Re: Martin Motor flambe’

[canoecrafter]

quote 1946Zephyr:

quote FrankR:

Improvements in spring metals made reeds practical and more or less universal. In addition to the wear and fit problem, rotary valves allow backfiring through the carburetor and sometimes fires result. Related to the subject were the Martin Motors with cam operated poppet valves. They were notorious for fires resulting from backfiring through the carburetor (combined with leaky gas tanks). But they were very good motors, otherwise.

Were Martin outboards susceptible to occasional fires? Read on…

I grew up in Eau Claire, WI where Martin motors were made at Presto Industries, so there were lots of them around.

In the 1950s, when wooden boats were king, I recall being out on a local lake fishing when someone started yelling for help. A lone fisherman’s black Martin motor was flaming and the fire had spread to the transom and rear wooden seat of his Shell Lake boat. He was screaming and franticly splashing water on the fire with his hands, progressively moving further toward the bow as the fire spread forward towards him. By the time we got to him, he was hanging waaay over the bow and still hand-splashing water on the now totally-aflame boat. He swam over and we took him aboard, then watched the Shell Lake boat burn. Things got pretty spectacular when the rubber gas tank stopper burned through and the tank exploded in a showy ball of flame–just like in the movies.

Finally, so much wood was gone that the weight of the Martin sank the whole thing. All we could see were a few bubbles rising and a little blue smoke to mark the spot. Ever seen a wet fisherman cry?

We dropped him off at the shore–sopping wet, sobbing, and swearing at the damn Marin Motor Company and Presto Industries.

Canoecrafter.
Rice Lake, WI