ANATIONALHISTORIC

MECHANICALENGINEERINGLANDMARK

© OUTBOARD MARINE CORPORATION 1981. All Rights Reserved.

THE LANDMARKPROGRAM OF

THE AMERICANSOCIETY OF

MECHANICALENGINEERS

The American Society of MechanicalEngineers (ASME) reactivated its historyand heritage program in September 1971with the formation of the NationalHistory and Heritage Committee. Thecommittee’s overall objective is topromote a general awareness of ourtechnological heritage among bothengineers and the general public.

One of the committee’s responsibil-ities is to gather data on all works andartifacts with a mechanical engineeringconnect ion that are h i s tor i ca l lysignificant to the profession. It’s anambitious goal, and one achieved largelythrough the volunteer efforts of thesection and division history and heritagecommittees and interested ASMEmembers.

Two major programs are carried outby the sections, under the direction of thenational committee. One is a listing ofindustrial operations and relatedmechanical engineering artifacts in localhistoric engineering records, and theother is the national historic mechanicalengineering landmark program. Theformer is a record of detailed studies ofsites in each local area, while the latter isa demarcation of local sites which are ofnational significance — people or eventswhich have contributed to the generaldevelopment of civilization.

ASME also cooperates with theSmithsonian Institution in a joint projectto contribute historic material to theNational Museum of History andTechnology in Washington, D.C. TheSmithsonian’s permanent exhibition ofmechanical engineering memorabilia isdirected by a curator, who also serves asan ex-officio member of ASME’s NationalHistory and Heritage Committee.

Other Historic landmarksThe Evinrude outboard motor was the

60th landmark to be designated since theprogram began in 1973, and the firstc o n s u m e r p r o d u c t t o m e r i t t h edesignation from the ASME. The othersare:

Edison Experimental PhonographPort Washington Power Plant

Port Washington, WisconsinCooperative Fuel Research Engine

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Saturn V Rocket

Blood Heat Exchanger

Rocky River Hydro Plant

Kaplan Turbine, York Haven Hydro-Plant

Pioneer Zephyr Winton 8-201-A Diesel

Holt Caterpillar Track-Type Tractor

Michigan-Lake Superior Hydro-Power Plant

SP #4294 Articulated Steam Locomotive

Jackson Ferry Shot Tower

Hiwasse No. 2 Reversible Turbine

Watkins Woolen Mill

First All-Welded Steam Drum

Georgetown Steam Plant

Equitable Building Heat Pump System

Shippingport Atomic Power Station

Jumbo Nine Engine-Driven Dynamo,

East Wells (Oneida Street) Power Plant

Ferries and Cliff House Cable Railway

Leavitt Pumping Engine, Chestnut Hill

A.B. Wood Low-Head High-Volume

Portsmouth-Kittery Naval Ship-building

102-Inch Boyden Hydraulic TurbinesCohoes, New York

5000 KW Vertical Curtis Steam Turhine-

Schenectady, New YorkSaugus Iron Works

Saugus, MassachusettsPioneer Oil Refinery

Newhall, CaliforniaChesapeakc & Delaware Canal, Scoop Wheel

and EnginesChesapeake City, Maryland

U.S.S. Texas, Reciprocating Steam EnginesHouston, Texas

Childs-Irving Hydro Plant

Hanford B-Nuclear Reactor

First Air Conditioning, Magma Copper Mine

Manitou and Pike’s Peak Cog Railway

Edgar Steam-Electric Station

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

Birmingham, Alabama

Cape Kennedy, Florida

Buffalo, New York

New Milford, Connecticut

York Haven, Pennsylvania

EngineChicago, Illinois

Stockton, California

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sacramento, California

Wythe County, Virginia

Knoxville, Tennessee

Lawson, Missouri

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Seattle, Washington

Portland, Oregon

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Greenfield VillageDearborn, Michigan

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Power HouseSan Francisco, California

Pumping StationBrookline, Massachusetts

Screw PumpNew Orleans, Louisiana

ActivityPortsmouth, New Hampshire

Generator

Irving, Arizona

Hanford, Washington

Superior, Arizona

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Weymouth, Massachusetts

Mt. Washington, New HampshireFolsom Power House #1

Folsom, CaliforniaCrawler Transporters of Launch Complex 39

J.F.K. Space Center, FloridaFairmont Water Works

Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaU.S.S. Olympia, Vertical Reciprocating

Steam EnginePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

State Line Generating Unit #1Hammond, Indiana

Pratt Institute Power Generating PlantBrooklyn, New York

Monongahela InclinePittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Duquesne InclinePittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great Falls Raceway and Power SystemPaterson, New Jersey

