Honda 40 starts great cold, runs great for hours, but shut it off then wont start again

I have a 2015 Honda 40 outboard on my pontoon. Last summer on 4 different occasions of very warm weather, we stopped at the sandbar to swim. and the motor would not start again for maybe 30 minutes. It starts very easily cold, and we run it for hours on the rivers in Northern Michigan, but the restart is frustrating. It turns over no problem but acts like no spark. I found that removing the cover seems to shorten the restart process. It would not be good if one of these times it just won't start back up and I'm stranded on the sandbar. does this sound like a coil?

My bet would be fuel related, and if you have the cover off already, you could verify that with a shot of ether prior to your start attempt.

From there you're on your own, not enough experience to be worth much for more specific ideas.... sorry!

Whatever you do, don't just start throwing parts at it. That gets expensive quickly, and only adds to the frustration when things don't go right.

Just a thought ... Is your fuel tank breather closed or plugged? If it is, you could be pulling a vacuum in the tank that start up can't overcome. Next time you have this issue, open your fuel cap to release any vacuum, squeeze your prime bulb until firm, and then try starting again. If it starts, then you likely have a breather problem (plugged or closed/mostly closed). Hope that does it for you - it's easy and cheap!

What is the restart procedure when motor is hot ?-----Have you tested using a timing light , for spark when issue occurs ?