Johnson Outboards, a Brief History

Johnson Brothers Motor Company originally of Terre Haute Indiana United States, was an American manufacturer founded by four brothers - Louis, Harry, Julius and Clarence Johnson.

The original Johnson Brothers company began building inboard 2-cycle marine engines in 1903. By 1908, they were making V4, V6, V8, and V12 aircraft and marine engines. In 1910, they built the first U.S. monoplane to exhibit their aircraft engines. By 1912, their V-12 was making 180 hp, when disaster struck with flooding and a direct hit from a tornado destroyed their facility including drawings, machinery, and everything else.

The brothers then relocated to South Bend, Indiana and then Waukegan, Illinois.

Starting in 1922, they designed and built Johnson Outboard Motors, a radical new, lightweight outboard made largely of aluminum. By the mid-1920s, they surpassed Evinrude in sales, and dominated the outboard racing scene. The Johnson brothers held over two hundred patents, and revolutionized American outboard motors.

The company was first acquired by Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) in 1935. OMC filed for bankruptcy on December 22 2000. Canadian firm Bombardier Recreational Products acquired the company in 2001 - though Bombardier stopped selling outboards under the Johnson brand after 2007, moving all sales entirely to the Evinrude Outboard Motors brand until they were discontinued in June 2020.. Continued below

Johnson Outboard Model Identification and Service Manuals Directory

Johnson Outboard Boat Motor OEM Factory Service and Repair Manuals

Evolution of Johnson Outboards

Lou Johnson conceived of the idea for a motor one hot day in 1903 when he had to row his 18-foot boat, the Arrow, ten miles upstream to harvest walnuts. Lou’s first engine was a single-cylinder, two-cycle, 3-hp monster, weighing in at 150 pounds. By 1905, the Johnson brothers, Lou, Harry and Clarence, had perfected their creation to a single-cylinder, 3-hp engine weighing only 65 pounds. With an interest in speed, the brothers expanded to both two and four-cylinder inline models and tested them in the Black Demon, a 26-foot displacement boat. The Black Demon raced down the Wabash River at speeds of up to 18 mph.

While marine engines were the main focus of the Johnson brothers, they also developed an aircraft motor. In 1910 the Johnson brothers built the first American monoplane to actually take flight. The Johnson brothers continued to handcraft airplane and seaplane motors while building and selling marine motors and racing motorboats. Business was good, with the brothers selling products just as fast as they could make them until Easter Sunday of 1913 when tragedy struck in the form of a tornado that ripped the Johnson factory from its foundation, destroying everything within.

Because the family had no insurance, rebuilding was out of the question. Instead the brothers conceived of a new invention – a motor to propel a bicycle. With this new idea, the Johnson Motor Wheel Company was founded. Because the motor wheel was very hard on magnetos, burning them out quickly, they began to discuss possible solutions with Warren Ripple, owner of the Quick-Action Ignition Company in South Bend, IN. Ripple helped facilitate the move of the Johnson Motor Wheel Company to South Bend in March 1918. However, the Johnson Motor Wheel Company went out of business in 1921 with the onset of the recession.

The Johnson brothers then began to look again at the marine industry. The first prototype outboard motor was tested in the spring of 1921 in a lightweight boat built by Warren Conover. The test was successful and the Johnson Motor Company was incorporated one month later in South Bend, IN. Warren Ripple was named as the company’s first president. The first Johnson outboard motor was produced on December 19, 1921. The 2-hp twin engine was made largely of aluminum alloys, weighed only 35 pounds and featured a full-pivot reverse.

In 1922, the Johnson brothers purchased a license from the Hult brothers of the Pentaverken company in Skovde, Sweden to use one of their patented inventions on the Johnson outboards. That same year, Johnson introduced the Light Twin and the Waterbug with both designs winning recognition in the National Motor Boat Show boosting recognition that resulted in orders for 3,429 units. The following year, orders reached 7,000 units as Johnson Motor Company began to win acclaim and market share, other companies such as Evinrude began to feel the pressure. In 1935 Johnson merged with Evinrude to form Outboard Motors Corporation, Then later in the 1960s it was renamed to Outboard Marine Corporation. Ralph Evinrude oversaw this new company, OMC, and restructured the corporation based on the "consolidated competition" of its divisions.