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I was informed recently that someone here had inquired about my well being or where I was but I missed that. Just to let y’all know that yes, I’m still alive and kicking but not as active with outboards as I usually am. My interests have changed a bit, especially during the winter months.
Usually I’m out in the cold and damp garage this time of year fixing or working on motors but now that I’m in my early seventies, that has changed a bit. Now I’m in a heated room in the house most of the day with my cat and soft blues music playing in the background while I pursue my other main interest, repairing and restoring vintage stereo receivers and equipment, mainly Harman Kardon products from the seventies.
Just as Johnson and Evinrudes are my favorite brands of outboards and parts are, or were, easy to come by, HK’s are my main interest in receivers, especially since I bought one brand new in Feb 1972, a Harman Kardon 330A, which I still have along with its original box and sales receipt.
As it is with outboards, once common basic parts for older receivers such as transistors and capacitors are becoming extinct on a daily basis as the maufacturers switch production to tiny SMD’s (Surface Mount Devices) as used in modern devices. Studying data sheets to find something equivalent and still available can take hours, if not days. Fake parts abound and are mostly sold on Ebay and Amazon so if reputable sellers such as Mouser or Digi-Key can’t supply it, it might not exist.
Just to shown my interest in outboards is still here, a ’64 Fisherman came up on Facebooks Market Place the other day and I couldn’t say no to it. The price was right and it was complete and still had the fragile plastic Evinrude emblem on the rear of the hood. It will get all the love it needs when it warms up a bit outside! Maybe a full restoration? Haven’t done one of those for a while.
I should add that I used to spend hours cruising this and other outboard sites but now I’m usually studying the forums over at https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php where I’ve gained so much knowledge in the last few years.
My winter workbench, or lab as I like to call it!
The newest acquisition.
I remember a college buddy that had a HK receiver, that was a big deal back then in the 70s for sure!
Glad you are doing OK Mumbles, I yearn to have more time to spend with the outboards I love, but life just seems to keep getting in the way. That is a beautiful Fisherman indeed, the cracked coils are a welcome indicator of low hours! The paint/decals are in great shape as well, no need to restore it cosmetically, you will have it purring after a day’s worth of mechanical servicing.
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