Today's powerful 400-plus horsepower modern engines feel like entirely different machines from the hand-cranked outboard motors of the past. However, while we've certainly come a long way from those first designs, they were the beginnings of a profitable market that still thrives today. 

The history of outboard motors is full of subtle controversy and rich stories intertwined throughout, adding to myth and building substance around the outboard motor. Various people played a role and contributed their ideas to make this machine. 

Here is the history of the outboard motor. 

The Origins of the Outboard Motor 

It's hard to pinpoint when exactly the first outboard motor was created. There were likely various designs for something resembling it, but — as the period between the late 1800s and early 1900s would highlight — inventing something was only half of the battle. Being able to patent and market your invention was one of the most important aspects if you wanted to make money and sell that invention. 

 

During this period, boats with motors were reserved for the upper classes who could afford the expensive machines. Those with rowboats had to propel themselves manually — the idea of a motor was on the minds of many tinkerers and engineers. Those industrious minds were drawing up designs for outboard motors in the 1880s, and it wasn't long before someone finally decided to put together a workable schematic. 

Waterman

Cameron Waterman was a young law student when he first pondered the idea of an outboard engine. In 1903, Waterman hung his motorcycle on the back of a desk chair to clean and overhaul the engine. As he examined the small, lightweight engine, he realized that if he could attach a propeller to it, it could hang on the back of a rowboat for propulsion. 

From there, Waterman sketched a series of designs that added a petrol tank and a horizontal tilt to the engine. After he graduated and went on to work at a law firm, he showed some of his sketches to his colleagues, who inspired him to make the idea a reality. Waterman took his design to Detroit, where a friend at a workshop agreed to build the engine. 

In February 1905, Waterman and his friend tested the engine on a fifteen-foot steel rowboat in an icy river. The test was a success, with only a minor snag as a piece of ice got stuck in the chain. It proved Waterman's idea a triumph, and the outboard motor was born.  

However, as with many inventions, the history of the outboard motor still had a long way yet to go. The few accounts that mention Waterman often relegate him to a minor afterthought alongside other significant players. Others developing their designs either simultaneously or hot on the heels of Waterman's invention overshadowed his initial success. Waterman's initial design also had several issues — it was too heavy and noisy and came with a wooden crank that was tough on the fingers. 

Another main issue was that though Cameron Waterman received a patent for his outboard motor, that patent was too limited to protect his invention fully. Another man had registered a patent in 1883 for attaching a propellor to the back of his boat. Though the design never worked, that seemingly inconsequential decision would open the door for dozens of competitors in the ensuing years. 

While he was highly instrumental in designing and crafting one of the first outboard motors, Cameron Waterman ultimately lacked the marketing ability and added innovations to rival the new players quickly appearing on the market. 

Evinrude 

Most people regard Ole Evinrude as the father of the outboard engine. He was the first to produce the machines on a massive scale, and likely jump-started the market that continues to survive today. 

In 1882, five-year-old Evinrudeimmigrated from Christiania, Norway, to Cambridge, Wisconsin, with his family. He learned about boats through his uncle, a sailor, and when he traveled via ship, people often discovered him tinkering in the engine room with various parts. Ole's father had hoped his son would inherit the family farm until Ole began charging people for rides on a sailboat that he built himself. This success may have been the small moment Evinrude needed to see just how profitable his ideas could be. 

Intelligent and clever, Evinrude was also a romantic. In the summer of 1906, he agreed to a young woman's wishes to fetch ice cream from across a lake. He rowed across the lake and retrieved the ice cream. Unfortunately, by the time he got back, the dessert had melted and he was exhausted. In his defeat, he imagined a faster, easier way to get across the water — he envisioned the outboard motor. Three years later, he built the Evinrude version of the outboard motor. 

That young woman asking for ice cream was Bess Carry, Ole's wife. Together, they started mass-producing outboard engines for the demanding masses. 

Biggest Names in Outboard Motors

After initial designs and production, multiple manufacturers jumped into the game to sell their own versions. Evinrude claimed to have competed with 14 other companies in 1947. This atmosphere of fierce competition led to many innovations. Today, we can see the results of products crafted by companies who make outboard motors through years of perfecting their designs. 

Here are the biggest names in outboard motors. 

Evinrude

Whether or not Evinrude created the first design, he certainly created the market for outboard motors. His design was good enough to sell on a massive scale for a long time. Evinrude did get a patent on his motor as a "marine propulsion system" in 1911, differing slightly from Waterman's patent. 

