Re: thinkin about a 1966 johnson 20 hp.
IF it has good compression and the price is right, go for it. I have a '66 20 hp and it's great. You can certainly hook controls up, but collecting all the bits can nickle and dime you to death, if you're not careful. Ask around here and at sites like aomci.org and you should be able to find a kind soul who will sell you some decent controls at a good price. The steering system is what gets kind of expensive (+$100). There are several different types you can go with, but most folks here seem to prefer rotary systems, or vintage cable and pulley systems. As F_R said the starters and brackets exist, but can be hard and pricey to come by. For what it's worth, my motor starts on the first pull every time. I installed an after market push-button, lanyard kills switch for safety and convenience sake and it works great, only costs about $10 and could be wired to the motor, or wherever else you wanted. You wouldn't have electric start per se, but you'd have every other function (steering, throttle, gear select, engine kill, accessories) all at the helm. Although, I don't use controls, or steering on mine. Instead, I made PVC tiller extension which allows me to not only stand up and see over the bow while standing on the rear bench, but also lets me shift my weight around as needed to get on plane more efficiently. Best of all it only cost about $5 and it makes steering a breeze.