Vulcan Street Power PlantAppleton, Wisconsin

Wilkinson Mill

New York City Subway System

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

Ringwood Manar Iron Complex

Joshua Hendy Iron WorksSunnyvale, California

Hacienda La Esperanza Sugar MillSteam EngineManati, Puerto Rico

RL-10 Liquid-Hydrogen Rocket EngineWest Palm Beach, Florida

A.O. Smith Automated Chassis FrameFactoryMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Reaction-Type Hydraulic Turbine,Morris CanalStewartsville, New Jersey

Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-1)Idaho Falls, Idaho

Drake Oil WellTitusville, Pennsylvania

Springfield, Massachusetts

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

New York. New York

Baltimore, Maryland

Ringwood. New Jersey

Springfield Armory

AcknowledgementsThe American Society o f Mechanical Engineers(ASME)

Dr. Robert Gaither, PresidentGus N. Nick, Vice President. Region VIArt Ebeling, Field Service Director, Region VI

ASME National History and Heritage Committee

Prof. J.J. Ermenc, ChairmanDr. R. Carson Dalzell, SecretaryProf. R.S. HartenbergDr. J. Paul HartmanRobert M. Vogel, Smithsonian InstitutionCarron Garvin-Donohue, Staff Director of OperationsJill Birghenthal, Administrator

ASME Milwaukee Section

Thomas H. Fehring, ChairmanDennis L. Carlson, Vice ChairmanKenneth Neusen, SecretaryCarl Romer, TreasurerTerence A. Hanson, History and Heritage

CommitteeRobert A. Jakob, DirectorMichael C. Jakus, DirectorRita Hayen, DirectorHarold E. Monde, Jr., DirectorWilliam Stamets, Director

Outboard Marine Corporation

Ralph S. Evinrude, Chairman of the Board andChairman of the Executive Committee

Charles D. Strang, President and ChiefExecutive Officer

Robert J. Lemay, Director, Marketing CommunicationsJames W. Mohr, Director of ResearchWilliam J. AuCoin, Public Relations Manager

Evinrude Motors

James R. Riegor, ManagerGraeme Paxton, Communications ManagerJames H. Jost. Manager, Editorial Services

2 NATIONAL LANDMARK

The committee’s overall objective is to promote ageneral awareness of our technological heritageamong both engineers and the general public.

NATIONAL HISTORICMECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK

EVINRUDE OUTBOARD MOTOR1 9 0 9

T H I S O U T B O A R D M O T O R , D E S I G N E D A N D B U I L T B Y

O L E E V I N R U D E ( 1 8 7 7 - 1 9 3 4 ) A T H I S E V E N R U D E M O T O RC O M P D N Y I N M I L W A U K E E , W I S C O N S I N , W A S Q U I C K L Y

A C C E P T E D B Y T H E B O A T I N G P U B L I C O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S .

I T S I M M E D I A T E S U C C E S S S T I M U L A T E D T H E F O R M A T I O N O F

C O M P E T I N G C O M P A N I E S A N D C R E A T E D A N E W I N D U S T R Y .

O U T B O A R D S H A V E I N D E E D E N H A N C E D T H E R E C R E A T I O N A L

L I V E S O F M I L L I O N S O F P E O P L E .

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS-1981

THE FIRST OF MILLIONS

Outboard “motors” to propelboats had been around, in oneform or another, for more than 40years when Ole Evinrude designedand built his first outboard in1907.

win customer acceptance.

Some were little more than

Ole Evinrude’s 1907 outboard

f o o t - p o w e r e d p a d d l e w h e e l s .Others were s team powered.Electric outboards powered bystorage batteries in the boat, heavyfour-cycle engines for outboards. . . all had been tried and, for onereason or another, had failed to

changed all that, and revolution-ized recreational boating in theprocess. It was everything otheroutboards were not : l ight inweisht, easv to use. dependable,relatively powerful.

The landmark internal com-bustion two-cycle Evinrude motordeveloped 1½ horsepower at 1,000rpm, weighed 62 pounds, and usedan engineering design that hasr e m a i n e d t h e s t a n d a r d f o routboard motors ever since. Thec y l i n d e r w a s h o r i z o n t a l , t h ec r a n k s h a f t w a s v e r t i c a l , t h edirection gears were housed in asubmerged lower unit.

T o d a y , j u s t a b o u t e v e r youtboard motor, from little two-

horsepower “kickers” to marinepower systems developing 235

After two years spent refining

horses or more, have horizontal

his prototype, Ole Evinrude and

cylinders, and vertical crank-shaf ts , and dr iveshaf t power

h i s w i f e , B e s s , f o r m e d t h e

direction changing gears in thelower unit. Just like Ole Evin-

Evinrude Motor Company in 1909

rude’s very first.

and began production of whata lmost immediate ly was theworld’s first truly commerciallys u c c e s s f u l o u t b o a r d m o t o r .