Ole's wife, Bess, proved to be a master marketer, coming out with catchy slogans while Ole continued to innovate and keep the company evolving even through the Great Depression. Bess took sole responsibility for most of the company's business decisions, reaching out internationally to various companies and extending Evinrude outboard motors' reach across the globe. However, she quickly started to suffer from health ailments, and while she recovered for a few years, she soon passed away. Evinrude died the following year, passing the business on to their son, who went on to form Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). 

The ensuing years brought great success for the company, which helped manufacture parts for World War II before finally settling back into mass-produced outboard engines in the 1950s. OMC would find great prosperity selling Evinrude motors in the global market in the next two decades. 

However, with increasing departments and internal issues, OMC eventually filed for bankruptcy and Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), a Canadian manufacturing company, bought it out. 

Mercury Marine

Mercury was the main competitor to Evinrude motors throughout much of the 20th century. Their creation had an interesting, vengeful start — founder Carl Kiekhaefer had been fired from Evinrude over arguments about designs. 

Kiekhaefer launched an investigation into whether Evinrude's touching ice cream story was really true. After the investigation, Kiekhaefer started crafting an ad campaign to spread the truth — that the actual creator of the outboard motor was Cameron Waterman. The fierce attacks did little harm to Evinrude's business, but it was clear that Keikhaefer was out for revenge. 

That antagonistic drive may have been helpful, as Mercury Marine continued even after Evinrude's bankruptcy. They are still in business today, putting out iconic models like the Mercury MerCruiser. 

Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha

Three more main brands — Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha — entered the outboard motor game and left their mark. These brands excelled in a world of constant innovation, in perpetual motion to find the best and most efficient designs. 

As government regulations rolled out, limiting the way engines could function, the adaptability of these brands became increasingly apparent. With shifting design and technology, these companies found ways to thrive and get a leg up on one another, making the outboard motor a fascinating machine that was constantly evolving. 

How the Outboard Motor Has Evolved 

From a revamped motorcycle engine with a hand crank to 400-plus horsepower engines with intuitive sensor technology, the outboard has come a long way from its humble beginnings. With over a century of changes, the outboard motor has weathered several wars, the Great Depression and government regulations, the designs slightly changing in each era to fit the current climate. 

Here is an overview of how the outboard motor has evolved through the years. 

Modest Beginnings 

The earliest outboard motor was a modified motorcycle engine. While Waterman's design was one of the first, it had several complications — excessive noise and heaviness made it more challenging to sell. After that, in 1909 came Ole Evinrude's single-cylinder motor with 1.5 horsepower, powered by dry-cell batteries. These first designs had to be hand-cranked to start. 

In the beginning, outboard motors designs focused on function rather than performance — Ole's idea was to sit and enjoy the ride while he brought ice cream back to his wife rather than flying across the water with 300 horsepower. However, as time went on, it became clear that people wanted faster, more powerful engines that could quickly take them where they wanted. 

Performance Boosts 

Electric starters, folding shafts and an innovative stroke configuration allowed the outboard engine to increase its engine power. Still, even with improved designs, Evinrude and others struggled to get the outboard motor to top 100 horsepower. 

Mercury and OMC competed throughout this era, jockeying for the most powerful motors. Mercury came out with the Mark 75 in 1956, the first six-cylinder engine. In 1960, OMC's four-cylinder Starflite II set a speed record at 114.65 mph.

However, it wasn't until the arrival of the V-6 engine in 1975 that outboard motors could finally boast a horsepower that exceeded 100. The Evinrude 200 and Mercury 175 opened the door to a whole new way of life for boaters. Now outboard motors could power larger vessels, meaning that recreational boating and fishing opened up to a whole new American demographic who could enjoy a fun time out on the water. 

Injections and Regulations

Electronic fuel injections in the 1980s and 1990s created a more reliable outboard motor, benefiting customers and manufacturers alike. Suzuki introduced the first automatic oil injection in 1980. Soon after, the government unveiled its new emission standards for outboard motors. While other companies like Yamaha and Honda already had fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly products on the market, Evinrude's parent company OMC was on the ropes. 

OMC had failed to transfer over to four-stroke outboards. Companies like Honda saw that two-stroke outboards were creating more pollution and started coming out with four-stroke outboards early, some of the first engines to adhere to the EPA's strict regulations. 

After years of diversifying their production, OMC found themselves on the cusp of being overshadowed by others and done in by regulations. They designed the new Ficht system, hoping to find something that would take them back to the top. 
 

Though it was sound technology, OMC had lost the precise and detailed engineering skills that had once set it apart from the pack. Parts for Ficht ended up scattered across various facilities in the network, and OMC spent a lot of time and money trying to transport them. When Ficht was finally built and set out to market, many problems followed, including smoking motors and exploding pistons. 

The company received backlash in the form of angry customers and faltering sales. It ended up being the nail in the coffin for OMC, and in 2000 they filed for bankruptcy before being bought by BRP. 

