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Evinrude
Credit
for the first outboard motor is often (mistakenly) bestowed on Ole
Evinrude. The story goes that he was courting his future wife and
could not get to their favorite picnic spot on the river before
their ice cream melted. (Most credit Yale law student Cameron Waterman
as the creator of the first mass produced outboard motor almost
five years before Ole). Regardless of who actually produced the
first motor, the Evinrude name went on to become almost synonymous
with outboard motors. By the time Ole Evinrude died in the 1930's
his company would own the following brands: Evinrude, Elto, Lockwood-Ash,
Koban, Outboard Motors Corporation and a few I have probably forgotten.
(Shortly after Ole's death they would also buy Johnson)
Since
the mid 1950's Evinrude & Johnson outboards have shared just
about everything in engineering with the only differences being
modest changes in outer styling, paint and decals. Despite the motors
from the 50's, 60's, 70's and newer being 99% the same as sister
company Johnson, I personally have had better luck with the Johnsons
I have owned - I can't explain why!
1926
Evinrude Model N Sportwin |
1926
Model N Sportwin
'26
Sportwin tiller, carb & magneto |
Year & Model:
1926 Evinrude Model N Sportwin
Horsepower: 2.5 @ 4,000 rpm
Cylinders: 2 - Opposed
Bore: 2"
Stroke: 2.5"
Ignition: Magneto or battery ignition
+ lighting!
Point Gap: .018
Cooling: Water by piston pump
Condition: Unrestored
Retail price when new: $145.00
Weight: 36 lbs.
Oil/Gas Mix: 2/3pt TCW-3
Spark Plug:
Comments:
The
Model N Sportwin is tarted up with a lot of features to
disguise its shortcomings. The wacky carburetor and dual
ignition systems make this motor tricky to start and keep
running. The slightest vibration or movement of the needle
valve causes it to sputter and die.
Press
the button on the end of the tiller and lift - the lower
unit swings 180 degrees to put you in reverse. Push &
lift a second time and you are back in forward. (Hope the
prop doesn't connect with your skeg or the bottom of your
boat!)
The
magneto has been found to be better than the battery ignition
at getting this motor to start. The map light on the end
of the magneto lever is kind of cool as is the lighting
coil output - a feature that seems to have been forgotten
by OMC but found a home with many post war european outboards
(The Mac 10 and Volvo 60).
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1954
Evinrude 7514 Fleetwin 7.5 hp. |
Original
1954 Evinrude 7.5
1954
Evinrude teaser ad & the Fleetwin.
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Year
& Model:
1954 Evinrude 7514 Fleetwin
Horsepower: 7.5 @ 4,000 rpm
Cylinders: 2
- alternate firing
Bore: 1.9375"
Stroke: 1.5"
Ignition: OMC Universal Magneto
Point Gap:.020
Cooling: Water by rubber impeller
Condition: Unrestored
Retail price when new: $235.00
Weight: 49 lbs
Oil/Gas Mix: 1/2 pt TCW-3
Spark Plug: Spark Plug:
Champion J-6J (now J-6C)
Comments:
In 1954 Evinrude completely updated the 7.5 from
the previous model. The new motor offered full gearshift and
new "Whispering Power" later "Aquasonic"
underwater exhaust and rubber isolation of the powerhead.
(Didn't a well known auto maker brand "Whispering Power"
in the 1930's? Possibly why it became Aquasonic!)
The
motor seen here is an original unrestored example showing
only minimal use. The magneto failed in the early 1960's and
the motor was stored in the owner's basement for almost 40
years. With new coils it runs like a champ and is a great
motor to use on our 12' skiff. It has a maximum speed of 16.4
mph (via GPS) with Harry, me, our usual gear and a full tank
of fuel. And if you are just putting, you can run all day
on a tank of fuel.
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1970
Evinrude Mate 1.5 hp. |
Original
1970 Evinrude 1.5
1970
Mate and 1990 Junior
|
Modern
Classic!
Year
& Model:
1970 Evinrude 1002 Mate
Horsepower: 1.5 @ 4,000 rpm
Cylinders: 1
Bore: 1.5625"
Stroke: 1.375"
Ignition: OMC Universal Magneto
Point Gap:.020
Cooling: Water by rubber impeller
Condition: Unrestored
Retail price when new: $142.50
Weight: 20 lbs
Oil/Gas Mix: 3 oz TCW-3 per gallon gas
Spark Plug: Spark Plug:
Champion J-6J (now J-6C)
Comments:
While not exactly an antique, these little Mates
were very popular when I was a kid. I remember getting my
first one in about 1975 and thinking how cool it was to have
a "new" outboard. (Okay, it was 6-7 years old at
the time, seized, dragged behind a car for miles and completely
corroded - but far newer than any other outboard I had ever
owned!)
Seriously,
these are fine little outboards, light, reliable and very
easy to repair. The early versions (as the Mate shown here)
had a steel fuel tank that corroded easily and the plastic
cowls became very brittle as the years
passed. In
1971 the motors were improved with a recoil starter and compression
was boosted to deliver 2hp. Other improvements were made over
the 22 years they were produced to combat rattles and corrosion
The
very last models like the 1990 Junior seen on the left were
rated at the prop and only at 1.2hp. However, the plastic
flexi-prop and other improvements delivered a higher rpm and
these late model motors have been found to have better performance
than the earlier 1.5 and 2hp versions.
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Here
is an experiment, I came across this 1930 Evinrude Fold-Light manual
and scanned it. It is a very large file, you can view it at the
attached link:
1930
Evinrude Fold-Light Owner's Manual
Bendix
| British Seagull | Champion
| Chris Craft | Elgin
| Elto | Evinrude
| Flambeau | Johnson
| Lauson | Lockwood
Ash |
Mac10 Wankel | Martin
| Mercury | Misc.Motors
| Oliver | Pluvier
| Scott-Atwater | Tomos
| Volvo | Whirlwind(Soviet)
| Wizard
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