P r o d u c t G r o u p o f O u t b o a r dMarine Corporation, the leadingw o r l d w i d e m a n u f a c t u r e r o foutboard motors (Evinrude andJohnson), as well as inboard powers y s t e m s ( O M C S t e r n D r i v e ) ,marine products (OMC Parts andAccessories), lawn mowers (Lawn-Bey), industrial vehicles (Cush-man) and professional turf careequipment (Ryan).

And Mr. Evinrude’s originaloutboard, the 1909 model that wasthe inspiration for a new industry,has been designated a National

EVINRUDE’S DETACHABLEROWBOAT MOTOR

A NATIONAL MECHANICALENGINEERING LANDMARK

Overnight, it revolutionized therecreational marine market untiltoday fishing and water skiing andjust plain cruising (most of it withan outboard-powered boat) aresome of the world’s favorite formsof recreation. Outboards also helppeople around the world earn theirlivings on the water.

Now, seven decades later,Evinrude Motors is a flagship

Historie Mechanical EngineeringL a n d m a r k . I t ’ s t h e s i x t i e t hmechanical item to be so desig-nated by the American Society ofMechanical Engineers, and thefirst consumer product ever to bedeclared a national landmark bythe ASME.

The Evinrude landmark out-board motor. It was the first ofmillions.

NATIONAL LANDMARK 3

IT’S A HOT AUGUST DAY IN THE EARLY 1900’S. Ole Evinrude, BessieCary and some of their friends are picnicking on Okauchee Lake, west ofMilwaukee. Miss Cary suggests it might be nice to have some ice cream onsuch a warm afternoon.

Great ideas often spring fromsmall happenings. So it was withEvinrude’s landmark outboardmotor.

The small happening was,ironically, a gallon of melted icecream. The great idea, of course, isthe very first Evinrude outboardmotor, the one that has beenhonored by the American Societyof Mechanical Engineers as aNational Historic MechanicalEngineering Landmark.

It’s a hot August day in theearly 1900’s. Ole Evinrude, BessieCary and some of their friends arepicnicking on Wisconsin’s Okau-chee Lake, west of Milwaukee.Miss Cary suggests it might be niceto have some ice cream on such awarm afternoon. Mr. Evinrudegallantly volunteers to row theirb o a t t o t h e i c e c r e a m s t o r e ,“Schatz’s,” and get some. Historyhas misplaced the flavor of that icecream, but one thing remainsclear: by the time Ole had rowedback, the summer heat had meltedthe ice cream to ice cream soup.

The melted ice cream did littleto dampen the fun of the day, northe romance between Ole and Bess(they were married a few monthsLater, in 1906), but it did spark an

i d e a i n h i s i n v e n t i v e m i n d :develop a new kind of outboardmotor for a rowboat, one thatwouldn’t require bulky batteries,or weigh too much, one that wouldbe dependable and quick enoughto keep the ice in the ice cream thenext time.

Ole Evinrude was uniquelyprepared for the challenge. Bornin 1877, he was five years old whenhis family emigrated from Norwayto America, eventually to settle ona farm in central Wisconsin. Buth i s i n t e r e s t l a y w i t h t h i n g smechanical, not things agrarian,and in his late teens he moved toW i s c o n s i n ’ s c a p i t a l c i t y o fMadison, where he became anapprentice in a farm machineryshop.

After Madison, he moved on towork the steel mills of Pittsburgha n d t h e g i a n t m a c h i n e t o o lfactories of Chicago, returning afew years later to Milwaukeewhere he opened his own patternshop.

About this time, the internalcombustion engine was cominginto its own, so a few years later,Ole and another man formed theMotor Car Power Equipment Co.,to build a standardized motor thatcould be installed in any “horse-less” carriage. Bess Cary was thecompany’s office manager.

Using his mechanical andengineering genius, spurred by thenever-forgotten ice cream inci-dent, in 1907 he designed and builtthe first prototype of an Evinrudeoutboard motor . This “cof feegrinder,” as Bess Cary Evinrudecalled it, moved a boat through thewater better than any other out-board on the market . . . but Ole,

m o r e t h e i n v e n t o r t h a n t h eb u s i n e s s m a n , a t f i r s t h a ddifficulty seeing its commercialpromise.

