This marked the first year K & O began making motors out of materials other than die-cast metal. In 1959 K & O introduced a plastic 1959 Johnson 35-horsepower model. The reason is probably that since the models were all priced the same, the kids apparently wanted the higher horsepower engines. It is interesting to note that during the years when there were two horsepower sizes available the smaller of the two is harder to find. 1958 was the only year the toy Oliver was sold which makes it a highly desirable toy for both miniature outboard and tractor collectors. Oliver was a tractor manufacturer that got into the outboard business for a few years. The big news for 1958 was the introduction of the Oliver outboard replica. Surprisingly, Mercury was only offered as a 70-horsepower Mark 78 and a higher horsepower Gale Buccaneer 35 continued with a color and decal change. Scott-Atwater expanded to the 25-and-40 horsepower models. Johnsons were offered in the 35 hp and 50 hp models as were the Evinrudes. The company offered the largest variety of motors in 1958. The Mercury Mark 55 remained in the line with a decal change and an all-new 1957 60-horsepower Mark 75 was added.
This was also the first year that K & O sold replicas of more than one horsepower of the same manufacturer.
Buccaneer was a sister motor to Johnson and Evinrude as all were manufactured by OMC (Outboard Motors Corporation). The Johnson, Evinrude and Mercury motors all received a color change, just like the real motors.Ī 30-horsepower Gale Buccaneer was added to the K & O lineup in 1957. It was probably the best detailed and most complicated of all the motors made by K & O up to that point. A 33-horsepower Scott-Atwater motor expanded their line-up. The real Mercury was the highest horsepower outboard offered that year so I’m sure the kids liked the Mercury better than the Johnson or Evinrude.ġ956 was another year of growth for K & O. K & O also produced a model of the 1955 Mark 55 40-horsepower Mercury. K & O followed suit and had exact replicas of the 1955 Johnson and Evinrude outboards in the stores and hobby shops before Christmas. They looked much more modern and streamlined than the 1954 models. In 1955 the first completely redesigned full-sized outboards appeared in dealer showrooms. Only the Johnson and Evinrude brands were made in 1954 but it must have been a good year for K & O as those models are fairly common today. The second brand of outboard to be manufactured by K & O was the 1954 Evinrude 25-horsepower. The next version was a 1952 Johnson 25-horsepower with the correct 1952 decals. Perhaps this was sold before K & O received permission to use the Johnson name. The first K & O replica was a 1952 Johnson 25 hp which looked exactly like the actual motors but without the decals. The purchase included a box, which was a copy of the real shipping crate, a plastic stand and wire terminals for connecting to batteries inside one of the toy boats. In 1952 the motors sold for $4.95 and the later versions were marketed for $6.95. The company also sold boats under the Fleet Line name but they were not nearly as nice as the die-cast outboard motors. The company fell on hard times in 1960-62 so they made fewer different models and produced less motors in total as well. Only one motor was made in 1952, a 25-horsepower Johnson, but others were added yearly until all of the manufacturers were represented. The toy motors were made from 1952 to 1962. Evinrude, Johnson and Mercury dealers even sold them to their real outboard customers for their children to play with. They were the only toy model company to receive permission to use the real names on the motor covers as well.
K & O was the only manufacturer to make exact replicas of the then current actual outboard motors. The company was based in Van Nuys, California, and sold its products through hobby shops, toy stores and department stores. My primary interest is in K & O outboard models and Fleet Line boats. In addition to my collection of antique outboard boats and motors, I also have a collection of toy boats and motors.
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