In 1968 the Johnson version was the SC-10 and the Evinrude was known as the Mate – both were rated at 1.5hp and made essentially unchanged through 1970. Starting in 1971 a recoil was added and the hp increased to 2. For many years Johnson dropped any name for these models however Evinrude continued the Mate name into the 1980s. In the mid-1980s the Johnson became the Colt and the Evinrude the Junior. On these motors I tend to see way more Evinrudes than Johnsons, I’d say in a 2 to 1 ratio – not sure why that is, maybe just a local difference.
To keep costs down the engineers at OMC made generous use of existing parts and on the first models the gas tank was borrowed from the Air Buoy/Aquanaut that was in-turn borrowed from Lawn Boy division. It has been said some of the internals on these motors (piston, crank, seals, etc…) were also borrowed from Lawn Boy, but I haven’t had a chance to check that. I feel they were a quality motor that was a step above the Mighty Mite and later Aqua Bug and other motors in the 1-2hp class. They were a welcome alternative to paddling a canoe or rowing a dingy if you had a bit of distance to travel!
Over the years I’ve had a fair number of these motors and worked on even more, they were made from 1968 through 1990. I’ve found that their Achilles heal is the seals for the crank, the bottom one is hidden in the bearing assembly and not listed on the parts diagram. And as noted before, the instructions called for a 50:1 mix – a bit more oil would really have helped with longevity. (though I don’t think the engineers at OMC estimated they would live as long as they have!) The early 1.5hp models made from 1968 to 1970 didn’t have the recoil and had the square looking plastic cowl. Oddly, the first year (1968) used an ABS or some other (slimy feeling) plastic that lasted far better than the 1969-70 models that used a really chintzy plastic. (It is often broken or missing on the ’69-’70 motors.) I’d imagine a fair number of the ’69-’70 motors are at the bottom of many harbors from being passed down to the dingy and, (being grabbed by the crappy plastic cowl), it broke plunging the motors to the depths.
These are GREAT motors for kids. A couple of years ago my youngest boy Graham picked a 1968 Evinrude Mate up at a flea-market for $25. While it wasn’t his first outboard, it was the the first motor we went through together from flywheel to prop-nut. It was especially thrilling for him when I let him solo around the dock after thoroughly checking him out on it. You can see from the smile on his face that this was really cool for him, I think he spent over an hour just putting around within 500 yards of the dock and would have stayed out longer if it hadn’t gotten dark.
I have a 1970 model Mate and a 1990 showing basically the first and last versions of these guys. The 1990 also had a bottom cowl made of the same cruddy plastic as the cowl on the first 1.5hp models, it is missing in this photo since it is in 3 pieces… In the 1980s when OMC went to prop HP ratings these guys were dropped from 2hp to 1.2hp. Despite that lower rating I feel the later ones were more powerful. I’m not sure how that was achieved, the only outward difference was the nylon prop – maybe some day I’ll have a chance to study what was done. Here is a photo of the 1970 and 1990 models:
