By Michael Glenn, Adirondack Chapter & President, Mohawk Hudson Chapter, AOMCI
I’ve always said if one person makes it, two collect it, and such is the case with old iron (old outboard motors).
There are many reasons people collect old motors, some of the most common are a person’s desire to relive fond memories from the past, and a simpler time of summers spent on the lake, drowning a worm in that favorite spot, or having that same motor as Grandpa. My personal story on loving outboard motors was I didn’t have a lot to spend, but wanted a motor on my boat. A friend suggested I pick one up at a yard sale. So, I did, and brought it home.
My dad chuckled that the 1953 Scott Atwater 5 HP I bought was the same model he had as a teen. My father-in-law helped me get it running and the rest is history. Specifically outboard motor history as I got involved in the Antique Outboard Motor Club Inc, (AOMCI), an international organization based in the United States, in a quest for parts for the motor. My brother-in-law joined in the fun and now I have about 100 motors and about 10 boats.
But I’m not alone. I found this out in my parts quest. There’s a whole culture of outboard collectors in many flavors. Getting together and sharing in our common interests meant I had to travel to get together at “Meets”. These swap meets are often at boat launches or marinas, but many are in parking lots that might have good access or some relation- ship with the common cause of old boats/motors/ sports et al. Sharing a ride with a local outboard comrade, we talked about starting a local chapter of the club and hosting our own swap meets. That was in 2004. Fast forward to today and the Mohawk Hudson Chapter of AOMCI has grown to thirty something members and a lot of friends who come together in the Mohawk/Hudson region to share parts, advice and tall tales about outboards and related topics.
Some great communities have welcomed our presence, including Tupper Lake, Wells, and Schroon Lake, New York. We open the swap meets to the general public. Often someone arrives with an old gem in their trunk that belonged to a relative and they want to bring it back to life. The atmosphere becomes very Antique Roadshow like, with folks perusing the meet looking at someone’s latest restoration they are showing off, or seek to find the reward of a unique old motor (often motors near 100 years old appear). Parts can found from members with spares, and some have fabricated parts no longer available. If these options don’t work, a parts donor motor might show up or a little known resource to the general public might get shared.
There are several types of meets, including dry meets (the parking lot variety), wet meets (where boats get to go in the water), and formal (could be either dry or wet, and there is judging, such as oldest motor, best restoration, best original condition). The meet at Schroon Lake at the Town of Schroon Lake boat launch is the favorite of hydroplane owners since when the water is calm, they get to convert gasoline to noise for half a day. Being a wet meet, many members bring their boats with old motors mounted for a fun run in addition to the usual activities.
As president of the Chapter of AOMCI, I get a lot of interesting phone calls, often someone looking for where they can sell their old boat and/or motor, or how to find a needed part. Many of these folks find me in the newspaper events items that list the meet info and my contact info. It is not unusual the week before or the week after a meet to have someone decide to reach out for information. I’m always glad to help and have collected some interesting stories.
Adapted from an article originally printed in “Boating on the Hudson” Magazine, September-October 2022. Reprinted with permission.
And as you well know, it’s about much more than the motors!
Nice article, Mike.
My uncle, Jim Harden, raced an Evinrude like the one pictured above but only ran one ring on each cylinder, enlarged ports, and modified Reed valves, as I was told. It was really hard to start but revved a lot higher and was faster. He won the Gold Coast Marathon Miami to Palm Beach a couple times and his wife, my aunt Evelyn, also won the Gold Coast Marathon was the same motor, the first woman to do so. This is in one of the first Thunderbird boats made since my dad had invested in Thunderbird along with My uncle Jim.