Elto

1926	1940

Ole Evinrude sold the Evinrude outboard business in 1913 due to health issues. After a few years of rest and retirement he started his second company Elto (Evinrude Light Twin Outboard) in 1922. In a couple of years he was second only to Johnson in production - outselling his old company Evinrude. Eventually he would buy his original company back, purchase Johnson out of bankruptcy and (after a couple of name changes) form the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). Unfortunately by the 1940's Elto was reduced to a "value" brand and, after being relegated to Canada, gone by the mid 1950's. A sad end since Elto's start was so promising.

The motor that built Mr. Evinrude's second outboard career is the "silvery" Elto that has become known as the Ruddertwin. The motor is stationary and the boat is turned by using a rudder much like an inboard vessel. Cooling is by water forced in the rudder and up to the powerhead. Ignition is via battery and an Atwater-Kent timer under the flywheel. Fuel is supplied by a poppet style mixing valve, not really a true carburetor.

The Elto is started by opening the fuel valve, setting the timer to "Stop" and holding the poppets up while rocking the flywheel a few times - this primes the motor. Set the timer to "Start" and rock the flywheel in the opposite direction to its travel (you rotate it anti-clockwise, it starts and runs cockwise). More often than not the motor will start! An Elto Ruddertwin in good tune is remarkably easy to start and incredibly reliable. A plus is that the Ruddertwin also has reverse - while the motor is running simply advance the timer to "Reverse" and press the stop button. As the motor winds down release the stop button and 60% of the time you are in reverse. (If not timed correctly you will now be running full throttle forward!!!)

About 1926:
In the January 1977 OUTBOARDER (Magazine of the AOMCI) former Evinrude Vice President W. J. Webb wrote a great article titled The Fifty Greatest Years of Outboarding. Center to his discussion was how 1926 was one of the most pivotal years in early outboarding for the five major brands then available: Johnson, Elto, Evinrude, Caille and Lockwood-Ash. Since I had a representative of the Johnson and Evinrude outboards, I decided it would be interesting to collect all five models discussed in the article and evaluate them.

I essentially swapped a Bearcat 55 for the Elto in the photos above. Since the Elto is so different in design from the other four 1926 outboards, there was a lot of head scratching as to how it would compare. The writer must confess to being extremely prejudiced in favor of the Johnson Model A-25 Light Twins having years of experience with them. (Johnson's were the #1 seller in 1926 - so the buying public must have agreed with us!) The first time this Elto was run it became obvious why they were so popular - it is a fabulous (if unconventional) outboard. The Elto Ruddertwin starts very easily, runs well and is extremely well engineered and built - it offered a lot of value for the dollar.

Thanks to a friend in the AOMCI, a Lockwood is currently being restored and I hope to find a '26 Caille Pennant soon so I will be able to compare all five motors. The criteria for the TEST REPORT is a work in progress but so far I have:

I. Ease of Use

A. Portability
B. Ease of Starting
C. Ease of Running and Using the Motor On The Boat
D. Power Range, Noise, Vibration, Fuel Economy

II. Reliability

A. Repair and Replacement of Common Items
B. Quality of Materials
C. Ease of Finding Parts

III. Value for the dollar

A. In 1926
B. Today

Look for my results as soon as all the motors are available and running.

Elto Cub

During the depression Evinrude, like most everyone, was faced with hard times. The entire Evinrude company pitched in and everyone gave up something to help keep the doors open - many weeks it was hand-to-mouth. (Can you imagine workers giving up paychecks today so their company could keep the doors open?) This, reportedly is what happened and Evinrude was able to stay in business while others folded.

Part of what kept the doors open was the introduction of low priced items that could be purchased with the scant extra dollars available. Camp stoves, bicycles and lawnmowers were just some of the products Evinrude sold to keep their skilled workers on the job and dollars coming in. And the low-priced outboards they offered were not junk but good solid motors that would lay the foundation of Evinrude brand loyalty for better times.

By the late 1930's with Evinrude, Johnson and Elto all under OMC, the Elto brand was relegated to the low-cost tier. And the lowest priced outboard motor offered was the minute Elto Cub. At only $26.50 and 1/2 horsepower, it was the smallest, lightest and least expensive outboard motor ever offered by OMC.

The Cub seen here was given to me by a family friend, it was his as a boy back in the 1940's. I went to great pains to try and restore it to look as it did when it left the factory in 1940.

Putting The Cub In Context 1940 Elto Cub shown with a modern day Evinrude Junior - makes the Junior look HUGE!

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