Fortunately, though,his Bess did. At her urg-ing, Ole made ten, then20, then 25 “coffee grind-ers.” These quickly weresold and, in 1909, theMotor Car Power Equip-ment Co. was in the past,the future was the Evin-rude Motor Co., and Ole’soutboard was about tousher in the modern worldof recreational boating.

Ole and Bess were, as he wasf o n d o f s a y i n g , “ t h e p e r f e c tpartnership.” Ole’s place was thefactory, where he designed, andb u i l t , a n d s u p e r v i s e d , a n dmotivated. Bess was at home in theo f f i c e , h a n d l i n g t h e b o o k s ,managing the sales (many a manwas more than a little surprisedw h e n h e d i s c o v e r e d t h e “ B .Evinrude” who signed the letter or

the sales contract was a woman!)writing the ads.

DON’T ROW! THROW THEOARS AWAY! USE AN EVIN-RUDE MOTOR. This was thetheme of the advertising campaigncreated by Bess Evinrude thatproved so successful that, in 1911,the Evinrude company had to findnew larger manufacturing facili-ties.

Three years later, the Evinrudeoutboard business had grown tomore than 300 employees, withsales throughout the U.S. a n dEurope. But despite her enthu-s iasm and hard work for thecompany, Bess Evinrude was not aphysically strong woman. Her

THE GREAT ICE CREAOle Evinrude

4 NATIONAL LANDMARK

health was failing, and Ole wantedto devote his full time to her. In1914, he sold the Evinrude MotorCo. and they retired.

As the Evinrudes motoredaround the pre-Interstate highwayw i t h t h e i r s o n , R a l p h , t h e“modern” outboard industry thatOle had begun was growing, withcompanies like Caille and Kobanand Arrow and Lockwood-Ashjoining the competition. All, ofcourse, used the basic Evinrudedesign concept.

When Ole sold the originalEvinrude company, he agreed tostay out of the outboard businessfor f ive years . S t i l l , once anoutboarder, always an outboarder,and even as they enjoyed theirearly retirement, even as Bess wasregaining her health, Ole was“mind designing” his second-generation outboard, one thatwould use two cylinders instead onone, weigh 50 percent less, yetdevelop 50 percent more power.

By 1921, “the perfect partner-ship” was back in business inMilwaukee, this time as the Elto( f o r E vinrude L ight T w i nOutboard) Outboard Motor Co.Aluminum had come into commonindustrial use during World WarI, and the first Elto was the firstoutboard to substitute aluminumfor the traditional heavier metals.As promised, it developed threehorsepower instead of 1½, andweighed 47 pounds.

By now, the outboard industryhad followed the trail blazed byOle Evinrude, and innovationfollowed innovation: streamlinedlower unit, full tilting, waterproofignition system (Elto), full pivotsteering (Johnson), underwaterthru-the-prop-hub exhaust system(Evinrude), anti-ventilation plateo n t h e l o w e r u n i t f o r m o r eefficient propulsion (Johnson),

DON’T ROW! THROW THE OARS AWAY! USE ANEVINRUDE MOTOR. This was the theme of theadvertising campaign created by Bess Evinrudethat proved so successful that, in 1911, theEvinrude company had to f ind new, largermanufacturing facilities.

water-scoop cooling system (Elto),slip clutch propeller (Lockwood-Ash), auxiliary gas tank (Elto),combined s teer ing t i l ler andthrot t le control (Cai l le ) , andremote outboad steering (Elto).

Under Ole Evinrude’s leader-ship, Elto led the way in outboardengineering. In 1928, it broke thetwo-cylinder “barrier” when itintroduced the four-cylinder out-board to meet the public’s growingdemand for more power and speed.Elto was the first outboard buildert o c o m p l e t e l y e n c l o s e t h epowerhead in a water-resistantmotor cover. In 1930, along with afew other outboard companies, itintroduced electric starting onoutboards.

business since he joined it aftertwo years at the University ofWisconsin. With Ole and Bessg o n e , i t w a s u p t o R a l p h t ocontinue the Evinrude tradition ofinnovation and leadership. Heproved more than ready for thechallenge.

In 1935, the Outboard MotorsCorp. acquired the other majoroutboard company in the U.S.,Johnson Motors of Waukegan,Ill., and formed the OutboardMarine and Manufacturing Co.,with Ralph Evinrude as president.

T o d a y , i t ’ s k n o w n a s t h eOutboard Marine Corporation,one of America’s largest corpor-ations with sales in excess of $700million. It’s a leader in every oneo f i t s p r o d u c t l i n e s . I t h a smanufacturing and marketingfacilities in the U.S., Canada,Belgium, Australia and HongK o n g . I t e m p l o y s m o r e t h a n10,000 people. Ralph Evinrude ischairman of its board of directors.

