THE MASTERTECH'S OUTBOARDING NEWSLETTER

Printed quotable - -
*Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player: "I asked him, 'Son, what is it with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.' " (1991)

CHECK OUT MY BLOG ON THE ASSHOLES WHO HAVE BEEN SCREWING ME OVER ON MY HOME REPAIRS

THIS page will be a place for my general discussion of the hobby / sport / activity of outboarding in general, topics of general and specific interest to some or all concerned. You only read it here, There were no pictures, I wasn't there, I never saw it!

THANKS for coming by - - if you have any trouble navigating around on this site, or finding the parts you need, please EMAIL me and tell me where the improvements could be made.

4/6/2003 THE DEMISE OF JOHNSON IS IMMINENT!??

I strongly doubt you will see a line of Johnson motors for much longer. This venerable name will fade away like Kresges, Woolworths, Oldsmobile and DeSoto, only a memory, victim of the branding and marketing wars. Bombardier has recently announced the demise of all Johnson carbureted models 90HP and larger - this on the heels of discontinuing the rebranded Suzuki 40 thru 225HP 4 strokes last sold as 2005 models. This leaves only a 3.5, 9.9 snd 15 2 stroke and 4/6/9.9/15/25/30 4 strokes. Evidently with the Evinrude E-Tec lineup starting at 40HP the Johnson brand is left with the small motor dregs, most of which are rebadged imports. All it will take is a swipe of the pen to paint them blue - - and once mighty Johnson will be US brand history. The quote below is taken from the Johnson specs at Johnson.com.

"Specifications: In furtherance of our policy of continual product improvement, we reserve the right to discontinue, substitute, change or improve the design of any outboard motor at any time, without assuming obligation to modify motors previously manufactured. The information in this brochure is based on the latest specifications available at the time of printing."

United States: Advertising hype and corporate greed.

Today's American advertising is the biggest ruse ever foisted on the buying public! Current big corporate management who authorize this kind of crap (and also contribute to the Enron/Anderson/ongoing disasters by positioning their companies to generate air under their golden parachutes rather than on growth and vitality) do not bode well for our future. It really is little wonder no one wants to take chances in the current stock market - corporate leadership and true vision is no where to be found.

Corporate leadership? What is that? It's an ego trip for many, and they are more interested in appeasing the Board of Directors and lining their own pockets. The fiasco with Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco was another example of greed and stupidity. The man earned $112 million last year, and tried to screw the government out of $1 million in sales taxes, and did it so blatantly!

See any similarities to the current barrage of BS regarding all the "NEW" marine products out there? And continuing poor support for the delivery and service infrastructure. Joe De Marco of CDI Electronics has hit the nail on the head. READ what he has to say about this, print it out and give it to your local dealer, maybe it will help him out.

3/21/2002 ADDED a tech section on Mercury covering older models from the git-go thru 1974. Covers basic carburetor, ignition, timing-adjusting-testing, propellers and wiring diagrams. This information is in PDF format, see it all HERE at MASTERTECH! This is a work in progress, it may not all work when you look.

2/20/2002 RETURNED from the 2002 AMTECH convention in Florida with the latest slant on current engine technology and parts availability. I also was able to shoot up to Wisconsin, to take a plant tour of the new Johnson Evinrude production facility in Delavan, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. Bombardier has really got it together, and you can see tour with me EXCLUSIVELY right here at MASTERTECH'S website!

8/17/2001 AMERICA'S founders saw that power ultimately derives from the governed. Look again at their Declaration of Independence.

"Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

The rest isn't always read closely enough.

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

The global nature of the Internet, its ability to allow all kinds of ideas and expressions to pass anywhere at once, demands global governance that is "of the people, by the people, for the people." Maybe I'm an idealist, maybe I'm a fool, maybe I'm just an American, But I hold such truths to be self-evident. This applies to corporate mismanagement as well, you marine manufacturers reps out there might want to pass this along to your MBA's back at the office.

There was a recent article on a manufacturers organization website about "the industry" needing a new concept. Here is my response to this missive:

The "New concept" the boating industry needs is a goal-directed cooperative effort from everyone from association and manufacturer to retailer to promote participation in pleasure boating. You all know the problems. Everyone has their collective heads in the sand hoping that it will get better. Now it is time to do something from the grass roots or fade into the ashcan of recreational has-beens. Lets face it. Time to stop the grab and run.

What do you think? how can "The Industry" improve YOUR boating experience? Industry - are you listening?

Calvin Coolidge (President of the United States)

 

5/3/99 A commercial client of MASTERTECH sent the following to me in an email, herewith presented for your consideration.

"To me, important decisions in buying an outboard are almost solely concentrated upon the dealer. That is, in the areas I plan to boat, how many dealers for the brand I like are available, what kind of service department does he have, what kind of parts inventory does he maintain in stock and how quickly can he get the parts he doesn't have. That kind of thinking leads me to seriously consider ONLY OMC or Mercury/Mariner. I'd put Yamaha in third place because of the continuing difficulty in obtaining parts quickly. Suzuki is trying hard to buy market share and may well be having some success, But most of the dealers I've seen are...weak. And while I originally considered Honda way up there, my estimation of those engines has dropped considerably, based upon sales price, availability of parts and mechanical problem experiences relayed to my by two salt water fishing guides I know well, both of whom are replacing 90-hp Hondas this season with dfi two cycles."--

5/1/99 I have gotten a whole lot of emails lately from individuals unhappy with the service rendered by their local brick and mortar dealers. One unfortunate soul just bought a 1999 70HP motor and was not even informed that it did not include the rigging essentials like a control box and harness! When he calls the seller, no one answers the phone, the competition won't even talk to him. Now I don't know all the particulars, But it certainly seems to me there is a dichotomy here someplace. You have to jump through all sorts of financial and franchise requirement hoops to be a gen-u-ine outboard dealer today, But one thing missing from all this is a customer relations requirement. Seems to me that a wise manufacturer's rep would be well advised to research the activities of his supplicants, as well as the reputation of the extant organization in determining who's gonna be re-signed rather than the size of the facility or the dealerships gross. Some manufacturers who will remain nameless here have ravaged their dealer organizations lately, and not all the guilty were convicted. We are all the poorer for bad marketing decisions.