With BRP, Evinrude redeemed its identity as a leader in outboard motor design. The E-TEC launched the new generation of direct injection with added preciseness. They came out with some of the largest outboard motors yet while retaining efficiency standards, earning them an award from the EPA in 2005. 

Modern Improvements 

Leading up to the 2000s and present day, companies have been developing new ways to make the boating experience as enjoyable as possible. 

• Supercharges: Intrdocued by Mercury in the early 2000s, supercharging allowed them to reduce displacement and increase horsepower up to 400. 
• Digital displays: Outboard motors now come with digital layouts and controls, sonar and chart plotting and control over resistance and suspension. These digital controls give more power to the boater, allowing them to set engine preferences at their fingertips. 
• Sensor technology: Honda has introduced a method in which the engine sends measurements and data to a central module through sensors. This data helps the engine determine when to time throttling to create the most horsepower. 
• Selective rotation: Suzuki came out with selective rotation in 2011, giving dealers the ability to change the spin direction of the propellor. 

There's been a lot of rapid innovation in just the past couple of decades, and it's clear there much more is on the horizon for outboard motors. 

The Future of Outboard Motors 

The future of outboard motors remains bright, with more customization in the future and likely more control and accessibility for the driver. Engines will continue to become more seamless and accessible than ever before, with the intuitive digital designs and sensors that we've already gotten a taste of. 

Yamaha has shown their ability to make some of the smallest outboard motors while boasting the most power, and we're likely to see a continuation of this trend, as well. Outboard motors will continue to seek their ultimate goal — to make boating as fun and easy as possible. 

FAQs

The history of the outboard motor is a complicated one, with evolutions and adaptions and various major players. Often, people have many specific questions.

Who Made the First Outboard Motor Ever?

Ole Evinrude is the one who is usually credited with creating the first outboard motor. Whether that is accurate or because the story of fetching ice cream for his wife is so memorable, we may never know. 

Though Waterman and Evinrude are often seen as the creators of the outboard motor, some claim that the French inventor Gustave Trouvé built the first outboard motor. 

It's challenging to pinpoint anyone as the sole inventor, as this was a time when many tinkerers and engineers were trying out various designs to see what worked. 
 

What Year Were Outboard Motors Invented?

The question of when is closely tied to the question of who. Which counts as the oldest outboard motor depends on who you believe deserves the credit:

• Gustave Trouvé: Though it went unpatented, Trouvé developed his outboard motor in 1881.
   
• Cameron Waterman: While Waterman tested his engine in 1905, he only received an American patent for his gasoline motors in 1907.
   
• Ole Evinrude: Evinrude built his first engine in 1909 and patented it in 1911 under the name "marine propulsion mechanism."
   

When Did Outboard Motors Become Popular? 

Ole's famous ice cream story probably resonated with many people at the time because it touched on something they had often thought themselves. Rowing a boat yourself was tiring, tedious work, and many people didn't want to devote the time and effort required for a short trip out on the water. The story pointed to a central theme of American life at the time — convenience. It was a time of innovation and creativity for engineers to develop new ways to make lives a bit easier for people. 

The demand, in many ways, was already there for people — all they needed was a supply. Ole Evinrude harnessed this demand in 1909 to make the first successful mass-produced outboard motors. It was so successful that Evinrude quickly ran out of motors. From then on, the outboard motor would remain a common and extremely popular fixture in the boating world. 

 Even aside from being a convenience, it changed the landscape of what you could do on the water, opening up an avenue for everyday folks to spend a day out on the lake fishing or boating recreationally without having to worry about rowing for hours. It added a whole new layer of leisure to people's lives. 

What Comprises an Outboard Motor?

An outboard motor has a relatively simple design, consisting of an engine, gearbox and propeller. A mounting bracket keeps the motor connected to the back of the boat. Unlike inboard motors, outboard motors can be removed and stored or repaired at your convenience. The bottom part of the motor — called the skeg — allows for effective steering and keeps the propellor protected from getting caught in debris. 

Though it appears to be a simple design, the constant evolution and detailed intricacies make it a fascinating engine to look back at through the years. 

Visit Our Outboard Motor Exhibit 

 Volo Auto Museum has a unique Outboard Motor Exhibit with a wide assortment of models. Each motor has been fully restored with fresh paint, new plating on metal parts and more decals that make them look as good as when they were first made. We have motors from all different brands, displaying a wide range of horsepower, sizes and designs. 

We have fascinating motors on display, such as a Goodyear engine and a classic Evinrude still in its original crate. For those interested in outboard motors, Volo Auto Museum's Outboard Motor Exhibit is the perfect stop for you. Contact us today!