Evinrude SpeediFour - Remote steering, throttle, gear selection help

[Snake Mountain]

I have just acquired a 1939 Larson Falls Flyer with what is reputed to be its original Evinrude SpeediFour, Model 7031 S/N 01058. It still has all its original decals and ID plate. We can find no hurts; it rolls over smoothly. We will try starting/ru8nning it next week.
My question: the boat is a double cockpit that arrived with a modern 35HP Johnson Super Sea Horse hanging off the transom to which is connected all the electric-start wiring and a front cockpit steering wheel and throttle/gear control box. I am removing all of these items, but wonder if these early Evinrudes were ever equipped with gear that allowed them to be controlled and steered from a forward cockpit.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Evinrude SpeediFour - Remote steering, throttle, gear selection help

It depends on how modern the 35 Johnny is. The SpeediFour is what year? Likely early-mid 60s?

Controls from my '63 40HP big twin fit my '59 Fat Fifty, w/o issue. If both are mechanical shift motors, the shift cables should fit, I would think. The rest of the stuff is likely compatable, but is does depend on the shift type an year of the 35

 

[Snake Mountain]

Re: Evinrude SpeediFour - Remote steering, throttle, gear selection help

Thanks for the reply, but the engine is an Evinrude, circa 1940.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Evinrude SpeediFour - Remote steering, throttle, gear selection help

The pre-war Evinrudes could indeed be hooked up with forward steering & throttle. For a brief time, they even had Owens-Dyneto electric starting, but it had several issues that they were unable to work out, so they discontinued them. In either case, most boats of that era with forward steering had the steering cockpit nearer the motor, as you still had to pull start the monster.

Throttle was with a bowden wire, hooked directly to the carburetor. You would manually advance the timing - facilitated again by having the steering wheel in the rear cockpit.

Steering is either by making a bracket to hook to the underside of the powerhead, coming out the front under the carb to use a traditional cable set-up, or using a steering bar, commonly used in racing hulls, with the steering bar mounted on the rear of the motor with attachment points centered on the motor's swivel axis.

 

[Snake Mountain]

Re: Evinrude SpeediFour - Remote steering, throttle, gear selection help

Thank you very much! That's exactly the information that I needed to complete the project.

Best,

Michael