1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

[fishon71]

Hello,

I have a 1929 Johnson 3 HP outboard model A-45 which is complete and in excellent condition. Motor runs well and is clean over all.

Question is: Other than posting for sale on Ebay are there other people out there like collectors that would be interested in such a piece? I would really like to find a good home for this almost 80 year old machine and of course get the right $$$ for it which I have no idea what the $$$ is worth.

 

[JB]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

I would start at AOMCI (Antique Outboard Motor Collectors International). They have a classified section on their website.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

Hi Fishon,
The A-45s are decent little motors, and as you've found out, not hard to get running for an 80-year old motor. They were a good design back in 1929 and remain so today.
That said, don't plan on padding your retirement too much with it. There are quite a few of them still around, certainly enough for those who really want one to acquire one affordably. For most vintage outboards it remains a buyers market. The bottom line is that it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You might see a really high price on eBay, but in reality it was only worth that much to the few people who actually bid on it. Often those folks simply don't realize that the same motor could be had for much less if they looked around a bit. The see, click, buy mentality can get the better of them...
On the other hand - don't feel it is worthless, either. It does have some antique value, particularly since it is complete and running. Fully restored, they are very pretty, shiny old machines. They don't take up much space, and can be quite a conversation piece at the launch ramp. If you absolutely don't want it, maybe offer it to one of your kids, a neighbor kid, nephew, friend's kid, etc. who has a budding interest in things mechanical. It could be a very rewarding project to restore it to new condition...

- Scott

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

The AOMCI guys are really cool, but they aren't much into making megabucks from their old outboards. I went to a meet last weekend, in search of a part I needed. I found the part, and bought it, and for a lot less than I expected.

The meet was at a guy's house who is the head of the local chapter. He must have had 4-500 old outboards hanging in his barn. He had about 25 of them for sale for $10 each.

I turned the flywheels on several of them. All were free and had good compression. If I had more time, I'd have bought them all, then sold them on eBay to folks looking for old outboards.

I saw an A-45 like yours there, but not for $10. It was running in a barrel, and the guy was asking $100 for it. Tempting, but...

If you're selling, use eBay. If you're buying, go to an AOMCI meet. You'll be blown away.

Another of the outboards that tempted me deeply had a Wankel powerhead. I can't remember the name offhand. It was cheap, too. "Does it run?" I asked the guy. "It did three years ago. I haven't tried it since then." He answered.

Amazing.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

The Wankel was probably a Mac-10. Leg made in Italy and a Sachs powerhead. Around 10-15Hp. Hard to nail down Wankel Hp. I have one. Missing the hood, prop, and fuel pump, but otherwise complete.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

Wankle Mac 10. At the risk of seriously offending somebody, they were a POS when new. How many millions of $$ were spent trying to develop that idea?
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s311/frankr_photos/Mac10Wankle.jpg?t=1178754325

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

Surf to our national website (http://www.aomci.org) (a shameless plug) and see if there is a chapter near you. Then take that puppy to one of the upcoming wet or dry swap meets, just to ballpark what it's worth to those of us who value the old iron. The auction site is good if you want to mess with shipping and dealing with someone you don't know, but I bet you can find a good new home for it closer to your home without that amount of mess/fuss...and meet some avid collectors in the process. And yes...it is only worth what your prospective buyer is willing to pay on that particular day...and that fluctuates greatly, kinda like the womenfolks' propensity to change their minds.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 1929 Antique A-45 Johnson 3 HP 2 Cyl

Thanks for the ID. No doubt it's a turkey, but I'd love to hang that off the back of my NotLund tinnie. It would complete the ridiculousness of my rig.

Seriously, though, I really like the idea of fishing from an oddball rig. It causes lots of conversations at the ramp, and I've made some friends with folks who get my love of strangeness.

My ultimate goal is to have a perfectly-running and looking Evinrude Zephyr to use on that boat. Having the smallest 4-cylinder engine ever in actual production would be the ultimate, "What the heck is that?" question maker.