1915 - Article Reviewing Then Current Outboards

This is a repost from Jack's website on rowboat motors. If you are new to rowboat motors you probably haven't seen it...so here it is! You might want to go to the page as the illustrations are larger and it is easier to read.  (And, no, this isn't a ploy to get you to my web site, it really is much more pleasant to read there as my formatting messed up in the copy/paste to here. The original scan isn't as easy to read so I had transcribed it.)

The Rudder - Page 237

Thomas Fleming Day - 1915

Transcribed with additional paragraph breaks
for ease in reading online.

PDF download of scan of original.

Detachable Motors

Development of a Useful Type of Auxiliary Power Plant

During the last few years the detachable, or outboard, motor has attained remarkable popularity among rowboat men and among yachtsmen, with the result that a large number of concerns have recently taken up its manufacture in America. We have searched far and wide with a view to placing before our readers a complete list of all the power plants of this type built, and we believe that we have been successful Altogether it will be seen that there are forty-five different makes, which doubtless will come as a surprise to many.

The costs of the various engines given vary from $25 to 100 complete, so the intended user has quite a variety to select from; in fact, the prices suit all pockets. Many of these we have had personal experience with, so we are in a position to advise gratis, within limits, intending purchasers, which we believe to be the most reliable makes upon application. At the time we can only give free advice to subscribers to The Rudder, so an application from a non-subscriber must be accompanied by a year's subscription order.




The production of these little motors is to be encouraged, as for certain work they have proved to be most useful, especially for small yachts' dinghies and for other types of motor boats. The maximum power in which they are made is about 3 1⁄2 h.p., and for craft of this power or under, but if much over this power, they would be liable to lose many of their advantages. One of the chief features of the detachable motor is that it converts a rowing boat into a power craft in a few minutes, without the expense of structural alteration to the hull and the resultant loss of time. The motor can be clamped on to the transom in quite a short time, without any boatbuilding experience or previous preparation whatever. Weighing in the neighborhood of 50 lb. it can be packed in a trunk when going off for a vacation. At the seaside, lake, or mountain stream, a rowboat can be hired for a small sum, the outboard engine clamped in position and lo, the owner is in the immediate possession of a motor boat, capable of doing considerable day cruising, or exploration. Every sailing yacht will find one aboard invaluable for tender work when in harbor, or for pushing and towing in calms. Motors are even being attached to the sterns of yachts and many racing boat proceeds to port in this manner.





The history of the development is perhaps interesting. The first detachable motto seems to have been the Moto-Godille - a French production, which while successful from a mechanical point of view, was not generally adopted. Then came the Waterman, which for several years had quite a monopoly, as the French motor was but little known.

But it was not until the début of the Evinrude, several years ago, that this class of auxiliary power "made a hit". It is true that competition makes business, and this case was no exception, particularly as the Evinrude was well advertised and widely demonstrated; also as the Waterman sales increased, backed, as the motors were, by substantial construction, with the result that it was not long before there were over a dozen other makers on the market, and these are regularly being added to, with the eventual results seen in the following list. Despite strong competition, it is noteworthy that the Evinrude and Waterman sales are larger today than ever they were, which only shows that there is room for all, provided they are well advertised in the proper mediums.




The various makes are as follows:

Admiral—Affiliated Manufacturers Company, Milwaukee, Wis.
Aerothrust—Aerothrust Engine Company, 217 West Schiller Street, Chicago, 111.
Ailsa-Craig—Ailsa-Craig Motor Company, Strand-on-the-Green, London, W., England.
Alligator—Alligator Motoren-Vertrieb, Kurfurotendamm 233, Berlin W. 50, Germany.
American—American Engine Company, 418 Boston Street, Detroit, Mich.
Anderson—Anderson Engine Company, 4036 No. Rockwell Street, Chicago, 111.
Archimedes—Hanson & Co., Fernsprecher No. 574, Lubeck, Ger.
Blakely—Blakely Engine Company, Muskegon, Mich.
Caille—Caille Perfection Motor Company, 1422 Caille Street, Detroit, Mich.
Cudell—Cudell-Vergaser, Berlin N. 65, Germany.
Danette—Motorn Dan, 10 Rue de Laborde, Paris, France.
Detroit—Detroit Engine Works, 1250 Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Mich.
Echard—M. Echard & Co., 5, Rue du Lieutenent-Boncort, Neuilly-en-Seine. Paris. France.
Effezet—Fritz Ziegenspeck, Kiirassierstrasse, 33, Berlin, Germany.
Emmons—Emmons Specialty Company, 242 Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Mich.
Evinrude—Evinrude Motor Company, Milwaukee, Wis.
Federal—Federal Motor & Manufacturing Company, 620 F Street, Washington, D. C.
Ferro—Ferro Machine & Foundry Company, 515 Hubbard Avenue. Cleveland, Ohio.
Gray—Gray Motor Company, 1104 Gray Motor Bldg., Detroit, Mich.
Hasse—Emil Hasse, Schleischester, 33, 34, Berlin.
Hi-Speed—Hi-Speed Motor Company, 20 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago. 111.
Jewell—Jewell Electric Co., Chicago. 111. (spelled Jewel everywhere else...)
Joy Motor—Joy Engineering Company, 227 Tribune Bldg., Chicago, 111.
Koban—Koban Manufacturing Company, 248 South Water Street, Milwaukee, Mich.
Lockwood-Ash—Lockwood-Ash Motor Company, Jackson. Mich.
Mac—Hollander & Co., Malmo, Sweden.
Miller—Miller Gas & Vacuum Engine Company, 2329 No. Talman Avenue, Chicago, 111.
Moto-Godille—G. Couche & Co., Engineers, Paris, France.
Motorgo—Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 111.
Motorow—Motorow Engine Company, 1475 Foster Avenue, Chicago, 111.
No-Ro—No-Ro Motor Works. West Roxbury, Mass.
Northwestern—Northwestern Motor Company, Eau Claire, Wis.
Nymph—NymphMotor Company (Mr. C. F. Fried), Cleveland, Ohio.
Racine—Racine Motor Oars Company, Racine, Wis.
Spartan—Goodrich, Hamlyn & Arnand, Clock House, Arundel Street, Strand, W. C, London, England.
Spencer—H. W. Spencer & Co., Montreal, Canada.
Spinaway—Spinaway Boat Motor Company, 259 Chicago Street, Freeport, 111.
Strelinger—Strelinger Marine Company, St. Aubin, Detroit, Mich.
Sweet—Sweet Manufacturing Company, 81 Griswold Street, Detroit, Mich.
Tip-Top—Motbrenwerk Frankfurt, G. M. B. H., Frankfurt a. Oder, Germany.
Uhticke—Bootsmotoren-Com. Gas., G. Uhticke, Berlin O.27, Holzmarkestrabe 9, Germany.
Waterman—Waterman Marine Motor Company, 405 Mt. ElliottAvenue, Detroit, Mich.
Wilcox—Wilcox-McKim Company, Saginaw, Mich.
Wisconsin—Wisconsin Machinery & Manufacturing Company,1602 Canal Street, Milwaukee, Wis.
Wright—C. T. Wright Engine Company, Greenville, Mich.







We will now proceed to give details of some of the leading American outfits.

The American

Actually, we won't be taking a look; some weird copy/paste bugs have made it too hard to do. Go to my original posting and read it in the better format.