And it all started with a gallonof ice cream melting under a hotsummer sun less than 80 yearsago.

Meanwhile, historiccorporate restructuringwas usnderway. In 1928,the Briggs & StrattonCorp. had acquired theoriginal Evinrude Com-pany, which had passedthrough several ownerssince Ole had sold outback in 1914. A yearlater, Evinrude mergedwith Elto and Lockwood-Ash to form the OutboardMotors Corp.

But as the outboard industryand Elto were growing, Bess’always-frail health again wasf a i l i n g . S h e p a s s e d a w a y i nMilwaukee in 1933. A year later,Ole Evinrude died suddenly in hisMilwaukee home. He was just 57years old.

The Evinrudes’ only Child,Ralph, had been active in the

DREAM COMES TRUEBess Evinrude

NATIONAL LANDMARK 5

THE EVINRUDE EARLY YEARS PHOTO ALBUM

VISITORS — Ole Evinrude, left, and Finn Irgens, right, pose infront of the plant with Evinrude’s London distributor, J.W.Shillan. Irgens, an engineering genius who held numerous U.S.patents, eventually rose to the highest levels of OutboardMarine Corp.

THE PLANT — Because of his great interest in thingsmechanical, Ole Evinrude always made sure his manufacturingfacilities had the most modern and efficient machines available.And by the late 1920s, women had become a major part of theEvinrude factory work force.

POOL SHOW — By 1930, the public’s interest in power boatingthat started with the Evinrude outboard more than 20 yearsearlier was booming. Here, a group of outboard-powered raceboats stage a pool show at the famed Beauville Hotel in MiamiBeach.

SERVICE TRAINING — A class of service school studentsposes with its instructors in front of Evinrude’s mainMilwaukee plant in the early 1930s. Evinrude Motors was one ofthe first in the industry to offer factory service training.

6 NATIONAL LANDMARK

DOUBLE DUTY — Running boards served double duty onEvinrude salesmen’s cars. They were a rack to carry the displaymotor from town to town (securely latched down, of course).And they kept the motor out in the open, where the curiouscould see it. After all, in the 1920s, an outboard as light andcompact as the Evinrude was a curiosity indeed!

REMOTE CONTROLS — Evinrude was the first outboardbuilder to offer remote steering on its motors. This early 1928model used two cables with handles to grip. Soon after, thehandles were replaced by a single steering wheel — the samebasic remote steering system used today.

MORE FUN — In the late ’20s and early ’30s, flying and boating weretwo favorite sports for the “thrill” seekers. It was a heday for thepromoters . . . like this Racine, Wis., dealer whose trailer offers free boatdemonstrations that he prmises will be “more fun than flying”

‘R’ — This 1917 model was the first Evinrude with 360-degree reverse steering and tilting too. Full forward-neutral-reverse shifting was to come later.

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER — The year was 1937, and Evinrude hadbecome a part of the Outboard Marine and Manufacturing Co.Lawn-Boylawn mowers were part of the family now, and shared display space withthe outboards.

SAMPLE CASE — Every peddler had to have hissample case, and an Evinrude salesman was noexception. Date: 1926.

WARTIME — The world went to war in 1941, and Evinrudewent with it. Until late 1945, when commercial production

SKI BOOM — The landmark Evinrude outboard opened the excitingresumed, the company made only outboards and othermilitary equipment for the war effort. Here, a flotilla of

world of water recreation to everyone. This scene of a family enjoying Evinrude-powered barges supports a temporary bridge over aaquaplaning was typical of lakes and rivers around the U.S. in the mid European river. It was December 1944, victory was in sight,1930s. and soon America would return to more pleasant pursuits ...

like boating.

NATIONAL LANDMARK 7

THEWAY

ITWAS

BY JIM WEBB

. . .Ole never went beyond thethird grade. At that point, hisfather needed more help on thefarm. So the youngster left schoolat the ripe age of 10 and beganfarming. He was big and strong forhis years, and was a willing anddutiful worker.

Ole was a shade different frommost farmers’ sons. From hismaternal ancestors, he inheritedan uncanny understanding ofmechanical things. Somehow hewas able to fix anything and makeit run as it was supposed to. Hesaved his father and neighboringfarmers many hours by devisingrepairs that ordinarily meant a tripto the blacksmith shop. When hewas engaged in these tasks, thehusky youth was really happy, butotherwise he longed to leave thefarm and go to town where therewere all kinds of machines.

