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It's a POS for now, sure. Hopefully at some point I'll make it into a nice one. The only thing that will stop me (other than lack of time) is finding a nicely restored MK78 for a reasonable price first. On boat motors, I disagree. I've run plenty of new motors, been on plenty of new boats, and I just don't care. They're boring and huge. And I'll argue yeah, they're nice when they're new - but these newer engines won't be around half as long as the originals were, or be as cheap to maintain over time. Many of these old 50's outboards (and older), once sorted, can run very reliably. And, get me on in front of an old two stroke from the 1950's to 1970's (like the nice MK75 I have featured in several of my videos) and I'm grinning from ear to ear. The visual design, smells, and sounds compared to anything made today is so much better.

@@retro_gradethey are cool, i wont argue with you. They can run ok… but some of those older carbs are just 🙄 the ones when you gotta run rich at startup and lean em out as the engine warms and after a long bumpy ride to camp they’re all outta wack at start up somehow lol my old reliables currently are a 1983 Evinrude 15hp and a 1980 Johnson 6hp, plus I have a old gamefisher 1.2hp from way back. I don’t use anything older than 1980 on the regular… they’re fun to work on and get going, but then they sit in my sheds. My old man runs a 1986 70hp evinrude and a brand new 6hp suzuki 4 stroke. I love that 4 stroke… electric start, reliable as hell, no mix, no smell, nice n quiet! We can actually hear the sound of the forest around us lol now I wanna buy a 15hp but in 4 stroke model… only problem is they are heavy as shit… might have to stick to the 6.

Nice! They were actual P50 four strokes? That's pretty cool, as there don't seem to be a whole lot of these around. I've only seen a couple of them.

YES!!! "Mechanical Music" is the best way to describe running them. All of these motors provide a level of fun, an experience, and a feeling that newer motors simply cannot. You either get it or you don't :)

Agreed

They certainly do! And Feathercrafts were actually manufactured from leftover aircraft grade aluminum as well :)

I guess that's just how stuff was made back then, lol. It is pretty wild. The dark hard grey stuff is typically original. Especially if it's in between the seams (as in very hard to apply after assembly). There was some sealer towards the back on this boat that wasn't original (I don't think that was shown in the video). That's typically white (3m), or the light grey roofing stuff that is sold at Lowe's.

Thanks! It's definitely the most unmolested Feathecraft I've come across which is the reason I purchased it. It's currently not for sale - the title was more a play on Andrew's making fun of "nobody needing one" and a bit misleading, so I changed it up a bit. -Brock

​@retro_grade oh, I can't be havin 2 feathercrafts lol. Saul good, I was kinda joking, kinda not. 😂

Thanks! I've actually since sold it. Was a very fun car, very underrated for what they are capable of.

Not really sure, it already had a plate on it when we purchased it. You'd have to check with your state and local laws for each individual case.

Glad to hear that you get it! They all play a different tune, but they all sound BEAUTIFUL!

I’m just here for the comments…where dey aht?! 🤣

Yeah - not really a HUGE deal underneath, but this boat had so few holes in it compared to most Feathercrafts, we were like why???? We're getting ready to release a full video showing this rocket project, which shows how nice the hull really is and how little it's been drilled on. Glad you like the MK75! That one's actually mounted to my 1953 Vagabond :)

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I really like the all in one jacks alot, they've worked well also on my Mazda RX8 and my pickup truck. The redundancy of the locking mechanism combined with a bottle jack is very nice. The biggest thing left to worry about is the car being stable on the jack stands, especially when lifted up high. -Brock

With out a doubt. we’re on the lake to have a good time

I mean, when I come out of the water sure. I guess I could have gotten a gallon of water and dumped it over top of them to make it a bit easier. But unless you have enough water underneath the whale to float her on up, it's still tough......

😂

We're preachin' it 😂

Ha, old bikes are meant to be ridden to! I actually sold it on Bring a Trailer a little bit ago, and I think the guy was going to put it in his car collection. (He had been wanting a BSA for a long time apparently). So, likely almost the same end result! I doubt it'll get ridden much.

@@retro_grade I had two old Triumphs, a TR 6R Tiger and a Trident. Cool old bikes, but unreliable as hell. So, I sold 'em .

@@phillipthethird42 I don't blame you at all! I'm fairly certain we've done our fair share of ranting on about them in our videos. Andrew hates them. They are very cool, but that comes at a cost for sure. As he's said - "they leak oil everywhere, and rattle themselves to peices".....

@@retro_grade Yes, and if you don't know about the LUCAS electrical system.... You're screwed ! ...and when you finally learn all about the LUCAS system...then you know you're screwed .

