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Why did Johnson/Evinrude go out of business?
Posted on 7/19/26 at 7:28 pm
Posted on 7/19/26 at 7:28 pm
Had their motors become so bad they couldn't sell them? Overpriced? Too expensive to repair/service? My old 76, 55 HP Johnson was a dependable workhorse. What happened to their industry???
9
Posted on 7/19/26 at 7:42 pm to BFIV
Wasn’t it the Envenrude Ficht that were almost guaranteed to blow up?
Posted on 7/19/26 at 7:47 pm to BFIV
It wasn’t just one thing. I think BRP (Can-am) bought them originally in 2001 and they just never were the same as the old ones were. Evinrude never could adjust to the 4 stroke market and got left behind, they never made any high hp engines, when Covid hit they had something like a 40% drop in sales. I think soon after Can am dumped they ran to Mercury and started using their engines.
Posted on 7/19/26 at 7:58 pm to BFIV
They never got on the 4 stroke bandwagon.
Posted on 7/19/26 at 8:57 pm to BFIV
The fict motors were a disaster. Mercury and yamaha both had far better engines available at the time.
Four strokes started becoming popular, they re-vamped the FICT and called it etech. Very good engines but they cost and weigh almost as much as a four stroke. They overestimated boat owners loyalty to 2 stroke and never got in with any big boat builders. By that point 4 stroke reliability and longevity was catching everyone's eye, and that was all she wrote for the ol 2 smoke.
Four strokes started becoming popular, they re-vamped the FICT and called it etech. Very good engines but they cost and weigh almost as much as a four stroke. They overestimated boat owners loyalty to 2 stroke and never got in with any big boat builders. By that point 4 stroke reliability and longevity was catching everyone's eye, and that was all she wrote for the ol 2 smoke.
Posted on 7/19/26 at 9:48 pm to BFIV
Such a shame they died off. These would be my second choice of motors behind Yamaha, had they adopted the 4 stroke.
Posted on 7/19/26 at 10:26 pm to BFIV
They were garbage, they didn’t take care of customers when there was a problem, they screwed their dealers constantly. Kept making 2 strokes when everyone else went to 4-stroke. You name it they got it wrong.
Evinrudes are like rattlesnakes. I don’t frick with em, if you’re smart you won’t either.
Evinrudes are like rattlesnakes. I don’t frick with em, if you’re smart you won’t either.
Posted on 7/20/26 at 12:05 am to BFIV
Ads like this became problematic
Posted on 7/20/26 at 9:34 am to BFIV
Grandpa had an Evinrude snowmobile. He pulled a trailer with it and we would haul firewood from up in his woods down to the wood shed.
It was very old and SLOW. But that thing would plow through any show with a trailer load of oak and kids.
It was very old and SLOW. But that thing would plow through any show with a trailer load of oak and kids.
Posted on 7/20/26 at 10:06 am to bbvdd
quote:
Wasn’t it the Envenrude Ficht that were almost guaranteed to blow up?
Took 19 years for my Ficht to blow up.
Posted on 7/20/26 at 12:09 pm to BFIV
I always thought it was because they didn't keep up with 4 stroke development early on and fell behind. Don't know but I was an Evinrude man for most of my life...their 2 strokes were hard to beat for durability and were far simpler than mercs and yammys.....parts still readily available. I have a 150 ocean master on a deck boat im turning into a center console "flats" boat and it. mid 80s, and it runs like a top and has good compression. I plan to repower with a 4 stroke but its going to be tough getting rid of that damn Ever Rude....
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