What are the year-appropriate instruments for ’50s era outboards?

[mr-asa]

Saw someone post about Airguide tachs the other day. I got to wondering what other instruments were popular and common at the time the ’50s motors were popular. I’m still looking for odds and ends to flesh out my Herter’s, and I figured a tach or speedometer might be fun.

So, what would work for a ’56 or ’57 boat?

[wiscoboater]

Spedo, Tach, Volts and Fuel. Thats about all was used back then. Even today thats the classic arrangement for an outboard. If you had a really high end motor, Trim gauge?

[wbeaton]

Often they used an ammeter and not a volt meter. In the 1960’s OMC also had overheat gauges.

Wayne
Upper Canada Chapter

uccaomci.com

[mr-asa]

Sorry guys, I might not have been clear, I more meant which brands.

I’m probably going to go with, at most, a tach and speedo

[wiscoboater]

Airguide, Stewart Warner, and Merc and OMC had their own logo’d gauges

[Anonymous]

Our 1964 Evinrude boat came with Aqua Meter instruments (ammeter, speedometer, compass)
Fiberglassics library has info back to 1958: https://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Aqua_Meter

Fiberglassics also lists westberg (westach) tachometers

Faria made tachs & speedos (don’t know how early: no brochures at fiberglassics)

You might find more brands at http://www.oldboatgauges.com/

[mr-asa]

I’ve already been looking for Airguide stuff as I found out about them a day or two back, some of the Stewart Warner stuff is nice, but dadgum the Aqua Meter stuff is cheap!

[wiscoboater]

VDO is another that was around in the 60’s, not sure about earlier. If you want modern gauges that look period take a look at the Sierra Black Sterling line. I’m using those in my wood boat.

[garry-in-michigan]

in 1948 we had a Finson water speedometer that was accurate to the tenth of a MPH over a measured mile. . . 😎

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