Don't forget the web's information can evaporate...books are there for you any time of day or night, power failure or not, in the car or propped besides your morning coffee. Books are your friends.

• Arlan Carter's publication, The American Rowboat Motor, is the
  must-have reference work to introduce you to the early world of outboards.
  (And, if you like 19th century fishing lures, or simple like looking at examples of good design and wacky design, check out his other book, 19th Century Fishing Lures: A Collector's Guide to U.S. Lures Manufactured Prior to 1901 )
  
  
• Peter Hunn's book, The Old Outboard Book, with its wide coverage of all old outboards is used as a basic reference. Not unuusual to see it stuffed under the truck seat as a handy reference library for the active hunter-gatherer. Also, his book Beautiful Outboards.
  
  
• Orlin C. Johnson's book, Small Boat Propulsion Devices: 1866 thru 1950, is a basic reference with many patent documents. Not available at Amazon as far as I can tell, but try EBay. Anyone have a stash you are selling?

Organizations:

AOMCI - Antique Outboard Motor Club, Inc. The first step in getting to know your motor is getting to know some people who share your interests.
Find your local chapter of AOMCI at their web site, then join and go to the meets! Meets are scheduled gatherings at parks, museums, parking lots and front yards where everyone is welcome. Informal and friendly, meets are a great place to get started.

Want to see what a meet is like?...Go to my Meets page on the Caille site. Then find me or Emma when you go to the real thing and say hi!

Mystic Seaport : The Museum of America and the Sea The Antique Marine Engine Exposition is held there every August (with 2006 date being Aug. 19-20, 2006, Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.) The Yankee Chapter of AOMCI sets up there. To see (and hear) movies and pictures of last year's Mystic meet go to the link in the paragraph above.



The American Precision Museum, 196 Main Street, Windsor, Vermont
If you are a serious gearhead, this is a must see! Not related directly to outboards, but rather the tooling that made production possible.



Manatowic, WI - Orlin Johnson's collection is here



Calvert Marine Museum Solomons, MD



Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum St. Michaels, MD



Antique Boat Museum Clayton, NY



The Adirondack Museum Blue Mountain Lake, NY



Columbia River Maritime Museum Astoria, OR



Independence Seaport Museum Philadelphia, PA



The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum Seattle, WA



Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Ferrisburg, VT



Maine Maritime Museum Bath, ME



Maine Watercraft Museum Thomaston, ME no url



Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Lunenburg, NS



The Mariner's Museum Newport News, VA Chris
Craft archives are here



MIT Hart Nautical Collections Cambridge, MA



New Hampshire Antique and Classic Boat Museum Wolfeboro, NH



North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort, NC



Owls Head Transportation Museum Owls Head, ME



Peabody Essex Museum Salem, MA



San Francisco Maritime Museum San Francisco, CA



Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History Washington, DC

Suppliers:

Doug Penn's Antique Outboards and Used Parts Once you have an old motor you often need a time warp parts store! Doug either has it or will help you find it....not to mention he has the whole outboard. I deal with Doug and he is a "straight shooter".



Lee Holland's Chris-Craft Outboard Parts site
There is a Chris-Craft history page there, too!

Internet resources:

• Skip Hagerman's Antique Boat and Motor Mania site's posting of the 1969-1979 archives of the Antique Outboarder magazine, the magazine published 6 times a year by AOMCI.
• Disappearing Propeller Boat Company Limited
  Paul Dodington writes "Since 1955, we have been repairing and restoring all varieties of Dispro engines and devices from owners across the U.S. and Canada, with careful attention to authenticity and dependability." He hosts some nice St. Lawrence material.
  Box 152, Port Carling, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada P0B 1J0
  Phone: (705) 765-5037
• Practical Machinist (About the best discussion of any sort I've found)