. . . Bess was a fair-mindedwoman. She always thought thingsthrough, and so now she began toreconsider the outboard motor.Suddenly, the exciting possibil-ities of the coffee grinder camethrough to her. “Ole,”, she said,“if that thing does what you say,people will buy it. Clean it up.Make it better. There are lots ofpattern makers, but no one ismaking anything like this.”

With constant needling fromBess, Ole . . . rounded the squarec o r n e r s , p o l i s h e d t h e b r a s s ,painted the iron parts and added am u f f l e r w i t h a n a l u m i n u mmanifold. When he finished, thecoffee grinder image had vanished.

Note: Jim Webb, who retired in 1963a s v i c e p r e s i d e n t a n d g e n e r a lmanager of Evinrude, knew Ole andBess Evinrude well. He joined the EltoOutboard Motor Co. in 1926 as a salescorrespondent, and spent his next 37years with Elto and Evinrude. Afterhis retirement, Jim Webb authored thebook, “The Pic tor ial History ofOutboard Motors,” thus keeping apromise he had made to Bess Evinrude38 years earlier. The following isexcerpted from Mr. Webb’s book.

In the bui lding process , Olebought and made 25 sets of parts.He didn’t expect to need them in ahurry, but the foundries chargedabout as much for one set as for25, so it made sense.

The new motor startedeasily and ran beauti-fully. Ole lent it to afriend one Sunday. Hecame back with ordersfor ten smotors and greatstories about the excite-ment it caused at Pewau-kee Lake.

W i t h i n a s h o r t t i m e , t h eEvinrude success story attractednew firms to the motor-buildingbusiness. Most of them copiedEvinrude, but Ole disregarded thecompetition. He never conscious-ly copied others and he didn’t carewho copied him. He and Bessbelieved the one who did the bestjob would prosper. The morepeople advertised and sold motors,the sooner the publ ic wouldbecome conscious of low-costboating. And as demand for out-boards grew, Evinrude would getits share. Consequently, when acompetitor came to them for help,he would get the best advice theycould give.

To meet payrolls (during theDepression), Evinrude-Elto begant o h o l d f a c t o r y s a l e s o v e rweekends. Motors sold here werenot current models, but leftoversor motors made out of overstocksof old spare parts. Competitorstried to make capital of it, but they

did not survive, and Evinrude-Eltomade it.

I well remember one Sundaynight in the spring of 1933. JakeStern (executive vice president ofthe Outboard Motors Corp.) camedownstairs to the office show-room. I was just loading a motorinto the car of a banker from an e a r b y t o w n w h o h a d b e e nchiseling for a better price for acouple of hours. After the man hadgone, Jake said — “All right, oldboy, you can close up now. Withthat one we can cover the payrolltomorrow.”

There was, of course, sufferingamong our employees (duringthese years), but they were morefortunate than many because theystill had their jobs. They learnedhow big Ole Evinrude’s heart was.Often he stopped to chat withsome old-timer who was particu-larly hard pressed, and during theconversation he would unobtru-sively leave a well-folded, personalcheck. He did not want to bethanked.

It was characteristic of OleEvinrude that from 1930 until hisdeath, he drew no salary. Had hedone so, the company probablycould not have survived — thingswere that close.

Ole Evinrude was the mosthonest man I ’ve ever known.Utterly without guile, he could notdissemble in a matter, large orsmall. He remembered every favorever done him and, as far as Iknow, forgave every fault. He wasextremely shy, but when he spoke

8 NATIONAL LANDMARK

THEWAY

ITWAS

BY HUGO BIERSACHI first met Ole Evinrude at an

Evinrude company picnic at Wau-kesha Beach on Pewaukee Lake in1911. I met Ole and his wife andRalph, who was quite a small guyat that time. They brought out anumber of outboard motors andrented a fleet of 15 or 20 boats andput motors on them and gave theemployees turns at taking rides onthe lake. I was very impressed.

But I didn’t go to work forEvinrude until 1913 and by thattime Ole Evinrude had sold out toChris Meyer. I started as a stockclerk, and they appointed a newgeneral manager, P.M. Tallon. Hebrought me upstairs to the salesdepartment. This was 1914. WhenMr. Meyer sold out his interest,Ole came back into the business. Iwas still there so I just continuedon with the company.

The Way It Was — Webb

it was with persuasive conviction.Mr. Evinrude was quite a man!

B e s s p o s s e s s e d t h e s a m eintegrity as did her husband. Sheh a d t h e n a t u r a l i n s t i n c t f o rdesigning an advertisement or asales campaign as Ole had forengineer ing and product ion.While she ran the Office end of thebusiness, she never thought oftaking charge in such a way as tocast the slightest shadow on Ole.She discussed every importantmove with him. He practicallyalways agreed with her sugges-tions, but she never took it forgranted.

