Sad Day The End of an Era

[BandB]

As I understood it from someone who worked there they were making money. Don't know how much their profit was, but apparently they were in the black.
I haven't see their financials, so this is second-hand information.

And "someone who worked there" quite likely wouldn't be aware either. Often employees think their employers are doing far better than they really are. Just you stated it so firmly as fact and the reality is none of us know.

 

[High Wire]

My 47 year old dinghy engine. Since they didnt have tilt locks back then, the board is needed to prevent parting ones scalp when on the hard.

 

[lwarden]

And "someone who worked there" quite likely wouldn't be aware either. Often employees think their employers are doing far better than they really are. Just you stated it so firmly as fact and the reality is none of us know.

Fair enough. The info was what I was remembering from several years back when I was looking into what happened to Pony/Jorgensen out of curiosity. Lots of rumors around over what happened to them, most were around management and not necessarily around competition. There were other claims doing business in Chicago was a factor. They had already started to outsource to China and the finicky woodworking community had started to catch on and most didn't like the change. This may also have contributed.

The only financials were a D&B report of $15.5M in sales on 150 employees. Not crushing it by any means but doesn't seem reason to throw in the towel either.

 

[Art]

Had more Johnson o/b's than I can count. Loved em all; no complaints on any Had an 8 hp Nissan also... it too was a good o/b.

Had this 1975 50 HP Johnson for over ten years. Really great engine!

 

[KnotYet]

Had more Johnson o/b's than I can count. Loved em all; no complaints on any Had an 8 hp Nissan also... it too was a good o/b.

Had this 1975 50 HP Johnson for over ten years. Really great engine!

Those OMC 'big twins' were great engines and light enough for small boats.

 

[backinblue]

I don' think OMC ever fully recovered from the Fitch injection failure years.
Really too bad since I think Johnson/Evinrude 2-stroke engines from the 70's thru 90's were some of the best engines made. We used them in a rental fleet and they were very reliable, especially the 6, 15 and 25hp models. A look on Craigslist will show these motors still available and going strong even from the 70's. You don't see many Merc engines still around from that era.

I'm actively looking to replace my Yamaha 4-stroke 2.5hp with a Johnson 8hp 2-stroke. The constant carb issues with modern 4-strokes is simply a pain and you can't beat the power to weight ratio of those older 2-strokes.

Hopefully they continue to keep the parts for these older engines available.

I agree the carb issues with small 4 cycles are terrible. You can likely still find some 2-strokes, though an 8 hp would be more weight than I would want to lift. If you just need a small dinghy motor in the 3 HP range, look at the electrics. ePropulsion has the best one on the market today in my opinion. I have one on order. Expensive to purchase, but pays for itself over time. Having a trouble-free reliable motor that I can feel good about my wife going to shore and back solo is priceless to me. All the other advantages are a bonus.

 

[jimfrens]

I may have missed it, but I didn't read that Evinrude is permanently stopping production, but that sales have been so slow that existing inventory will meet demand for a while. It's possible (likely?) that production will resume when the market comes back.

I purchased an Etec 130 for my 19' Grady-White in 2011. After considering 4 strokes and the Etec, I chose it for its power-to-weight ratio and the self-winterizing feature. It is an excellent motor.

 

[Art]

I'm unclear:

With Evinrude outboard engines in production slowdown... maybe a lasting stop. What's happening with Johnson outboards?

And, how is Mercury outboards handling this global economy shift?

 

[Art]

Those OMC 'big twins' were great engines and light enough for small boats.

That 1975 Johnson 50 "Loop-Charged" o/b pushes our light weight, 4 seater, 1975, 14'8" Crestliner "Stinger" really well. We love that runabout and nearly always have it in tow behind our 1977 Tolly; which we also love! Heading there tomorrow for a few days... 100 miles from home.

While leaving the Tolly at anchor, Linda and I comfortably [and out of the sun] cruise all over the place for many hours on one of the two 6 gallon tanks... at mid range rpm doing 25 +/- knots. I calc from fillups as compared to hours doing 25 knots that she averages 20 +/- nmpg.

