Larry Stevenson knows outboard motors. He told the history of the Champion, Scott-Atwater, and McCulloch outboards as the first of a six-part summer lecture series at Boothbay Railway Village on Tuesday, June 7.

Stevenson's fascination with outboards began at the age of 12 when he exchanged his lawn-mowing money for a 2 1/2 hp Sears Elgin Motor that he dubbed “Rosebud.” His interest accelerated a decade ago when he and his wife Jane traveled 6,500 miles to 20 states to pick up motors he had purchased online.

Many of the 300 motors were brought to Maine and stored in a local barn. They will soon be part of an exhibit at Boothbay Railway Village in a renovated 20’ x 100’ space.

“It is about the people. His heart and soul is in telling us his story,” said Boothbay Railway Village Executive Director Margaret Hoffman in introducing Stevenson to about a dozen enthusiasts gathered at the Boothbay Town Hall.

Stevenson’s first lecture began in the Midwest with the development of the Champion and Scott-Atwater motors and ended with the industrial empire created by Robert Paxton McColluch at his Lake Havasu City, built on the banks the Colorado River.

Stevenson said the demand for outboard motors began in the 1920s among sportsman who required low-horsepower motors for fishing and hunting. 

“During the war there were not many made except for the government,” he said. There was an embargo on aluminum, a major component for the motors.

Following the war, families became more affluent and had more leisure time, so demand grew.

“They wanted the better things of life. In the 1950s it became a family sport,” he said.

Manufacturers were encouraged to build more powerful, quieter and better-looking motors. Companies hired designers to come up with sleeker models with more horsepower. Advertisers catered to women, who were shown riding and operating the boats in two-piece bathing suits. Makers that could not keep pace either shut down or were bought out by larger and more forward-looking companies, he explained.

McCulloch was bought out by Husqvarna in 2008, as detailed in handouts provided by Stevenson.

The lecture series continues on Tuesday, June 28 and runs until Tuesday, Aug. 23. A complete schedule and short biography of Stevenson can be found on the Boothbay Railway Village website. 

Stevenson summers on Juniper Point and winters in Florida.

Hoffman said the board of directors voted in November to accept Stevenson’s gift. Work began in the winter to renovate space to house the collection which will include interpretative displays.

She also hopes to collect stories from local people who want to tell their tales about their outboard motors.

“We would love to hear people talk about it,” she said.

The exhibit should be ready for the public mid-summer, said Hoffman.