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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:59 am 
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Location: Erie, PA
I know this subject is kicked around here from time to time. I saw some excellent examples of modern (or more modern) outboards made to look like the classics.

Check this out!


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File comment: 1950's Johnson 50 cowl (i'm not sure what the engine was underneith this one).
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File comment: twin 1950's Mercury 85hp's (underneith, they are mechanically perfected 1980's Mercury 115's)
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IMG_3774.JPG [ 2.3 MiB | Viewed 1139 times ]
File comment: 1960's Evinrude 90-S cowl over top of a newer 90 hp Yamaha 4stroke.
IMG_3760.JPG
IMG_3760.JPG [ 2.81 MiB | Viewed 1139 times ]

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:02 am 
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Location: Erie, PA
here are a few more views of those outboards.

I would love to do this with mine!


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IMG_3826.JPG
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IMG_3770.JPG
IMG_3770.JPG [ 2.5 MiB | Viewed 1138 times ]
IMG_3762.JPG
IMG_3762.JPG [ 2 MiB | Viewed 1138 times ]

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:24 pm 
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Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Smoke and Mirrors :D

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:09 pm 
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Location: tarpon springs fl
The Johnson fat 50 is a Yamaha V-4.....can't remember what HP....maybe 115

Saw it there a while back
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:12 pm 
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i think all three of these examples look great! I would love to do somthing like this with my boat.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:03 pm 
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From talking with the owner/modifier, this one took tons more work than other cowl conversions he has done.....to fit the OMC on a late model OMC is much easier

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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 8:00 pm 
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I ran across this while looking up something else. Why don't you just get a vintage motor and restore it like this.
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I just couldn't resist.jpg
I just couldn't resist.jpg [ 2.54 MiB | Viewed 887 times ]

Or like this.
Attachment:
finished the Lark today.jpg
finished the Lark today.jpg [ 2.19 MiB | Viewed 887 times ]


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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 8:53 pm 
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Location: Leduc (Edmonton), Alberta
Funny how this conversation pops up a few days after I've been trying to make my 1989 Mariner look more 'classic' myself.

I am not a fan of new outboards on vintage designs. I get why people use new motor, we are not all mechanically inclined to fix up old motors, and we are not all financially capable of paying someone else to fix up old motors for us.

I am a good example of that. I have a 1950's styled Malahini but a 1989 motor. I hated the modern look, with orange and red pin stripes to boot. I stripped those off immediately just out of spite and formulated a plan to paint the cowlings white and add chrome embossed lettering to make it look a bit more 'classic'.

However, I would have dropped a few hundred on a pre-made classic styled top (and still might do it), if one was available.

I think there is a market out there for classic looking outboard covers... particularly for us Glen-L builders. Its not a big market, and there might be a limited range of engine tops you'd want to make 'convertable' to classic (basically chromed look) tops.

I will show you how mine turns out once I get it closer to where I want it.

In the future, these new 3D 'printers' might make creating custom engine covers (amoung anything else) possible. The technology is out there to do that, it may just be a matter of time before they are enough of them out there to make it viable.

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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 9:34 pm 
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This is a timely subject. I'd love to make my 77 Merc 500 look more like those white 50s Mercs pictured above. If there are conversions commercially available, I'll pay just about any reasonable price. If not, I'll eventually paint it white and have my buddy who owns a sign shop (the guy doing my boat name decals), make me some vintage style logos printed on chrome vinyl.

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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 9:45 pm 
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Thats what look like ! i have the face of a 53 year old and i look like 30 from the neck down :!: :lol: but no those are very cool :!: 8) never thought of that :!: great idea :!:


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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 10:23 pm 
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Location: Co.Dublin, Ireland.
My engine is a blueband it's an easy enough job to swap over the parts from any of the motors with a wrap around cowl but not so easy with the clam shell cowl.

Image

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:48 pm 
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Location: Austin, Texas
I thought I would bring this topic back up to see if there are any updates, new ideas, etc.

I am wondering how difficult it would be to basically modify the existing cowl on a fairly modern outboard so that it has that retro look. Since these cowls are essentially plastic / fiberglass (I assume) , it would basically be a matter of adding appropriate style pieces to get he shape your after and then repaint.

Obviously this over simplifies the amount of work involved, but I personally would very much like my boat to use an older styled engine, but have the parts availability of a more modern engine.

Iggy, if you read this, you mentioned in an earlier posting that you were attempting something like this. Any updates?

If any one has any links to businesses or people who have or are doing this, could you post them here.

Thanks.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:34 pm 
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Carl, the housings used on the old Mercs are cast aluminum, with stainless steel used for the wraparound shroud. I haven't dug into an old Johnson or Evinrude, but the old Mercs have a ton of interchangeable parts.

-Mark Shipley

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:02 pm 
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The 1958 Lark I posted earlier had an aluminum housing; but in 1959 Evinrude and Johnson went to fibreglass. The 1968 Sport Four had a fibreglass cowl. You can still get parts for just about any Evinrude or Johnson back to 1968 and most parts are still available for 1950's and early 60s models. Being somewha a purist about the outboards I like to try to get an old one and rebuild and restore it. If you have the tools or a fabricating shop nearby you can do just about anything though.


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