Re: when did outboards get complicated ?
1909 - Ole Evinrude develops one of the first commercially successful outboard motors. Open flywheel, a handle on top to start, single cylinder, single set of points, battery ignition, direct drive.
It's been downhill ever since. First, someone decides to add another cylinder to "make the engine smoother and more powerful". Translates to more moving parts.
Then someone adds a rewind starter, because those starter ropes are always getting lost in the bilge.
Then someone adds a magneto, because those battery ignitions can be troublesome, particularly when the battery goes flat.
Then someone adds underwater exhaust, because those darn outboards are making our peaceful lakes too noisy.
Then someone adds two more cylinders, because two cylinders are just too dang slow.
Then someone adds electric starting, because pulling all those cylinders over by hand isn't conducive to selling motors to anyone but those over 6'2" and 250 lbs.
And all that "complication" was done by 1930!
By 1950 we had full gearshifts, remote fuel tanks and fully shrouded powerheads!
Complication is the way of the world - engineers have to do SOMETHING...