Johnson PO15’s

[T….in Wisconsin]

Found a listing for 2 PO15’s for $125.00 each & an Evinrude from the same time period.
Would appreciate feedback & information on them.
Both appear to be in good condition. Seller does not know if or when they lasy ran.

Price seem reasonable but on the fence if I want to delve into these.

T..

[outbdnut2]

PO-15s are 22 HP, no gearshift or neutral, made in 1942 , and 1946-1950.  Lots of them out there.   No water pump impeller – they need to be revv’d up  to get the prop pushing water up through the cooling system.  Have a manual compression release lever for easier starting.  Gas/oil ratio 8 to 1, but after a short, fast , run, they hardy smoke at all.  Mine is late 1940s and is Johnson green.  The blue color in your photo is not original.  They are fast and fun to run, but not suitabe for trolling or other long periods at idle, as they don’t cool much, if any, at idle.

Tiller handle is missing – there were long and short tillers with a twist-grip throttle, that controls the carb.  I recommend a long tiller if you don’t use a steering wheel.  Mine didn’t come with a tiller, and I put a short one on – it is a lot of power to steer with a short tiller.   I may switch to a long tiller some day.  The lever sticking out from under the flywheel is spark advance only – at least that’s the way mine is set up.  Mine had been used with a steering wheel, and someone cobbled a small throttle lever onto it for the carb that looked like it came off the handle of a lawnmower.

Dave

1 user thanked author for this post.

T....in Wisconsin

[David Bartlett]

Here’s my take on the PO-15.  I own about 20 outboards, mostly Johnson’s, and of these I run the PO more than any of them, for the following reasons.

1. These things are practically bulletproof if they have had good lubrication.
2. The are easy to maintain, and they start very easily once you get to know them.
3. They are a blast to run, I only wish the gas tank was bigger because it empties out very quickly! I run about 40 gallons through mine every season. The “Smiles Per Gallon” are infinitely worth the cost.
4. They just look cool. Kind of prehistoric with all the levers and such.

As OBnut stated, the long tiller is what you want if running from the motor end of the boat. Buy it, Run it. You won’t regret it(except for your back)! As for cooling, the pressure/vacuum cooling works very well if you charge the system by speeding up initially. I love the fact that it has no water pump, and have never had any overheating issues. I run mine on a 16:1 mix and it likes it just fine.

I got mine about 8 years ago for $40. It had been put up dry about 20 years earlier. The gas tank was spotless. I cleaned the points and changed the grease in the gearcase. That’s it!

David Bartlett
Pine Tree Boating Club Chapter

"I don't fully understand everything I know!"

[Bob Wight]

For $125 each, I’d buy both of them if I had the chance.

Bob

1937 Champion D2C Deluxe Lite Twin
1954 Johnson CD-11
1955 Johnson QD-16
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."

[David Bartlett]

Should you decide to grab one or more PO’s, there is a lot great info in the Inner Sanctum. Well worth printing and saving.

David Bartlett
Pine Tree Boating Club Chapter

"I don't fully understand everything I know!"

[seakaye12]

David Bartlett wrote:

Should you decide to grab one or more PO’s, there is a lot great info in the Inner Sanctum. Well worth printing and saving.

David;  Which Documents in particular ?

[David Bartlett]

Chuck,

I printed out everything I could. Bill Salisbury wrote quite a few articles regarding maintenance, tuning, etc.

Its easy to get from the alphabetical index under Johnson.

David Bartlett
Pine Tree Boating Club Chapter

"I don't fully understand everything I know!"

[Author]

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