I have the same boat & engine. The first thing I would check is the joint where the negative battery cable connects to the engine block, then all the other main power cable connections. A good cleaning(wire brush, emory cloth) and treatment with Corrosion X (not WD40) is a good investment.
Be very careful trying to by-pass the starting circuit with a screw driver or other metallic object. A "hesitating" start can result in damage to any number of expensive goodies - solenoid, starter, fuel solenoid valve - just to name three. Also, high currents can weld your screw driver to the post, spinning the starter till it runs the battery down. An in tight quarters you can get burned - just be careful.
The starting circuit is shown in the engine manual and is pretty straight forward. You should be able to check it with an ohm meter and look for corrosion .
And here's a tip. The helm swing out is nice but still awkward. You can take the screws out of the lower switch panel and let it tilt out the front, making access to wirng terminal very easy.