Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp

[bpears]

A friend of mine has an evinrude fleetwin 7.5. It is in apparently great running condition. I'd like to buy it from him but he has no idea what year it is or how much he could get for it... Does anyone know what years that evinrude actually made a fleetwin 7.5 and how much one in good running condition would cost? I noticed that the first two digits on teh serial number are 75, but there is no way this thing is a 1975 model - just by looking at it - you can tell it is an oldie - unless evinrude made some pretty old looking motors in the 70's!

Thanks!
Brad

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp

Hi Brad,
The Fleetwins with the 75 starting the model number were made from 1953 to 1958. The 1953 (model numbers 7512 and 7513) is very different from the 1954-1958 models. The '53 has a neutral clutch, while later models had a full gearshift lower unit.
I have a few Fleetwins in my collection and they are good runners if you do the basic maintenance stuff - points, coils, condensers, waterpump imepeller, hoses, carb kit, etc. Their weakness is the aluminum rods and bronze bearings. They tended to aerate the crankcase if run on a modern 50:1 oil mix. I fatten up the oil to 24:1 in mine. It originally required 16:1 and some folks prefer to run that in theirs. Doesn't hurt to do a decarbon on them, either, as the fatter oil leaves a lot of residue behind over time...
- Scott

 

[JimS123]

Re: Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp

One of the best places to learn about old outboards is the Antique Outboard Motor Club Website. However, they have a disclaimer prohibiting asking the value of a motor because there are just so many variables. Prices vary considerably across the country. For example, salt water motrors often go for a song, while a good freshwater motor from WI will bring a premium.

Having said that, I own a good running '55 Fleetwin that looks like new and I paid $35 from an old guy at a garage sale. I have seen them at AOMC swap meets for $100 or $150. I have also seen them go for $400 or more on E-bay when 2 people just got into a bidding war. So, that will give you a rough range of the value.