1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

[Good Ol Boy]

I have a 12 foot sears gamefisher, 1972 i believe, i bought a 7.0 aircooled ted williams but after reading about it im a lil scared this thing will leave me stranded on the water.

Guy on craigslist is selling a 1959 7.5 Jhonson for 150 bucks, this is what he said on his add

"This is a good running collectors item. It comes with 2 gas tanks. I used it as a kicker motor on my boat and it's a great conversation piece."

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Wondering if this motor would be hard to get parts for has any known issues that should detour me from it.

Another guy is selling a 1969 Jhonson 6hp for about the same price. says it runs good also but then again everyone on craigslist does

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

if you are worried about being left stranded out on the water, get a motor made at least in the 80s, preferably in the 90s. or with a 7 HP just carry a good paddle, I could probably out-paddle that motor...ROFL
Or get yourself a 70 lbs thrust trolling motor and a couple of batteries

 

[Sargent Skiff]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

All the commonly needed parts are easily available and are reasonably priced, too. These small OMC's from the '50s are excellent motors and can be dead reliable if, like any machine, they've been used properly. I've got a '56 Johnson 7 1/2 that I use all the time and has never even hiccuped, it pushes my 12' aluminum boat at 17 mph.

Here's an excellent site where you can learn all you need to know:
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/columns/max/articles.htm

 

[Good Ol Boy]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

Thank you Sarg for answering the question instead of speaking through your stern, Im gonna go for it

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

tanks are worth $25 each so your getting the motor for $100, that's a good price if it needs nothing, I love the old motors. Trouble with the newer stuff is all the eletronics,simpler the better.

 

[Good Ol Boy]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

So i went with the 1969 Jhonson 6hp for 250. Guy leaves me a message while im on my way to the address and it turns out to be a jhonson/merc marine dealership that is selling it and not some random joe.

Show up and the sales guy/owner goes to fire it up in the water tank and it doesnt pump water , tells me to hold up while he (meaning someone without a tie on lol) checks it out. Young buck mechanic there says it pumped fine last week and the owner didnt set it far enough down in the water but gives me a wink and throws a new impellar in it with a grin.

Now the thing is launching water but dies about 15 seconds in. Im starting to get a lil leery but imma stubborn boy and now the main mechanics coming in pushing all the young bucks outta the way and pulls the carb right off and rebuilds it right there in front of me. Goes to start it up and man it purrs....then sputters out and dies hahah. Im just laughing at this point cuz these guys are determined to get this baby running. They check the pressure and both ports are at 100 psi dead on. They throw new plugs and wires on it and bam still dying. So now we got me and 3 mechanics + 1 owner going to town on this thing and i noticed the original vacuum line is snapped right at the top point, they put a new one on and this thing is purring like two cats in love with a fat lady. Now the owner is damn near red as wine and tells the mechanics to do me right, they throw on a new propellar, drain the oil from the lower end and put there "good ****" in it and regrease everything.

250 bucks, glad i listened to you guys about jhonsons. Watching them rip into this motor and how simple it was to revive this relic and the way she purrs for a 39 year old motor is just beyond awesome.

 

[Sargent Skiff]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

My dad had that same motor for years - A hard core fisherman, he'd troll all day long on a sip of gas, and it never gave any trouble. At 100 psi each jug it sounds like you got a good one. New impeller and a carb rebuild are just routine for any older motor, you should be all set.
The starter mechanism with these low profile motors can be a pain. Just check the rope for wear any time you've got the hood off, and when starting, make sure you take up all the slack and the starter gear has engaged the flywheel before you give it a yank. Same drill that should be used for any recoil starter.

 

[Good Ol Boy]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

Thanks Sarg, didnt think about that but once you mention it it makes sense. Just pull back slowly on the cord till i feel it engage then give it a yank, otherwise i risk teeth mis-aligning, There is one question i got tho, there a lil spring loaded button on the end of the throttle control, is this for an extension and how hard is it to find one?

 

[Sargent Skiff]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

I don't recall a button on the tiller. It's not a kill switch is it? I'm sure plenty of others here will know what you've got.
Clamp-on type tiller extensions are available at most marine stores and I've seen them on ebay.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

Yes, that is where an extension could be put on, for you to sit more centered in the boat.

100psi on a 6hp is excellent compression. This motor should last for many years. The 6hp johnson is a darned good motor anyhow. I happen to own a 74 model myself and it purrs like a kitten, even after sitting for many years.

 

[Good Ol Boy]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

Really glad to hear that Zephyr, definitly feeling better about this motor then i was the 70's 7hp ted williams.

Took your advice sarge and took a good look at the starter rope and the black cap that spins up and grabs was cracked down the middle so i took it back to cascade marine shop and they ordered me a new one free of charge since i bought a 3 gallon tank, line, and grabbed an inline fuel filter as well on recommendation of one of the mechanics there.

Dunno if this is a wives tell or not but does sharpening your propeller give it a lil more umph in the water? Kinda makes sense cause less resistance but dont wanna screw anything up. Im real good at sharpening and have the right tools to do so.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

Nice clean little motor. Looks like it's never been in salt water. That pull rope looks like new

 

[mchin]

Re: 1959 7.5 horse Jhonson

I have the same motor and love it, works great on light loads. I would leave the prop alone, I don't think you're going to see any real gains in speed. If anything and to me it wouldn't be worth it, but a prop shop could get your prop balanced and back in spec. Also with out a tach, you'd be hard pressed to know what prop changes would work best on your motor. If you want more speed, you should get a bigger motor. But those little 6's are easy to work on, run forever if taken care of and it seems like you're building a great relationship with your local shop.

For tiller extensions, I've had the plastic ones and while they look great and work well, they are plastic and do break. I've also used homemade ones, made from pvc pipe and pipe clamps, they too work and are very cheap, but can break as well. Here's a link to microskiff.com - http://microskiff.com/ They've reviewed some of the more serious tiller extenders. I only use the old and no longer available gilco extender. You can find them on old motors and sometimes on ebay. It looks like a pipe fitting and replaces the plastic tiller handle.

Nice looking motor, it's a keeper!