Newbie With A 57 Golden Javelin

[markpj23]

Hi there – my first post after joining the club. 2 years ago I was given an old wooden boat that seemed to be too good to turn into a planter. The boat is a ’57 Wagemaker Wolverine that I hope we can restore to service. I’ve been searching for the right motor for the boat, and last week I came across a local ad for "2 boat motors" on Craigslist. Turns out the guy inherited a ’57 boat from his in-laws and wanted to put a 4-stroke Honda on it, so he was selling the original motor.

Here’s what my $25 bought:

’57 Golden Javelin RJEL-19: Good compression, electric starter works, pull starter intact, gears shift fine, seems to be 98% complete. Doesn’t have the electrical switch box or control cables. Chrome is pretty good (the red is a reflection, has some pitting). It does not have the compression release linkage but I’m pretty sure that’s not a necessity? Cosmetically a fairly nice engine. Seller didn’t know when it ran last or anything else about it other than it was the original motor that came on the boat he inherited.

Evinrude Fastwin 15012 – which I believe is a 1953 15hp model. It’s not stuck but has been leaking from the lower unit. Seems to have good compression. Cosmetically the worst of the two motors. I’ll probably just try to sell this one but who knows – I may get bitten by this antique outboard bug… 😎

Oh yeah – he threw in the stand for my 25 bucks.

I’m new to the antique boat & motor world, but I think I scored pretty good for a newbie. 😀

[Buccaneer]

I’d be smiling for weeks if I got that deal!

Prepare to be boarded!

[chris-p]

Boy oh Boy Great Deal….the front cowl door alone is worth 4 times that!

You are missing a few linkages, but nothing major. Post a wanted ad in the classifieds here on site.

[bobw]

Can’t believe you scored a Golden Javelin as your first classic motor. I’ve been searching my area for the last 4 years for one. And for the price you paid, it’s more like you stole it! Great find.

Bob

1937 Champion D2C Deluxe Lite Twin
1954 Johnson CD-11
1957 Evinrude Fastwin 18
1958 Johnson QD-19
1958 Johnson FD-12
1959 Johnson QD-20

“Every 20 minute job is only a broken bolt away from a 3-day project.”
"Every time you remove a broken or seized bolt an angel gets his wings."

[reivertom]

Stole it! They are great motors as well as being, in my opinion, the prettiest Johnson ever. Some people say they use too much gas, but if you look at the price of new motors, you can buy a lot of gas by using an older motor and look cooler doing it! They are the "holy grail" of 50s motors to some folks, so if you don’t want to keep it, you’ll be able to sell it easy. Yours will clean up pretty well, and you could touch up the white on the cowl and it would look even nicer. I did it to mine, and if you spend a little money and get the right shade of "Johnson white", it will blend in fine. There are companies that specialize in outboard motor paint, and it is well worth it, especially on a nice survivor like yours.

[fisherman6]

WOW!! For the bargain basement price of 25 bucks you were able to score 2 of my favorite outboards. The ’57 Johnson Golden Javelin is just a very cool motor and I am a fan of all of the 35hp OMC twins. You have a nice example of a survivor Golden Javelin.

No one has really said much about the Super Fastwin. The 1953-54 Super Fastwins are some of my favorite all around motors. They are simple and fairly light weight for a 15hp. Barely heavier than a 10hp with a bit more power. They are still kind of loud, proud, rude, crude, and unrefined. Not bad, but enough to make them cool and different. They are fantastic runners with the ability to push a 14 foot aluminum boat around 20mph and also troll very slowly all day. I currently have two of them.

You got two excellent motors for a little of nothing. Very nice score indeed. Here are a couple videos of mine to maybe inspire you to get yours back on a boat too.

-Ben

https://youtu.be/TvrDyzH9lkI

https://youtu.be/AkURLddrl2U

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[mas]

Nice score…I spent way more on my Javelin in only slightly better condition. I would have driven across the US for that deal!

Now where is the pic of the wolverine??

Mas

[1aquaholic]

markpj23,
For some reason I can’t send a PM to you, so email me at schneiderg2001@yahoo.com
I have something for you and your Javelins…

Greg Schneider

[Steve A W]

Congrats on the score of the century!
Here’s some light reading to help you get those beauties running.
http://precisionservoutboard.com/about/ … oint-plan/
http://www.omc-boats.org/maxw.html
And when you have any questions, come back here.
There is a collective knowledge here that’s out of this world.
Good luck with your motors.

Steve A W

ps. I and a lot of others here don’t agree with Max W about pressure
tanks. I’ve never had any problems with mine.
There’s some for sale in the "Free Classifieds"

Member of the MOB chapter.
I live in Northwest Indiana

[markpj23]

Many thanks for all the replies. Can’t wait to get started on this project.

[Author]

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