Sure thing! That's really awesome. I wish there were still more motors that cool out on the lake! If you haven't watched it yet and enjoy the short, watch the riding video of my MK75. I think you'll like it :) czcams.com/video/ae1eM1ivi4o/video.html

Nice! At $350, that is an absolute STEAL if it's original and complete as you say. Just for a reference, I paid $2,000 for this one with a title that "should run". Meaning, it ran several years back and needed the bit of work that I did to it shown. I ended up selling it for around $2500 to $2800 I think running? Granted, I paid a bit much for mine but I wanted it, as it was my first bike that I had ever licensed for street use (not this one, but the exact year and color). I'd definitely go for the one you're itching to get. They're cool little thumpers and well worth the effort to fix up! Find my "motovlog" go pro riding video on it and you can see how they sound and what they're like to ride :)

Yeah, but it can be an issue at times also, LOL. That's you one reaches the level of several storage units worth. (I'm on my way there). How much are they typically in Australia?

What kind of filming are we talking about Michael?

@retro_grade a guy named James told me about all sorts of neat film ideas i think would fit in great

Why are you on CZcams shorts again???

@@retro_grade blablabla

Well let's see: 1) What would you rather see? It's CZcams......to that point, why are you on here??? 2) This short of "everything about my life" has drug in more suscribers this month than any other content that we've made. Including several videos that are arguably better and had alot more time and effort invested into them. 3) The more successful CZcamsrs (yes, we do this with the hopes of having a channel that will eventually produce some sort of income) post CONSTANTLY about "their life". So, anything that's old and has an engine that I can make a quick short on I take the opportunity to do so. Hopefully that answers your question.

Oh, we will make sure to bring Jeffery back on the show when he's not GTL 🤣

While we do have a tight (non existing) budget, we still make sure to seek out only the best 👍

Nice, interesting it loses power. What year and horsepower?

Well then, it seems like alot of BSA owners are doing it wrong. I was always taught to use the compression release to get it just past TDC (so that you could actually kick the thing over), and then kick it. The compression is so high at TDC that it's very difficult to kick downward at that point. When I first tried starting it years ago when a friend owned it (before I bought it off him) I treated it like a 4 stroke dirtbike with compression release (pulling the release in to get it started and then releasing it midway through the stroke) and hurt my ankle. Gave the old guy a laugh. When the bike was actually ran, it normally took about 2 to 3 kicks. Priming kicks also helped. I've since sold it on Bring a Trailer, and made a few riding videos on it before I let it go. Check those out!

@@retro_grade have you tried looking at the crankshaft where it actually is .. when you feel compression .. then the piston is at the bottom of the stroke, then you move the piston up 1/4 before the top ,, then it can create enough pressure to it can turn on petrol .. there must be 3 things for it to start .. petrol compression and spark , I have a honda xr 600r I can stand on the kickstarter with all my weight so I examined it on the crank ,, before top

@@gertkristensen6451 you are correct. My method was correct (which on initial read I thought you were correcting), by my terminology was wrong. Where I am in my stroke would not be just past Top Dead Center. I don't know why I had that stuck in my head - either it's what a bunch of others had been saying, or I have that position stuck in my head from using it as a reference for everything else. Either way, good catch, and thank you for the correction.

@@retro_grade ha ha good.. now you can explain it to your BSA friends, you have to understand what happens in the engine, it's easy to misunderstand when everyone says tdc 😃😃😃😄😄 👍👍👍

Yeah, I mean I get having some sentimental value on some things and hanging onto them, I respect that. But there were definitely quite a few items there that he was hanging on to also. We were particularly disappointed in the fact that many of the larger motors we were interested in (such as that Johnson 35 HP and the Evinrude 35) weren't for sale. We're always potentially interested in nice original (or nicely restored) motors that we can bolt onto a runabout and run. And none of the ones which were for sale had a decent enough finish to really fit any of the boats that we have. I think the best way to say it, is that he's listing the "stockpiles" of motors and parts for sale (the business), while keeping a few nicer ones he's attached to for his personal collection, which would be a more manageable size. If you go on his website, he was listing out lots of motors weekly, with some having decently cheap prices on them. All of those were for sale obviously.

Nice! They aren't the easiest motors to tune on either. Just a bit different than your standard old Johnson or Evinrude, LOL.

@@retro_grade Just time consuming . u'll have to make up a degree wheel to set points . more accurate than just setting point gaps with feeler gauge

@@kevinhoffman6592 yes it is! I actually purchased a couple of the degree wheels and pointers that you are referring to and have used them to tune my MK75. It takes a bit of time, especially the first time around. I recently acquired a set of gages that set the piston from the specified distance to TDC as well. As well as the force gage to set the spring tension on the points. I was amazed the first time reading the manual at how much more technical these engines are.

@@retro_grade Those engines were outstanding back in the day . .50 hp motors were nice too with magneto still have couple spare mags laying around dial indicator n Merctronic coil tester i adapted with transformer to 110 volts works very well . Semi retired now ..