Note: Hugo Biersach retired in1954 after a 42-year career withEvinrude Motors . Start ing as astock clerk,Biersach later becamesales manager, advertising mana-ger, a director, and a vice presi-dent. Today he lives on PewaukeeLake, west of Milwaukee, not farfrom the place he first met OleE v i n r u d e .

There have been so manychanges. The biggest change, ofcourse , i s wi th the outboardmotors. Back then we didn’t makemany changes in the outboards. Infact, the model that Ole Evinrudesold in 1909 remained approxi-mately the same until about 1912when he added a skeg on thegearbox to ward off obstructions.Then, in 1913 I think, we made ab i g c h a n g e . W e c h a n g e d t h eh o r s e p o w e r f r o m 1 ½ t o 2 -horsepower.

We had, maybe, 250 employ-ees. I remember when we were onWalker Street we got the first

export order, an -order for 1,000motors. That put a whole newperspective on the thing. Boy werewe excited!

O l e E v i n r u d e w a s a v e r ygenial, pleasant man, always with asmile. A very easy man to get alongwith. He was an easy man to bewith. He loved the company, lovedconviviality, loved the outdoors.He was just a very fine gentleman.He had a very fine and efficientwife, too. She managed the officeand Ole ran the plant. It was a goodpartnership. I don’t think one orthe other alone could have done it.The two together made it work.

E V I N R U D E : T H E C H O I C EO F P R E S I D E N T S

Note: Teddy Roosevelt, boat. It was made by the2 6 t h p r e s i d e n t o f t h e E v i n r u d e M o t o r C o m -United States, also was an pany. Though the motorexplorer and adventurer was left out in the rainof note. In 1913, he led an and sun, often without aexploration to the head- cover. . . it never failed us.waters of South America’s We found it particularlyAmazon River. The fol- valuable in going againstlowing is excerpted from the strong current of thehis personal log of that Sepotubia River , whereexploration: s e v e r a l a l l - n i g h t t r i p s

“We had with us a were made upstream, the

three and one-half horse- motor attached to a heavy

power motor which could b o a t . F o r e x p l o r a t i o n

be attached to the stern or upstream ... it was easily

g u n w a l e o f a c a n o e o r portable .”

NATIONAL LANDMARK 9

“You know you’ve chosen wisely when your new motor bears the nameEvinrude. For that name is more than a mere brand, a maker’s label. It’sthe master-mark of an industry’s founder. It’s the sign of forty years oftrue creative engineering. It’s the index that implies: ‘in this mechanismthere is every feature that could contribute to your lasting enjoyment ofoutboard motoring. ’” — from Evinrude Motors ’ 40th anniversarycatalog, 1949.

THEOLE EVINRUDETRADITION OF

CREATIVEENGINEERING

“Creative engineering” hasbeen a way of life at Evinrude eversince Ole Evinrude built his first.prototype outboard motor in 1907.Under his leadership, at first, andhis legacy since 1934, Evinrude —and El to for a few short butsignificant years — has blazed theengineering trails of outboardtechnology, introducing innova-tion after innovation that, today,are, feature-after-feature, stand-ard on modern outboard motors. . . features like water cooling,r e m o t e s t e e r i n g , a n d m u l t i -cylinder powerheads, and separatefuel tanks, and quiet running.

Much of what ’s taken forg r a n t e d i n t o d a y ’ s m o d e r noutboard motor owes its veryexis tence to that t radi t ion ofcreative engineering and qualitym a n u f a c t u r i n g t h a t w a s O l eEvinrude’s way of doing business.Make it the best way you knowhow, he would say, then make itbetter.

T h e r o s t e r o f E v i n r u d eengineering “firsts” began withthat first Evinrude outboard morethan 70 years ago, and has grownever since. Set aside that firstEvinrude, the one that was thefirst lightweight outboard, the firstreal ly dependable outboard, t h efirst convenient and easy-to-use

outboard, the first outboard that boards, using an electric-starterwas a marketplace success. g e n e r a t o r t h a t r e p l a c e d t h e

flywheel of the engine with an

After that, start counting armature. (1930)up the Evinrude engi- Evinrude introduced a rubberneering firsts.. and what mounting system to isolate thethat list is, is the historyof modern outboarding.

powerhead, for less vibration,smoother running. (1932)

The Evinrude sales van made stops in many neighborhoods.

