take it out and never left the landing. The boat was lowered into the water as usual and when I tried cranking it, it was spinning fast as usual for about 5 seconds when it wouldnt start quick I realized I forgot to pump the tube and prime it. When I spun it over again for about 5 seconds it slowed down to a stop and didnt do anything more than just click. I figured battery was dead so we went home. Battery in fact was dead-its brand new bought in March but unfortunately a Walmart battery. Took it back and got a brand new battery. Boat still clicks. Im getting 12.9 volts to the solenoid and starter. I took the starter off and took it to Advance Auto and they bench tested it and it spun over fine. Took it back home and reinstalled it and still just clicks. Checked all terminals at the battery and starter still nothing. Any ideas? I do notice that the past few years my ignition switch with the plastic safety will fall off if you touch it right. I was thinking that could be a possibility. It clicks with the safety on it as well as completely off. I would think if the safety lanyard was not connected at all it wouldnt do anything. Ive even rocked the forward/reverse to make sure it was in neutral and that works. Thanks in advance for any help.

The safety lanyard prevent the ignition from firing the sparkplugs.------The safety lanyard does not prevent it from cranking over.

Thanks for the reply. I was going to replace it and was told that could be why it didnt start. Any ideas why it just clicks? When you turn the key I get close to 13v to the starter but the solenoid just clicks. When we took it to advance they made it spin over with their tester. When i test it at home on a battery it just sparks. I notice the teeth will turn by hand but it feels rough when turning. Since they tested it and it spun I ruled out the starter.

Sounds like you have a voltage drop between the battery and the electric starter... a common problem due to either a loose cable/wire, a tight BUT dirty cable/wire connection, or a internally corroded cable.

The cure.... remove, clean thoroughly the terminal ends of all the cables/wires associated with the electrical starter system which includes the battery terminals themselves and the ground at the powerhead. Also be sure to clean the components to which the cables/wires attach to.

NOTE: A cable that is good but has a poor connection will get hot somewhere near the faulty connection. A faulty cable that is internally corroded will get hot at/near the corroded area, NOT at the terminal end.

Let us know what you find.

I took the starter out and tried to make it spin with 12v and couldnt so not sure how Advance Auto got it to spin. I put it back in the boat and reconnected everything but didnt put it back in place and it still clicks. I checked all the wires and made sure they are clean. The motor is connected directly from the battery to the starter so I didnt see a powerhead or ground anywhere. It clicks while turning the key. I get 12.8v at the starter/solenoid and 12.8v on the other terminal of the starter when turning the key. On the solenoid(small wires on the bottom) I get 11.55v when turning the key.

Easy to take the starter apart for inspection and all you need is an ohmeter to test it.

Powerhead Ground = Follow/trace the battery black negative ground cable to the engine where it connects to the powerhead (block). That is the powerhead ground.

Have you tried another solenoid ??

Havent tried another solenoid yet. I have it off the boat hoping to rule out solenoid, starter, both or another issue altogether.

Replaced the starter with a new one and the boat now runs. Thanks everyone for the help.