Some of the early private label outboards were made by major players in the business. With literally thousands of retailers and tens of thousands sold, these are among America's greatest Antique and Classic outboards! The result was that many people, (including this writer - and doubtless a few of you reading this article), got their first taste of boating with an Elgin (Sears), Sea King (Montgomery Ward), Wizard (Western Auto), Firestone or some other private brand outboard. In terms of catalogs printed and handed out, this certainly must have bested the combined total produced by OMC, Mercury, Scott and every other outboard manufacturer for that year! *2 These catalogs or “Wishbooks” as rural folks called them, brought Sears' wares right into people's homes all over North America. In 1952 Sears also had 11 regional fulfillment centers to support the 7,200,000 catalogs they sent out each season. *1 To put this in perspective, the 1952 Evinrude dealer directory lists 650 dealers and OMC's annual report for the same year indicates total gross sales for all divisions Evinrude, Johnson, Gale & others at $42 million - just about 2% of Sears' total! That year Sears operated 691 stores and was 6th in dollar sales for all US companies boasting more than $2.7 billion in annual sales. A 1952 Time Magazine article provided some illuminating information. It should be no surprise that private brands were successful for so long. For the past 30 years this small group of marques has commanded the lion's share of attention and sales, both with modern consumers and with enthusiasts in the Antique Outboard Motor Club. Today only a handful of names come to mind when most people are asked about outboard brands made in the USA: Johnson, Evinrude and Mercury. However, all year AOMCI members dusted off their Motorgos, Sea Kings, Waterwichs, Firestones, Elgins, Sea Flyers, and many other private brand outboards, and displayed and ran them at our events. These outboards were celebrated at the Yankee Chapter's 2010 Formal meet in Shelton CT. Made from the teens to the 1980s, members of the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Outboard Motor Club love to run their antique and classic private brand and catalog motors! The Yankee Chapter Goes Crazy for Private Brand Outboards! Here is an overview of their rich history! Many of these motors were made by major outboard companies and some by small concerns. What is a private brand outboard motor? These were outboards sold by mail-order catalogs and retail stores not related to actual outboard manufacturers.
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