Hi Rob,
When I first started tinkering with A-4s, I noticed something odd to me..the cylinders & distributor & wires are not oriented the same way I am used to seeing. With the different configurations of A-4s this confusion can be exacerbated, especially when discussion ensues on an Internet forum, or when new owners jump on a boat and may not know how it is supposed to be set up
I made this diagram last year when some confusion came up as to firing order and distributor orientation in another thread - additionally, things like V-drives (which completely turn the engine around) or having the engine under the steps as opposed to the middle of the boat, can bring up different interpretations as to front/back/top/3 o'clock position/9 o'clock, etc..
This diagram (borrowing one of the Moyer engine pics from their website) notes the plug wires, cylinder #s, wire orientation on the distributor & rotor position at TDC. Incidentally, I understand the early models might be different, but I have never seen one.
As someone else noted, it is odd that cyls 1 & 2 are the current culprit..normally 3 & 4 have problems, and it is not a rare occurrence to accidentally swap the #3 & #4 wires..hence the exact reason I made this picture.