A 5-hp direct drive Johnson Sea Horse that still runs well.


Spotted this weekend in the North Country: an old direct-drive Johnson Sea Horse outboard. 1940s vintage. It has no clutch. A guy pulled it out of an old shed to stick on a skiff for his kid. Hadn’t been used in 12 years and after a quick prime it started right up.


Written by: Pete McDonald
Pete McDonald is a contributing editor to Power & Motoryacht. Previously, he spent 11 years on the editorial staff of Boating. He has won multiple writing awards and holds a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.