Reply To: What was your first outboard?

[David Stanton]

My first motor was Dad’s 1946 4.2 HP model 1J Champion that he bought new. I still have that motor! When I was 5 years old, he would switch seats with me and let me steer it – but on a 14′ cedar strip boat, it wasn’t setting any speed records.
I remember riding in the car with Dad when he would take it back to the Champion factory for repair just north of St Paul in a leased government building at the Twin City Arsenal munitions complex. Once when he picked it up again, they had painted it their “new” blue color with all new decals at no cost. It originally was silver.

That thing idles so slow, I can slap the palm of my hand down on the smooth rope sheave and stop it. Starts again with a 1/2 turn of the starter rope.
Dave