Antique Outboard Motors: A resource guide to cataloging and valuing your collection

On September 8, 2009, In Random, By John

I just finished a major catalog and appraisal of an antique outboard motor collection. The collection had more than 100 motors. Most of the motors were pre-WWII with a few newer models mixed into the bunch. As we undertook this mission, it was important to gather the necessary tools for the job. After discovering how difficult it was to find one useful guide or repository, I decided I should write this post to help the next person that goes in search of information about antique outboard motors.

The motors in this collection consisted primarily of the brands Elto, Evinrude, Johnson and Mercury. There were a few other brands mixed in such as Champion, Neptune, and the like. However, 90% of the collection was the aforementioned brands. Armed with that information, I decided it was best to find model and serial number information for the motors. After many time consuming searches, I found several resources that had what I needed.

OldMercs.com has an index of motors manufactured by Mercury up to 1979. This proved helpful for the handful of Mercury outboard motors we had in the collection. From the list, we  easily identified year of manufacture, horsepower, model and designation (or model name).

In regard to Elto, Evinrude and Johnson. I had a few things working in my favor. First my research revealed that Evinrude and Elto were both founded by Ole Evinrude (in 1907 and 1921 respectively), and that they merged into one company (Evinrude) in 1929. I also learned that Johnson was eventually acquired by Evinrude (1936), and today Evinrude is a Bombardier Recreational Products company. So I started my research at their website, and noticed in the upper right hand corner of their site a link to a model year guide [note, it's a pdf]. The guide amazingly has every model of outboard motor made by Evinrude, Elto and Johnson since the beginning and includes horsepower and date of manufacture information.

As you can see, my task became much easier. In the cataloging stage, all we needed to find was the model number or serial number of the motor along with the make and we could easily find the date of manufacture, horsepower and other pertinent information.

After the catalog was complete, we needed to value the motors. For this we turned to a handy reference book – The Old Outboard Book. The book is full of information on all antique outboard motor manufacturers. Plus, best of all, it includes a price index on most manufacturers and a handy index of model numbers, serial numbers and dates of manufacture. It’s definitely a staple in our collection of reference books, and a must have for anyone that deals with antique outboard motors.

The task of valuing and researching the outboard motors was shaping up to be a tedious one. However, once I had the resources in place the task became much easier. As I mentioned at the beginning, I hope this information helps you in identifying and valuing your antique outboard motor. If you find yourself needing help, feel free to drop me a line. In the meantime, happy motoring!

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If it’s broke, fix it: A lesson in thinking outside the box

On June 4, 2009, In Random, By John

So often it’s easy to focus on what has worked in the past and continue to repeat what has worked. When that doesn’t work, it’s not uncommon to give up and say it just can’t be done. I’m often guilty of those actions. Although sometimes, I’m able to get outside of the box and apply a new solution to an old scenario. This week I had one of those it just can’t be fixed moments, and was forced to give up only to be reminded to think outside of the box.

As you may know, I need my glasses to function in the world. Without them, I can see less than a few feet in front of me, and even that is questionable. So imagine my dismay when I recently stepped on and broke my glasses. The bow broke off from the frame (the bow is the extension from the frame to and around the ear) at the hinge. My first thought was I can wear them for a while with only one bow. After a few hours of constantly readjusting my glasses, and having a near constant nauseous feeling from improperly aligned glasses, I decided that wasn’t the answer. So, I decided I’d try and fix them.

I contacted friends and family that have glasses and asked them if they had any similar experiences. Almost all chuckled at me, and suggested super glue, JB Weld, Gorilla Glue, and a variety of other substances to “glue” my glasses back together. The contact points among the frame, hinge and bow were so small that nothing worked. After a few seconds, the bow would let loose. After 30 minutes of this fun, and variety of glue like substances, I gave up. I decided I’d just wear my glasses with one bow until I got my eyes checked in a few days, and the new glasses in about ten days.

Fast forward a few days. I called and made an appointment with my eye doctor to get my eyes checked out, and get new glasses. In the conversation I mentioned my broken glasses. The gal on the phone suggested I stop by, and that she’d try and fix them. I half chuckled to myself thinking about all the time I spent on trying to fix my glasses, and how any further attempts were likely to be futile.

This morning, I walked over to the Optometrist from my house. I walked in, and explained I had an appointment for next week. I also explained that she suggested I bring my glasses in for repair. I handed her the glasses and the parts. Within about 10 minutes, they had the glasses completely fixed (well to the point of usability). When I saw the fix, I had one of those duh moments. It was so simple, yet a bit out of the box. They took a short section of clear plastic tubing, put it over the joint, applied some heat from a lighter, and shrunk the tubing to fit. They then took a second section, put it over the first piece, and repeated the steps. My glasses are now as good as new, and maybe even sturdier than before.

Lesson learned. I thought “broke must fix.” Then, I thought “must glue.” All rational thoughts, and all within the box. In the past, if something was broke, a little glue would go a long way. If that didn’t work, the conclusion that the item couldn’t be fixed was reached. There I was standing waiting for them to announce my glasses couldn’t be fixed, and they come back with the same pair fully operational. I couldn’t help but think about how I need to apply thinking outside of the box to all things. Just because it’s a dead end doesn’t mean I’m stuck. It just means I need to look for other solutions, and get outside of the box.

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Real Estate: Inflation adjusted not nearly the great investment

On March 15, 2009, In Random, By John

I’m a fan of looking at life through the lens of context. Especially when we’re talking commodities. I think it’s very important to understand the price of items within the context of inflation. It makes for a much more level playing field. So with that, I undertook to find some information about the price of real estate adjusted for inflation. I came up one better!

Yale economist Robert J Shiller created an index of American housing prices going back to 1890. It is based on sales prices of standard existing houses, not new construction, to track the value of housing as an investment over time. It presents housing values in consistent terms over 116 years, factoring out the effects of inflation.

Take a look at the chart and you’ll see that we are nearing normalcy. But, we’ve still got a ways to go.

I continually hear comparisons to the great depression with our current economic situation. Yet, when you look at the index, you notice that we’re not in a depression. No, we’re in a correction back to normal. The real key is that real estate is not an effective investment tool. With a 0.59% inflation adjusted return since 1890, and a 1.24% inflation adjusted return since 1950 (and that assumes you sold at the peak), you can easily tell it’s not near the huge windfall we experienced in the past 10 years.

I’m not saying don’t buy real estate. There are many other reasons to own a home. Yet, the buy it, hold it, and make a 50% return in a year days are long gone. I’d like to think that we’re approaching normal, and that the markets will begin to stabilize shortly. The important thing to remember is we won’t be in a depression when viewed contextually – we’ll merely be returning to normalcy.

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