What is an Antique?

[b-dittmar]

But if you think about are club bylaws say that a 1956 Johnson will never be a antique even when it’s 200 years old.
Back when the bylaws where written antique’s where 15 years old.
What I was trying to get across about my YouTube channel is that we the AOMCI are missing out on a tun of new members over this.
Now my YouTube channel gets about 85,000 views a month and I have 3,210 subscribers and almost 3,000,000 views and all of them are interested in vintage outboards, now that is a lot of people.

Now I do my best to recruit new members thru my YouTube channel and by doing other things just last week I worked all 4 days at the Minneapolis boat show and handed out more then 500 AOMCI fliers.
So I talk to a lot of people about are club and this is the #1 thing I hear form people on why they don’t join.

[PugetSoundBoater]

quote B-Dittmar:

But if you think about are club bylaws say that a 1956 Johnson will never be a antique even when it’s 200 years old.
Back when the bylaws where written antique’s where 15 years old.
What I was trying to get across about my YouTube channel is that we the AOMCI are missing out on a tun of new members over this.
Now my YouTube channel gets about 85,000 views a month and I have 3,210 subscribers and almost 3,000,000 views and all of them are interested in vintage outboards, now that is a lot of people.

Now I do my best to recruit new members thru my YouTube channel and by doing other things just last week I worked all 4 days at the Minneapolis boat show and handed out more then 500 AOMCI fliers.
So I talk to a lot of people about are club and this is the #1 thing I hear form people on why they don’t join.

I agree with everything Ben has said. If someone reads or sees Antique Outboard Motor Club,and they have a 1960"s thru 80’s motor, they may think they could not seek help here or belong here. Of course we don’t want to exclude anyone. Thanks Ben for handing out those flyers.You could make a statement on your You Tube Channel explaining the year range of motors we typically deal with.
I have enjoyed your YT videos.When i get a new motor ,i go and check to see if you have one you have demonstrated,most of the time "yep there it is" Thank You. Jim PSB

"Some people want to know how a watch works, others just want to know what time it is"
Robbie Robertson

[Mumbles]

Did anyone mention these points in the recent Website Survey?

[20mercman]

quote Mumbles:

Did anyone mention these points in the recent Website Survey?

I admit that I did not bring this up when I took the survey, but it was only because I didn’t think of it at the time. It was also my understanding that this is really about the club by-laws anyway, and not how the web sites function. For me the 1950 and older classification has been a minor distraction, and something I felt should have been addressed. Now with new knowledge of the public’s reaction and perception of the club via Ben’s experience, I think that is much more important than I had originally thought it was. HIs numbers represent a huge number of perspective members or individuals who could be exposed to the existence of the AOMCI. We have had many discussions on how to maintain and grow the club. We have a lot of grey hair in this club, myself included, so we all know the need to continue to add to our members for the long term viability of the club. If this issue is causing the club to loose the opportunity for additional members, then the EC needs to take a proper look into it and address it.

Steve

[ftruntz]

The EC is very much aware of the need to grow our membership. The recent dues structure change from two years to the option of annual or two year membership is a direct result of this concern as well as the member input and analysis of membership trends by our membership chairman. What is antique and what is classic etc. has also been discussed. As we develop our new website the ‘handshake’ on our opening page will reflect who we are and what we include in our membership activities and motor classifications.

Thanks to all who promote our club and reach out to invite new members. Our growth and success depends on us all.

Fred
Fred Truntz vp tech service AOMCI

[wbeaton]

I think the classification system was outdated years ago. When I first joined this AOMCI about 10 years ago the Ask-a-Member board was filled with talk of pre-war motors and classics. Now its predominantly 1950’s OMC. This is neither good nor bad. Its just shows the reality of the hobby now. We tend to collect what we remember and the number of people who remember open flywheel motors in regular use are rapidly decreasing. I think the current classification system may be alienating the biggest group of potential enthusiasts. This isn’t an issue I feel passionately about because my collection includes both antiques and classics, but I do think its something we need to address soon.

I didn’t mention this in the website survey. Frankly, I didn’t think of it. I only commented on website and internet related things.

Wayne
Upper Canada Chapter

uccaomci.com

[garry-in-michigan]

I have problems going by year. Certainly the cast iron monsters of the thirties are dinosaurs that were last seen in 1950. However many more modern vintage outboards were seen in 1946. Many of these died out in the ’50s. The revolutionary Johnson QD-10 of 1950 is certainly a step above the KD model it replaced. Put them side by side and it is hard to believe they came from the same factory. I (being a dinasour) have problems putting them in the same clasification. What we now call 1950 outboards as classics, I see as vintage. The modern classics started in my book with the advent of electronic ignition in the 1970s. These also included better fuel efficiency and 50 to 1 oil. However it seems after fifty years a little late to reincorporate as the "Vintage And Classic Outboard Motor Club Inc.". . . 😀

[Anonymous]

When the club was formed in 1966, only 1950 and older motors were allowed at meets and the name of the club is AOMCI. Later and I do not remember the exact date, the club changed the by laws to include classics (motors built in 1951 and newer) to let members bring classics to meets. 1950 /1951 was the cut off date chosen because this was the year time frame that motors started to be sold in large numbers with a gear shift. These motors over night made direct drive motors obsolete. The Johnson PO and the Evinrude Speedytwin and the Mercury KF9 all were shortly left to collect dust while the new shift motors took over and water skiing became popular. The club added the classic motors (1951-1987) to the allowed motor list to attract new members.

[punchbug]

I am currently an outsider soon to join the club. I currently have 4 outboards that are 50+ years old and I other collections that are 50+ years old and I would consider all my collections antiques (except for my wife of course….oh better say I don’t own her either). Ok is she still standing behind me ? I believe that the term antique should be any motor that is 50 + years old so it is a moving target, this will allow the club to grow, it gives proper prominence to the motors and just makes sense. As another member put it time does not stand still we are all aging as are our collections. The term classic is proper in my humble opinion for motors that are 30+ years old. And I think a new term should be developed for motors over 75 or even 100 years old as a heritage class. After all every motor out there has some DNA linkage to the 1st outboard which I understand to be a Waterman motor. Should these motors not be the apex of the hobby? This system would allow the motors to age with dignity and ever increasing value as well as open the doors for new members in a perpetuity. Just my opinion.

[westwind]

I think I’m with Garry and having a new classification from time to time makes sense. 1970 would be a pretty good break point with another new technology break. A rolling date frame would not follow how the club has operated in the past. We do seem to have generations of motors where something new comes to play, perhaps another generation at another 20 yr interval ~1990 where 4 strokes and direct injection 2 strokes start to enter the market. 25yr intervals with 1975 and 2000 maybe?

[Author]

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