History of Evinrude Outboard Motors Part 3

Let’s pick up our story from yesterday. It’s 1909 and Evinrude Motors is doing quite well. Unfortunately, Bessie Evinrude’s health began deteriorating. The Evinrudes, as a result, sold their company in 1913. Ole Evinrude promised to take a five year hiatus from the outboard motor business to focus on his personal life.

During his time off, Evinrude dreamed up a new, improved two-cylinder outboard engine. Thus, in 1921 Ole and Bessie opened the ELTO Outdoor Motor Company (Evinrude’s Light Twin Outboard). Like the one-cylinder that debuted in 1909, the two-cylinder engine was a success. Just eight years later, ELTO Outdoor Motor Company merged with Lockwood Motor Company and the original Evinrude Motors (which had since been renamed the Outboard Marine Corporation). Evinrude was named the president of the new company. Tomorrow we’ll highlight the legacy of Evinrude, but in the meantime, keep your engines humming along with Yamalube 2M oil.