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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???
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....
Posted on 7/21/26 at 5:10 pm to BFIV
I still absolutely love the old OMC motors. Have since I was a kid.
Me being a nerd I've kind of gone down the rabbit hole of what happened. Its kind of a combination of blunders made by the guys in suits at BRP.
The big ficht motors got a bad rep immediately, the smaller ones 4cyl down were actually solid and reliable.
Then- emissions- 4 stroke- marketing- ads saying to stick with the times and everybody seeing promo stuff of how great 4 strokes were.
Next step was they lost some of their big contracts with boat companies- if i recall it was because they thought OMC was such a big brand- people would still just buy a hull- and go to the Evinrude dealer to get a motor fitted- as we all know- average Joe wants to buy a turn key rig from a one stop shop.
The final Gen etecs were actually amazing motors. Powerful, reliable, smooth, light, greatness.
But at that point- they had missed the boat. And chose to shut down and retool- which eventually turned into- BRP makes way more $ off all the side by sidez atv, and sled and ski sales. And then boom- the legend is gone forever.
Nothing better than hearing an OMC 2 stroke idle, and then hit the powerband.
Me being a nerd I've kind of gone down the rabbit hole of what happened. Its kind of a combination of blunders made by the guys in suits at BRP.
The big ficht motors got a bad rep immediately, the smaller ones 4cyl down were actually solid and reliable.
Then- emissions- 4 stroke- marketing- ads saying to stick with the times and everybody seeing promo stuff of how great 4 strokes were.
Next step was they lost some of their big contracts with boat companies- if i recall it was because they thought OMC was such a big brand- people would still just buy a hull- and go to the Evinrude dealer to get a motor fitted- as we all know- average Joe wants to buy a turn key rig from a one stop shop.
The final Gen etecs were actually amazing motors. Powerful, reliable, smooth, light, greatness.
But at that point- they had missed the boat. And chose to shut down and retool- which eventually turned into- BRP makes way more $ off all the side by sidez atv, and sled and ski sales. And then boom- the legend is gone forever.
Nothing better than hearing an OMC 2 stroke idle, and then hit the powerband.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 6:02 pm to TFLEX
Smell that Smell, can’t ya smell that smell 
Something about burning 2 stroke eryl that makes me moist.
Something about burning 2 stroke eryl that makes me moist.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 7:12 pm to KemoSabe65
quote:
Something about burning 2 stroke eryl
The etechs dont even smell cool
A proper old 2 smoke cranking up in the morning reminds me of fishing with pawpaw. Thats a smell and sound nobody ever forgets.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 8:32 pm to BFIV
I loved my1980 9.9 Sea-Horse
Posted on 7/21/26 at 8:47 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
A proper old 2 smoke cranking up in the morning reminds me of fishing with pawpaw. Thats a smell and sound nobody ever forgets.
Talk about bringing back memories. That cloud of white smoke and the smell when you’re in cold start.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 9:28 pm to MrCEO
quote:
Talk about bringing back memories. That cloud of white smoke and the smell when you’re in cold start.
I hear you brother. Right at first light, that cool chill in the air. It didn't get any better. Sigh.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 10:16 pm to BFIV
Got a Johnson/evinrude from early 2000’s. Baw smokes like a chimney but still runs strong.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 10:42 pm to TFLEX
quote:
The final Gen etecs were actually amazing motors. Powerful, reliable, smooth, light, greatness.
I thought the 3cyl G2’s that came out right before Evinrude called it quits was a really cool motor. I have a 200HO G2 and fear the day that something goes wrong with it.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 10:42 pm to TFLEX
quote:
Its kind of a combination of blunders made by the guys in suits at BRP.
Started all the way back with the OMC bankruptcy screwing all of their dealers.
quote:
The big ficht motors got a bad rep immediately, the smaller ones 4cyl down were actually solid and reliable.
Ficht is known as FU*ked by everyone in the industry. Completely unreliable and Contains absolutely retarded tech that carried on to etech and G2.
quote:
The final Gen etecs were actually amazing motors. Powerful, reliable, smooth, light, greatness.
Replace a fuel injector on any marine engine and honestly any engine for that matter. You pop the rail put new one in, plug it in and it works, on an evinrude, get the laptop out and waste half your day programming the new injector and the motor to talk to one another.
Their ECMs like to randomly shite the bed, I could go on all day. Bunch of over complicated garbage and when they blew up, good luck getting them to make it right. They’d try to send a short block when a new motor with 30 hours decided to grenade itself.
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