😂 well, at least now we now that somebody does! Here we were figuring it was just bots or something...... In all seriousness, THANK YOU for watching. When we make those statements, it's us poking fun at ourselves, as well as comparing to larger channels that are striking it much bigger. We're trying to figure out how to shoot straight up to stardom like those guys (or well, how to grow at all). What type of our content are you watching? Bikes, boats? What type of videos do you want to see more of? "How-To's", Riding/Driving, Pulling Boats with Motorcycles?

@@retro_grade I love the sarcasm. I'm mostly into the old bikes, but really anything old with a motor in it is up my alley. Luckily the old outboard collecting bug hasn't bit me yet because I'm out of room in the garage.

Of all the bikes that would have those type of handlebars on them, we can't say that Honda 160 is what we envision 😂 But, alot of old Honda's back in the day apparently did, judging by the amount of chopped up barn finds that still have them installed......

Ok technically, sure, I suppose they wouldn't be called "Phillips" - but I believe that I mention to use "JIS" bit inserts the next second in that statement.

Nice! Pricing is all subjective with these things. I've paid anywhere from 25 bucks to several hundred dollars for an outboard, depending on condition and how badly I wanted it. I'm mostly focused on cosmetic condition with them, so long as they turn over. Nice original paint is a big plus. Pricing varies pretty well model to model. Area is also key - I don't see as many down around me in Kentucky, so I may be willing to pay more. But places like Michigan, for instance, have them all over the place it seems.

@@retro_gradeI agree, I live in southwest Michigan, and some of the outboards I have are pretty common around here. Others I have never heard of or seen before.

Another anchor? Nah, she'll speak with authority some day :)

Can I contact you

What questions exactly? I'll try to help!

@@justinlintz3626 yeah - email me at retro.grade.motorsports@gmail.com and we can go from there

I mean, it's a 55cc engine, compared to 125 cc - so I'd expect it to be? And I personally don't think it's that much slower. Impressive little bike for a 55cc machine that's 60 years old. I have a 2021 Honda Trail 125 as well, as it's nothing to write home about. My 1986 CT110 will walk circles around it on the trail, with lo gearing. Honda missed the mark with what the newer ones could have been. At some point, we intend to pit 4 machines against each other - Trail 125, CT90, CT110, Trail 55. Just have to figure out where, when, and how to do it. Not a video that we want to make half cocked.

Already ahead of you there - I have roughly 25 to 30 of them :)

Spoiler alert - I did, and am currently driving it. Just need to ever get the video that I took complied on it LOL. Was going to re-sell it, and ended up loving it so much that I sold my other play car (Lancer Ralliart) and kept the RX-8 around instead.

It's definitely fun car to drive. I've had issues personally but still doesn't change the smile on my face every time I get in to drive it anywhere lol.

Yeah the silver Honda 4 cycle engines I haven't tried yet. This is the second Suzuki 4 stroke outboard that I've used and I'm less than impressed to say the least. I currently have a 1958 Johnson 50 HP V-4 sitting in the garage that I'm going to get going and mount up soon, which is apparently one of the worst engines made in terms of fuel economy 😅 But, I'd also counter the fuel economy point with the fact that everything has gotten so much larger today as well, that it probably evens out? Heck most family boats in the 1950's were pushed with a 35 HP outboard engine. Now what does everything have on it? 150 horspower, at least? 😂 Jet ski's as well you are correct. I'm ashamed to say that I have 4 stroke SXR-1500 Kawasaki, and it weighs 550 lbs. My 1994 Yamaha FX-1 with a 700cc two cycle engine weighs about 250 lbs. Lol. Thanks for the comment!

Oh god, tell us you didn't mount a newer 4 stroke motor on an older boat, absolute blaspehmy! I currently have a 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 50 HP V-4 that we are getting ready to fire up for the first time and fit to a boat soon. The best part about running a boat, an older one especially, is the sound! Heck, I wouldn't even bother going out if it wasn't for that. I have a 1953 Feathercraft Vagabond with a 1957 Mercury MK75 6 Cylinder on it. That motor absotutely screams music into the driver's ears, all the time, and I love it. Life's too short to own boring motors :) czcams.com/video/ae1eM1ivi4o/video.html

Yup a 1966 StarCraft Holiday 14 that I restored from someone’s fishing boat. Nothing special just a good old boat. If it were actually a flashy boat. It would have a vintage Merc. But as I said I don’t miss the 40hp, or the times it flooded and left me stranded

Not all of them. Slower? Sure. Flimsy? No.The older model two strokes feel rock solid, regardless of size. Pick up an older Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, or British Seagull and then make that assesment. Totally different feel in quality of materials and design.

Nice! Quadrant spring was replaced with a new one, and bike was sold on Bring a Trailer recently.

@WilcoxGarageRecovery - you must pee sitting down.....

@@retro_grade Only on the days that end in 'y'

Not suprising at all! There are still old two cycle engines from the 1920's and earlier than still run! Some of my 1950's era outboards that have been properly maintained I'd trust with my life :)

Yep! Simple, easy to maintain, sound great.