Evinrude Model 39A?

[twostroke]

Found something in the storage part of my shop I forgot was here. I bought this probably 20 years ago at an auction sale, just because it was obviously REALLY old. I think I might have something worth while…. It’s free, and has compression. All I can find is Model 39A on it, and it says Evinrude Row Boat Motor. If someone that knows can tell me where to look for more info/numbers, it would be MUCH appreciated. Yeah, and it’s leaning on the back bumper of my much beloved Model A. Had it since I was 18. First car I ever painted….and it shows.

Thanks!

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Attachments:

I say "pardon me" a lot. I had a 20H, then raced open mod sleds.

[Tubs]

At one time there was a tag on the gas tank that would identify
your motor if the tank wasn’t moved from another motor.
Click on this link and it will give you some information
about these things. Click on "Volume 2, Issue 3" and
scroll down to the chart that shows what parts were
used each year with the understanding that parts can
get moved from motor to motor over time .

http://www.pfs-ware.com/rbmj/

A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[squierka39]

I can tell you by the time your model A was built the Evinrude was already an old motor. Pretty cool.

[twostroke]

Did these motors have a serial number on them anywhere other than on a tag on the gas tank that I’m not seeing on this one?

Thanks!

Jim

I say "pardon me" a lot. I had a 20H, then raced open mod sleds.

[Tubs]

quote twostroke:

Did these motors have a serial number on them anywhere other than on a tag on the gas tank that I’m not seeing on this one?

Thanks!

Jim

Nope, just the gas tank.
Looking at the flywheel, prop, and the reversing
mechanism my guess would be a 1922 with the Maxim
muffler but I’m really not very knowledgeable when
it come to these very early motors.

A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[twostroke]

Thanks for all your help, sir. I printed a bunch of that info off from that link you provided me with, and I’ll go over it more closely tonight….but from what I’ve seen & read so far, I’m thinkin’ you’re spot-on.

Thanks again..

Jim

I say "pardon me" a lot. I had a 20H, then raced open mod sleds.

[PM T2]

Hate to say it, but the fact is that without the serial number, its impossible to pin down an exact model year.

Some things to consider about your motor;

1. The Maxim Silencer muffler was standard equipment only in 1915; it was listed as an accessory in all other years that it was available.

2. Crankcase configuration can help determine if its a 1915-16 model or not. 1915 motors (at least some of them) had two-piece crankcases that were all bronze. This may have continued into the 1916 model year. The identification guide in the RBMJ currently lists the two-piece crankcase ending in 1914, but we know that to be a mistake that has been corrected in a later version of the index. The two-piece crankcase was superceded by the three piece design that consisted of a centre cast iron housing with upper & lower cover/bearing castings that were bronze. If you’ve got the three-piece crankcase then I’d strongly suspect the engine is later than 1916.

3. Your motor has the tilt lock apparatus on it. From many collectors viewpoint, this increases the desirability of the piece. It also adds to the weight, as it incorporates a larger and heavier transom bracket as well as the additional bracketry that forms the locking mechanism. The tilt lock thing was offered on multiple years, but I can tell you I’ve never seen it on a motor built before 1918, so that might lend a clue as well.

I do not think that it is a 1922 model, as the ’22’s had an aluminum stamping for a timer lever, with the points hidden beneath the flywheel; the timer lever on your motor is a bronze casting with the points visible on the side of it, and I’ll point out the obvious, and say that the end of the lever has been broken off.

So, with all that said, your motor is going to date somewhere between 1915 and 1921. That is about as small a window that I’m comfortable in suggesting at the moment.

Hope this helps.

Best,
PM T2

He's livin' in his own private Idaho..... I hope to go out quietly in my sleep, like my grand-dad did..... and not screaming, like the passengers in his car...

[twostroke]

I’ll look tonight after work, but I *think* (and that can be dangerous sometimes…) that the crankcase is two halves. I remember seeing a seam in the middle, but not two.

Thanks!

Jim

I say "pardon me" a lot. I had a 20H, then raced open mod sleds.

[PM T2]

Upon further review of the photos you’ve already posted – it does appear to be a two-piece crankcase, which, along with the Maxim silencer, points in the direction of a 1915 motor since we know that the silencer muffler can was offered as standard issue only in 1915. If so – it would be the first motor I’ve seen from that time frame that has the tilt lock device on it.

We can, of course, set about to "suppose" and "what if" things to death, but I’d prefer to go with the evidence that actually exists, and the evidence more or less is saying "1915".

Nice find, at any rate.

Hope this helps.

Best,
PM T2

He's livin' in his own private Idaho..... I hope to go out quietly in my sleep, like my grand-dad did..... and not screaming, like the passengers in his car...

[Tubs]

I’m truly a novice when it comes to the RBM’s.
Of those who are really knowledgeable about
them T-2 is one that is at the top of the list
in IMO. I do have some interest in these but
not enough to try and learn all the variations
from year to year. There is one thing I
question about the motor and that is the
reversing mechanism. Although its not on the
list somehow I’ve been led to believe that
the change from brass took place in 1922.

A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[Author]

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