At slack tide, on GPS with just me in the seat and a couple gallons gas, WOT hits 39.6 knots. Quick little bugger. At WOT trim tabs leave so little of her bottom still touching water that I need to slow down considerably for any fairly tight turns. Otherwise... she skids sideways like a skipping stone!

 

[catalinajack]

Ironic, I love the odor of a two-stroke on the water!

For a small dinghy motor(-30hp) there is no way you could give me a new 4 stroke.. I have seen too many issues from the 4 strokes that are not field repairable. One of the Nordhavn's I delivered a few years back had a 40hp new 4 stroke that was plagued with problems. I worked on that damn motor from California all the way to the BVI, when the boat got to Florida the owner got rid of it and bought a legacy 2 stroke. I get that some hate the smell of a 2 stroke.. if it is smoky your not going fast enough.
HOLLYWOOD

 

[Art]

Ironic, I love the odor of a two-stroke on the water!

Me Too

Love that 2 cycle o/b smell!!

Also ironic... is that the 1950's 25 hp Johnson dad had on our 16' little fisher with cuddy cabin was my favorite smell of all o/bs! I can recall it well. Seems it was a bit different odor than newer o/bs... maybe because of different components in oils or gas?? And that ol 1950's o/b sure did smoke a lot compared to later o/bs.

Guess we're just a bit nuts regarding enjoying the odor of poisonous gas o/b exhausts.... in reality, ya gotta be a bit nuts anyway with o/bs; and, that's OK regarding boating - LOL

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

In Alaska, the Evinrude 70hp with a jet pump on a 16 foot Lowe boat was perfect setup.

 

[Art]

In Alaska, the Evinrude 70hp with a jet pump on a 16 foot Lowe boat was perfect setup.

I've never experienced an o/b with jet pump.. You know efficiency ratio of jet pump compared to propeller?

Also, does touching bottom [at very slow speed - basically idle] give the pump's casing any problem?

And, how about debris like seaweed or sand getting into in the pump - any concern?

 

[jimfrens]

Here's the actual press release from BRP. This says they are in fact exiting the outboard motor business for good, in order to focus on new technology.

BRP ADVANCES MARINE STRATEGY BY FOCUSING ON BOATS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES - BRP

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I've never experienced an o/b with jet pump.. You know efficiency ratio of jet pump compared to propeller?

Also, does touching bottom [at very slow speed - basically idle] give the pump's casing any problem?

And, how about debris like seaweed or sand getting into in the pump - any concern?

Efficiency is about a loss of 40% with a pump.

The engine is raised so the front edge of the foot on the pump is just under water. Remember the reason for this is so you can run skinny water (2"-3")

Jets don't like seaweeds or rocks so you try to avoid that.

 

[backinblue]

I agree, the new 4 strokes can not compare to the 2 stroke. For small HP, I suggest electric.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I’ll still pass on the electric ... for now.

And I’ll add that this “era” is far from being over. Unless there’s some blips on the ride out two stroke outboards will just slowly fade out to next to nothing. And those of us that prefer them will fade also. The problems associated w the batteries will keep them as an option for some time. All just my opinion of course.

 

[backinblue]

I feel the industry has failed us. Going from 2 to 4 stroke should be a positive progression but instead is a step back. What other product is that acceptable where the newest offering is heavier, costlier, and less reliable than what it replaced? FYI, if you ever look into the carb settings on a small 4 stroke, you will find that the mixture screw is bottomed out, leanest as possible to meet emission standards. Is a 3 HP outboard that gets used a few hours a year, really where we need to focus our attention to for fixing climate change? This is what pushed me to electric. Always starts, light weight, comes with reverse, no maintenance required. Unless you need to dinghy many miles at a fast speed, I fail to see how this is not the perfect outboard for a small inflatable to get from boat to shore and back.