Jack Craib's Rowboat Motor Information Site

1915 Article from The Rudder


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

Some interesting reasons why detachable motors should be adopted are given by the American Engine Company:
"Whenever you have a holiday you can take your motor to some nearby lake or river, rent a boat, attach the motor to
it in two minutes and take the whole family up the river or across the lake to some secluded nook for a picnic lunch,
always feeling sure that you will be able to return safely in the evening, because your little power plant is ready to
start at any time."
The motor develops 2-h.p., at 800 r.p.m.; 2% inches bore; 2]/2 inches stroke; speed ranges from 300 to 1,000
r.p.m.; is specially designed to give the greatest power with the least amount of fuel; while it is made as light as
possible, the strength or wearing qualities have not been sacrificed to save the weight. It is a combination of the two
and three-port system, with double ports in the bypass. Its peculiar design makes it possible to throttle it down without
any possibility of its back-firing. The double system of ports in the by-pass prevents waste of fuel as no new charge
can enter until old charge has passed out to the exhaust chamber.
There are two types made, one with a separate rudder, and one with the propeller acting as rudder.

The Anderson

The motor is reversible, whether equipped with battery or magneto ignition, and has a 3-inch bore cylinder, high crank
case compression and ports so designed that back-fire is eliminated. The power developed is 2^-h.p., and the
propeller is of the weedless type, 9 inches diameter. Incorporated with the propeller is a rudder, and both are moved
by the tiller to steer the boat. The Anderson motor is despatched entirely complete and ready to run and no tools,
piping, etc., are required to fit it in position. Furthermore, an underwater exhaust is furnished if desired, without extra
charge.

The Evinrude

It is now about six years since the first Evinrude detachable rowboat motor was placed upon the market, and along
the path of successful achievement that has marked the advent of this motor, stand six years' monumental epochs in
this particular type of gasoline motor construction, for each year they have added to their motor in such a manner as
to seemingly anticipate future improvements. From a small shop with a yearly output of 60 sets, this firm has
increased its capacity to about 60,000 per year, and now thousands are enjoying the pleasures of motor-boating
without being obliged to meet the expense of a motor boat.
The engine is of the single-cylinder, water-cooled type, and is made in two sizes, the larger developing 3/'2-h.p. The
smaller model develops 2-h.p., at 900 r.p.m., with a speed range from 300 to 1,000 r.p.m. It is designed to give the
greatest power with a limited weight, without sacrificing strength and wearing service. It differs from many two-stroke
engines in this respect— it can be throttled down like a four-cycle motor without trouble of back-firing. It absolutely will
not explode in the crank case, regardless of mixture or speed. It has all the good points of both four and two-cycle
engines, without any objectionable features. The by-pass has a double system of ports, preventing the new fuel
charge from being wasted through the exhaust, and the ports are so arranged that there can be no crank case
explosion, even when somewhat worn. The bore of the 2-h.p. engine is 2$i inches by 21/, inches, and 3J4 inches by 3

The Federal

With the Federal equipment, there are three distinctive features, namely, it is a two-cylinder opposed motor; secondly,
it can be adjusted to almost any angle of stern and for any depth of water, it being so constructed that the propeller
and shaft can be raised clear of the water when crossing a shallow ; thirdly, there is a special charge agitator, which
assists starting up by agitating the mixture in the crank case. This saves repeated turning of the starting handle.
Another feature is that Bosch magneto ignition is employed with these motors, unless battery and coil ignition is
preferred ; but of course, when the magneto is fitted, the cost is a little higher. For the cylinders and pistons, a
mixture of titanium, vanadium and steel is used, while the crank case is of aluminum for weight-saving purposes; in
fact, the weight is about 60 lb. The carburetor is automatic in operation, and of the mixing valve type. Unlike float-feed
carburetors, it holds, or retains, no gasoline to flow all over the place when motor is removed from boat or tilted out of
normal position. Steering is by turning the propeller and guide blade in the direction that the boat is to take, which is
accomplished by giving a reverse movement to the tiller.

The Gray

Here is a detachable motor that is different, and its most noteworthy feature is that it is of the gearless type, the drive
to the propeller being by a flexible shaft running in enclosed curved tube. The engine is of the single cylinder type, 3
inches bore by 5 inches stroke, developing 2^4-h.p., with a range of speed from 200 to 1,000 r.p.m. The gearless
transmission shaft is made of chrome vanadium, heat treated, and having a maximum strength of 250,000 lb. per
square inch. In addition to dispensing with the bevel gears, the big propeller hubs are also done away with, thus
reducing the resistance to the water. On the curve of the transmission casing is a substantial rudder. Again, the
water-cooling pump is of the gearless type, without any check valves. The pump is of the eccentric type with only half
the parts found in the ordinary plunger pump. The propeller shaft, which passes through the pump chamber, carries
the pump eccentric.

Oiling is accomplished by mixing lubricating oil with the gasoline. One-third pint of oil, to one gallon of gasoline. This
furnishes lubrication to all parts of the motor and oils the engine automatically, furnishing the right amount for all
speeds—no oilers or grease cups are necessary. The oil should always be added to the gasoline and shaken
vigorously before it is put in the tank. Once thoroughly mixed, the oil and gasoline will not separate.

The Koban

A built-in magneto is one of the new features of the 1915 two-cylinder Koban rowboat motor. While many standard
types were available, it required special construction to build a magneto that would answer the requirements of a two-
cylinder motor, and remove the objection of having a magneto attached to, instead of an integral part of, the motor.
One of the special features of this magneto is that it is reversible. It is not necessary to stop the engine or reverse the
propelling mechanism to change the direction of the boat. A single pressure of a button reverses the engine. The
accompanying illustration shows the 1915 two-cylinder engine with built-in magneto.

The Waterman

It was nine years ago that the first Waterman detachable motor was first placed upon the market, since when
remarkable improvements have been made to the design and construction. The engine has a single-cylinder, 2^4
inches bore by 3 inches stroke. This gives a cylinder volume which, taken with the special design of ports, gives 2'/2-
h.p. at 750 revolutions, and 3-h.p. at 1,000. On light boats this motor may be speeded up to 1,200 revolutions or over.
The number of pounds weight for each actual horsepower developed is claimed to be less than in any other complete
self-contained marine power plant of its type. It is of the three-port, two cycle type—now admitted to be the popular
type for marine detachable engines.

The cylinder is horizontal and is fitted with a highly polished water jacket of spun copper. This jacket is attached by
a system which was first employed on their Model K motors in 1908, and it has proved so successful and satisfactory
that it is now employed by a number of other engine builders. The jacket is held at the top by a flanged spark plug
bushing which clamps the jacket tightly against the spark plug boss. This boss is cast integral with the cylinder and
machined to a true surface. The lower end of the jacket is pressed over a flange cast on the cylinder and turned
smooth and true when the cylinder is machined and it is clamped to this flange by a steel ring, which is pressed into
place. This makes a joint that will never leak, but allows the jacket to be removed for replacement if required. The
only other break in the jacket is where the priming cup is inserted. This is provided with a flange and is screwed tightly
into the boss on the cylinder until the jacket is clamped tightly against the end of this boss in the same manner as the
spark plug bushing. There is a rudder yoke or cross tiller, to which are attached tiller lines, so that the boat can be
steered from the stern or from the bow, if desired.