Johnson Sea Horse

Tyler6357 · May 10, 2015

Hello: I have a vintage Johnson Sea Horse outboard motor. I am trying to find out what year and model number it is but I can't find any serial numbers. I have gone over this thing with a magnifying glass but just can't find anything. It's possible it has scratched off or could it be stamped somewhere inside or something? Does anyone know where I can get a number or can anyone identify my motor?? I'm guessing it's sometime between 45-65 but that is just a guess. It might be a 2.5HP but I'm not certain of that either...Any help is appreciated.

racerone · May 10, 2015

That might be an HD model at 2.5 hp.-------Late 40's or early 50's.------If you remove the lower cowling you might find the model # stamped on the motor block.

tomhath · May 10, 2015

Looks like a TD-20. That was a very popular motor back in the late 40's to early 50's. Of course they all kind of look similar...

F_R · May 10, 2015

Is it a single cylinder? Looks like a 1940 MD-15 or a 1941-42 MD-20. 1.5hp. Look for numbers stamped on block

Tyler6357 · May 12, 2015

Thanks everyone for replying and helping me try to ID this motor. I think that F_R is correct. I suspect that it's a 1941-42 MD-20. I looked it up and saw a video of a 1942 MD-20 that looked very similar to mine. Mine has no idle or primer button on the top and it has no clutch to put it in gear on the top either like so many sea horses seem to have. Mine has a gas tank with vented cap and the pull starter and that's all on the top. I am going to try taking off the bottom part to replace the spark plug wire and cap as well as a new spark plug before I try to get this thing started. I will continue to look for the serial number.