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While it is true that modern outboards have developed into more reliable power plants, things can still go wrong. If you boat in a less hazardous area (medium size lake, river, harbor), perhaps a loss of propulsion will only cause an inconvenience. However, if you boat in areas with hazards or you go well offshore, the redundancy of a second means of propulsion can be a life/boat saver. For example, if you navigate a narrow channel with reefs on either side with breaking waves, a loss of the main engine can be catastrophic. Having a second engine either running or on immediate standby makes such transits much lower risk. If you are fishing off a rocky shore with the wind pushing toward the shore, a loss of an engine is similarly more potentially dangerous. My point is that stuff happens in a marine environment and even the best of equipment can have a internal casualty (or external damage from the bottom or floating objects). Having some redundancy is a sound strategy.
Al