Evinrude’s Elto introducedlightweight aluminum to out-boards, the first exhaust throughthe underwater propeller hub formore quiet operation, the firstenclosed and streamlined lowerunit, the first motor with fulltilting, the first with a waterproofi g n i t i o n s y s t e m ( e s p e c i a l l yimportant for an outboard motor,which tends to get somewhat wetin normal operation). (1921)

Elto pioneered a basic remotesteering system, soon modifiedinto the steering wheel designcommon today on most medium-and high-horsepower outboards.(1926)

A l o n g w i t h a f e w o t h e rmanufacturers, Evinrude intro-duced electric starting to out-

Evinrude helped quiet motoroperation — and make modernoutboard styling possible — by“hooding” the motor’s powerheadfor motor protection and noisereduction. (1934)

Evinrude introduced reedv a l v e s ( s t i l l u s e d i n m o s toutboards today) and the angled,weed-resistant propeller shaft forsmaller outboards. (1935)

Evinrude converted its entireproduction to the war effort. Noisereduction knowledge learned hereresulted in the much more quietoutboards of the post-war era(1941-1945).

Aquasonic silencing, using arubber “cushion” between theengine and the stern mounting

10 NATIONAL LANDMARK

Gertrude Ederle, the first womanto swim the English Channel( 1 9 2 6 ) , w i t h h e r E v i n r u d eoutboard motor.

bracket, reduced engine noise by50 percent. (1954)

The new shell molding processwas introduced to the marinei n d u s t r y b y E v i n r u d e . T h esignificant cost savings of thismanufacturing process — with noreduction in quality — helpedmake outboards more affordablethan ever to the average Americanboater. (1956)

Evinrude introduced the first90-degree, V-4 design outboard, a50-horsepower model that, at thetime, was the most powerfulEvinrude ever. Today, that sameb a s i c V - 4 d e s i g n i s u s e d i noutboards from 90- to 140-HP.(1958)

The new shell molding process was introducedt o t h e m a r i n e i n d u s t r y b y E v i n r u d e . T h esignificant cost savings of this manufacturingprocess — with no reduction in quality — helpedmake outboards more affordable than ever tothe average American boater.

Evinrude introduced the 50-to-1, gas/lubricant fuel mix for itstwo-cycle outboards. Compared tothe 24:l mix previously used, thisnew mixing rat io meant lesslubricant used, less smoke andfumes. (1964)

T h e w o r l d ’ s f i r s t m a s s -produced in-line three-cylinderloop-charged outboard motor —t h e 5 5 - H P T r i u m p h — w a sintroduced by Evinrude, featuringa computer-designed lower unitand a computer-guided “transferline” method of precise power-head production. (1968)

Overboard fuel drainswere eliminated, so un-burned fuel is recircu-lated in the engine, in-stead of discharged over-board. In the interest ofcleaner waters, Evinrudemade this drainless tech-nology available to itscompetitors. Today, allmajor outboard motorshave no overboard fueldrains. (1972)

Evinrude unveiled the world’sfirst rotary combustion outboardmotor, as an experimental racingengine. Developing up to two-thirds more power than the biggest

Many of the innovations introduced by Evinrude Motors on itsrecreational outboards were tested and proven on the race course.

piston outboards of the times, therotary performed well on the topracing circuits of the world. It iss t i l l p a r t o f O M C ’ s o n g o i n gresearch and development pro-gram. (1973)

Evinrude introduced the mostpowerful outboard motor ever, the200-HP V-6, designed for largerrunabouts and blue-water boats.(1976)

To meet consumer demand formore powerful outboards to powerlarger boats, a 235-HP V-6 model,t h e w o r l d ’ s m o s t p o w e r f u loutboard, was introduced, tocomplement the other V-6 Evin-rudes: 150-, 175- and 200- HPmodels. (1978)

These, of course, are just arepresentative few of the manyEvinrude engineering firsts. Therehave been many, many more . . .and they continue today, all in theO l e E v i n r u d e t r a d i t i o n o fe n g i n e e r i n g i n n o v a t i o n a n dleadership.

Throughout the years andt h r o u g h o u t t h e e n g i n e e r i n gtriumphs, the Evinrude traditionfirst defined by Ole Evinrudec o n t i n u e s . R a l p h E v i n r u d e ,chairman of the board of OutboardMarine Corp. said, “In 1909, myfather bui l t the world’s f i rs tcommercially successful outboardmotor. In the custom of the day,he placed his name on it; a proudcraftsman’s personal guarantee ofintegrity and quality. We are still acompany of proud craftsmen. Thename on the motor still attests tothe quality of the workmanshipinside.”

NATIONAL LANDMARK 11

EVINRUDE’S DETACHABLE ROWBOAT MOTORA NATIONAL HISTORIC MECHANICAL

ENGINEERING LANDMARK

H065