Sea Horse
By now you readers know I'm a sucker for antique machinery. Anything with wheels or wings, anything that floats. This post's subjects are outboard motors. I recently found a shed with several delightful old outboards. Now these old sea dogs are before my time, let's get that straight! Still, I grew up watching Flipper, with the kids just running down the dock, jumping into the boat, pulling the rope and taking off wherever they pleased. For a suburbs kid like me, that looked pretty appealing.
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To me, Johnson, Mercury, Evinrude, those are the big names. Here's the namesake of OMC - Outboard Motors Corporation. Look at how smooth that aluminum casting is, from years of rope wear. Pretty sensual hunk `o aluminum, eh?
Look at the weathering on this motor housing. Years of salt and sun. I think it looks pretty darn good. Would a modern motor weather this well? I doubt it. Standing there in that shed, with the natural light filtering through dirty old windows, it was a magical moment.
Think how many times fisherman set out in their small boats, powered by these tiny motors. Did the fisherman make a living with them, or was it just weekend relaxation? These motors got them home when the fog rolled in, hopefully their boats heavier with the day's catch.
These old motors have soul, and what stories they could tell. They have no doubt outlasted many of the fisherman that they served so well.
