Richard Casady wrote in
:

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:13:40 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

Perhaps I should have specified 2-stroke outboard so I'll change
that to "the two-stroke out board motors that I usually see on small
sailboats as auxiliary power".

The Iowa schooner had a half horse Evinrude.

Casady


My first outboard motor, when I was 8 it was my Christmas present from
my grandfather and his old friends, was a nicely restored 1940 Elto Cub
1/2 hp outboard. It came with a restored heavy old wooden rowboat
painted State Park Green, the same as the picnic tables at the local
state park, because my grandfather "knew someone". Inside, it was
beautifully shellac'd to a high gloss.

http://www.oddjobmotors.com/elto.htm

My Christmas present was a beatup old rusty key in a little box. They
all laughed at my long face staring at my "present". Then, my
grandfather told me the key fit the "little garage" where the boat stuff
was stored for winter. You could barely see the top of the door, that
folded in the middle inward, behind the 8' snow bank piled up by the
snow plowing of the road. (Upstate NY, Owasco Lake, lake effect
snowstorms)

The men in the family dug us a tunnel into the garage door where the
rusty lock was under a piece of rubber from an inner tube to "protect"
it. Imagine being 8 and WAITING for the digging to complete...(c;]
Torturing children is illegal, you know.

The let me open the lock and slide the door sideways. I nearly fell
over when grandpa switched that light on. That was my first boat....How
beautiful she was!

WARNING - If you ever get an Elto Cub, do NOT put your hand around the
back of the gas tank to raise it WHILE IT'S RUNNING! The EXCELLENT
Evinrude magneto KICKS LIKE A MULE.....even if you're not 8!

......a little galvanized half gallon gas can premixed at 15:1 with
Quaker State SAE 30 from the tractor shed and you're ready for a whole
weekend cruising the lake at NEARLY 5 knots!...unless there's the
slightest breeze....

Why all lakes in Central NY aren't 8" deep in motor oil on top has never
been properly explained to me. I burned through gallons of motor oil on
my greasy-coated old outboards....coated my hands and jeans in it!


--
-----
Larry

PFD was a faded Kapok floating seat cushion with dual cotton handles.
......I survived.......

Sure wish I had that motor...and boat....back, now. Sure have some
great memories of it. When I was 10, I could start it by just spinning
the flywheel with my fingers.