The Sinking Of The OutBoard Marine Corporation -

**FUJIMO** · 12-18-2022, 09:05 PM

...in july of 1967, omc/ralph evinrude thought they should enter the pop-up camper business. they bought trade winds campers. an existing, ongoing, successful recreational camper business. they paid $240,000.00 worth of omc stock for it, the equivelent of about two million dollars today. it lasted until 1972, when they stopped production of all trade winds camper products, due to lack of sales, without selling that company off...

**FUJIMO** · 12-22-2022, 09:35 PM

...too many lawsuits from this piece of omc. pump air intake too close to the engine exhaust, was just but one of its faults. brilliant...

**FUJIMO** · 12-22-2022, 09:44 PM

...wonder how the evinrude/omc pontoon dreamboat manufacturing business worked out?...

**powerabout** · 12-23-2022, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

...wonder how the evinrude/omc pontoon dreamboat manufacturing business worked out?...

Great idea but too early for the market

**keith scotton** · 12-24-2022, 09:01 AM

I wonder how many dealers lost their Evinrude or Johnson dealership because they took on Yamaha back in the early 1984 and 1985. I know just in the Houston Texas area there where 6 or 7 long time dealer that this happened to.

**WaterZebra** · 12-24-2022, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by keith scotton

I wonder how many dealers lost their Evinrude or Johnson dealership because they took on Yamaha back in the early 1984 and 1985. I know just in the Houston Texas area there where 6 or 7 long time dealer that this happened to.

There was probably some specific wording in any of these outboard company's dealer contracts about a non-compete clause. You won't find any dealers today that carry multiple brands for sale. Service............maybe? Yamaha was the first but definitely not the last (Nissan, Tahatsu, Suzuki, Honda, etc)

**Chaz** · 12-24-2022, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

...wonder how the evinrude/omc pontoon dreamboat manufacturing business worked out?...

Fugiphoto,
I think it worked out OK for them. The motors went Kachoofff .. cuz they couldn't push the weight. The wind and tide ran them aground somewhere between Matheson Hamock and Sands cut .. then Ralph had a place to go hang out ..

**WaterZebra** · 12-24-2022, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Chaz

Fugiphoto,
I think it worked out OK for them. The motors went Kachoofff .. cuz they couldn't push the weight. The wind and tide ran them aground somewhere between Matheson Hamock and Sands cut .. then Ralph had a place to go hang out ..

How in the heck do places like this even get built in the first place?!!! Permits, $$$$, Food, water, fuel, sewage...............

**Forkin' Crazy** · 12-24-2022, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

...too many lawsuits from this piece of omc. pump air intake too close to the engine exhaust, was just but one of its faults. brilliant...

A friend of mine has one of those. All it is-is a Lawn Boy motor on a pump. So I guess either OMC had a contract with Lawn Boy or possibly owned it or part of it?

**Chaz** · 12-24-2022, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by WaterZebra

How in the heck do places like this even get built in the first place?!!! Permits, $$$$, Food, water, fuel, sewage...............

Yea .. no, cell or internet service either ... LOL, how did they survive ...

1920's Florida .. There were no permits .. a place to get one .. or have the work inspected.

Ohh those people had plenty of rum .. err money.

As long as you liked, fish, lobster, stone crabs, conch and shrimp, you were OK .. otherwise you had to boat into Miami for supplies.

They collected fresh water in huge cistern's.

Fuel, you had to go to Miami.

Sewage, hang it over the side ...

It's all part of Biscayne national park now. Some of us think that it's part of our heritage and should be preserved at all costs. While other less native Floridian's see it as an eyesore and a reminder of S. Florida's wild past, that should be torn down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiltsville

**WaterZebra** · 12-24-2022, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Chaz

Yea .. no, cell or internet service either ... LOL, how did they survive ...

1920's Florida .. There were no permits .. a place to get one .. or have the work inspected.

Ohh those people had plenty of rum .. err money.

As long as you liked, fish, lobster, stone crabs, conch and shrimp, you were OK .. otherwise you had to boat into Miami for supplies.

They collected fresh water in huge cistern's.

Fuel, you had to go to Miami.

Sewage, hang it over the side ...

It's all part of Biscayne national park now. Some of us think that it's part of our heritage and should be preserved at all costs. While other less native Floridian's see it as an eyesore and a reminder of S. Florida's wild past, that should be torn down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiltsville

They should preserve what's already there as part of the park for boaters. We've got nothing like it on the west coast.

**Revenge22** · 12-26-2022, 08:35 PM

old post but an awesome one! I only do OMC's at my shop. 70% saltwater. Never saw one that has been blown/seized because of VRO. A cylinder or 2 with blue rods sure, but never all of em'. 95% of failures are bad gas combined with owner stupidity because they saw a youtube video and "adjusted WOT timing because it didnt feel right" or some such nonsense.

**Chaz** · 12-27-2022, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by WaterZebra

They should preserve what's already there as part of the park for boaters. We've got nothing like it on the west coast.

You guys do have the Edison / Ford Museum. Which I try to go when I'm over that way ..

A couple places over here on this side ... Miami Marine stadium .. should be put back as intended .. when The Matheson family donated the property.

OMC test center .. I know the land is way to valuable ... But it would have been nice if BRP would have kept at least part of it. During it's heyday, they kept test boats running up and down the river. No whiney don't you know who I am people could get speed limits put in place .. OMC had a business to run ...

**DanUmbarger** · 12-27-2022, 12:44 PM

We took on Suzuki in 1979 and by 1983 Evinrude pulled our dealership after being with them for 15yrs. Don't believe there was anything in the contracts but they said our building wasn't conducive to selling Evinrudes (had some paint peeling on our main front sign). We've been Suzuki ever since and I believe we're the second oldest Suzuki dealership in the US.

Originally Posted by keith scotton

I wonder how many dealers lost their Evinrude or Johnson dealership because they took on Yamaha back in the early 1984 and 1985. I know just in the Houston Texas area there where 6 or 7 long time dealer that this happened to.