For many people riding in their grandfather’s rowboat on a lake, river or the bay, holds a fond memory. Inevitably, grandpa’s rowboat was propelled by a small outboard motor that demanded some loving care from grandpa and the occasional curse word to get it started. Grandpa might have had an outboard motor he inherited from his father. It might have been a 1907 Waterman water cooled engine.
Fortunately, many of the pioneering outboard motors have been preserved and are on display at the Deltaville Maritime Museum in Deltaville, Virginia. The exhibit is a collection of antique outboard motors mostly on loan from Carl Hawkins. Some of the outboards were built as early as 1923. One outboard is the first Johnson model. Another is a model instrumental in the founding of the Mercury brand of outboard motors.
The first practical outboard motor was invented by Cameron Waterman. Waterman was a Yale graduate with a degree in engineering. He worked at Grosse Island, Michigan, where he developed a practical outboard motor. The Waterman “Portomotor” outboard was an immediate sensation with sales reaching as high as 25,000 by 1914. While Cameron Waterman’s outboard was the first successful internal combustion engine, it was not the first outboard motor. A company called American Motor Company produced some very crude single cylinder outboard engines in 1896 that were not commercially successful.
The first known outboard motor was a small electric motor fitted to a small boat by Frenchman Gustave Troove around 1870. Troove was a prolific inventor with many patents to his name. Troove’s outboard motorboat had an electric horn and a bow mounted headlamp. It was never made available commercially.
In 1907, a man named Ole Evinrude, who may have worked for Cameron Waterman at one time, introduced a new outboard motor that was superior to the Waterman motor, because it was much easier to start and more reliable. An often-repeated story about Ole Evinrude, a skilled machinist, is that he was at a picnic on a hot summer day with his girlfriend, Bessie Cary, when she asked for ice cream. Eager to please Bessie, Evinrude rowed across Lake Okauchee in Wisconsin to get it. Unfortunately, by the time he rowed back, the ice cream was melted. Most certainly embarrassed, Envinrude vowed that would not happen again and set out to invent the first 1.5 HP Evinrude outboard motor. Evinrude eventually married Bessie Cary, and she became an important part of the fledgling Evinrude Company. Evinrude sold his company in 1913, mainly because of the failing health of his wife. However, Evinrude could not simply remain idle. His inventive mind was hard at work improving his design. While he waited for his agreement with his former company to expire, he developed a better two-cylinder outboard motor. He took his new motor to the Evinrude Company first. However, his former company owners were not interested in his new design. Undaunted, in 1921, Evinrude formed a new company and called it “Evinrude’s Light Outboard” (ELTO).
By 1907, several companies had emerged to build outboard motors with brand names like Elto, Caille, Lockwood, Neptune, Waterwitch and Koban. In the 1930s, the outboards were sporting cowlings (covers), which covered the working parts, making the engines look sleek and very modern. The onset of World War II caused a shortage of outboard motors for pleasure boats. Most outboard motor manufacturers were producing outboard motors for the US Military.
The Kiekhaefer Mercury company began in 1939, when engineer Carl Kiekhaefer purchased a small outboard motor company in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Kiekhaefer’s original intention for the Kiekhaefer Corporation was to make magnetic separators for the dairy industry. With the purchase of the factory, the deal included an inventory of 300 defective private label “Thor” brand outboards produced by the previous owner of the factory for Montgomery Ward. The motors had been returned as defective by Montgomery Ward. Kiekhaefer proceeded to rework the basic design of those motors. In the process, he improved the design of the once defective motors and sold them under the “Mercury” brand name. Orders came pouring in, and Kiekhaefer soon realized there was a growing market for portable outboard motors. Encouraged by the popularity of the motors Kiekhaefer had supplied, Montgomery Ward placed a large order for outboards from Kiekhaefer to be sold under their Sea King brand.
Later, Carl Kiekhaefer brought his Mercury outboards to the New York Boat Show in New York City and received orders for 16,000 Mercury outboard motors. By 1962, Mercury Kiekhaefer was dominating the field and quickly developed a reputation for faster more reliable engines. Outboard racing grew rapidly when Mercury introduced its first 100 HP outboard motor in 1962. In 1957, Mercury ran a 50,000-mile outboard motor endurance test supervised by the US Auto Club. The Mercury outboard engines were run day and night and refueled underway, for a nonstop distance equal to twice around the world.
Manufacturers of modern outboard motors have rapidly increased horsepower until 100 HP motors are commonplace and used on bigger boats. The largest production outboard motor is the Mercury V12 600 hp “Verado.” This motor, released in 2021, is a V12 engine with a displacement of 7.6 liters and a weight of 1,260 pounds. It is designed to power larger boats in the 35-to-55-foot range. Some boats use multiple outboard motors. There have been some outboard motorboats with six motors.
Interest in vintage outboard motors is very high. Todd Smet, vice president for publications of the Antique Outboard Club, Inc. (AOCI)(https://www.aomci.org/)estimates there are thousands of people worldwide interested in antique outboard motors. The AOCI boasts a membership of over 3,000 with an associated Facebook group of 4,600 enthusiasts worldwide. The club is devoted to those with a passion for antique outboards.
The antique outboard motor hobby involves a great deal more that collecting and learning the history of vintage outboard motors. The hobby includes events where antique engines are run in exhibitions and competitions. Enthusiasts have the opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts, trade stories and find needed parts at antique outboard motor swap meets. The club has its own magazine, The Antique Outboarder (www.aomci.org/resources/the-outboarder/). The magazine and its website are a valuable resource for anyone interested in the antique outboard motor hobby.
Holly Emerson, spokesperson for AOCI said: “Antique outboard motor museums are important because they preserve a tangible piece of maritime and industrial history, showcasing the evolution of boating technology and the stories behind these powerful machines. They offer a unique opportunity to understand the innovation and craftsmanship involved in early outboard motor development and how they shaped recreational boating.”
Residents and visitors are fortunate to have the Deltaville Maritime Museum with its array of maritime exhibits, including the collection of antique outboard motors. The collection of outboards is important, because it preserves a tangible piece of maritime and industrial history, showcasing the evolution of boating technology and the history behind these powerful machines.