You're probably questioning who makes Gamefisher boat motors if you've just inherited a messy, olive-green outboard from your grandpa's garage or picked one on with fifty bucks at a yard sale. It's a common question because, unlike a Mercury or a Yamaha, you can't exactly enter the "Gamefisher dealership" nowadays and ask to get a tune-up.
The short response is that Sears, the once-mighty retail giant, sold these types of motors under their particular own plr, yet they never in fact built a single one themselves. Rather, they contracted the work out in order to a handful of different manufacturers over several decades. With respect to the year and the horsepower of your specific motor, the "guts" of that machine could possess come from Iowa, Asia, or perhaps a factory that will utilized to make Chrysler car parts.
The Sears Connection: A Store Brand Heritage
Back in the day, Target was the full of the "rebrand. " Whether it was Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, or Gamefisher boats and motors, their strategy has been simple: find a reliable manufacturer, slap a Sears-owned nameplate upon the product, and sell it through their massive catalog.
For the particular Gamefisher line, this meant sourcing small-to-mid-sized outboards that appealed to the "everyman" fisherman. These weren't always high-performance racing machines, however they were affordable plus got you to the honey hole on the other hand of the lake. In case you possess one today, you're essentially looking at a piece of United states retail history.
The Eska Era: The most typical Manufacturer
If you have a small Gamefisher—specifically something within the 1. 5 HP to 15 HP range through the 1960s, seventies, or early 80s—there is a very high probability that Eska made it. Based away of Dubuque, Iowa, the Eska Outboard Boat Motor Company was the major supplier for Target for a long period.
Eska had a bit associated with a "Frankenstein" method of building motors, that is actually pretty helpful for us today. They will typically used Tecumseh powerheads—basically exactly the same air-cooled engines you'd find on a vintage lawnmower or even snowblower—and mated all of them to their own decrease units and midsections.
Mainly because they used Tecumseh engines, many of these small Gamefishers are air-cooled or even have a "water-assisted" cooling system. In case you start a single up and don't see a steady stream of drinking water shooting out the back like a modern Mercury, don't panic immediately. Some of these had been designed to run sizzling and loud. The particular upside? You can nevertheless find certain engine parts (like points, condensers, and carbohydrate kits) by looking upward the Tecumseh engine specs rather than the Gamefisher title.
The Tanaka Connection: Japan Small Trollers
Since we moved directly into the late seventies and 80s, Pep boys started looking abroad for a few of their particular smallest, most transportable motors. When you have the tiny 1. 2 HP or 1. 7 HP Gamefisher that looks almost like a weed whacker on a stick, you're likely searching at an electric motor made by Tanaka .
Tanaka is a Japanese company known for small two-stroke motors. These motors are usually incredibly lightweight and simple. They don't have a conventional gearbox with a neutral or opposite; you just revolves the whole motor 180 degrees in order to go backward. They will are surprisingly strong, but finding specific Tanaka parts nowadays can be the bit of a scavenger hunt on eBay.
Bigger Models: Chrysler, Push, and US Water
Once a person get into the greater horsepower Gamefishers—like the 9. 9 HEWLETT PACKARD or 15 HORSEPOWER models from the particular late 80s plus early 90s—the production shifted again. During this period, Sears often contracted with US Marine , which was the parent business for Force outboards.
For those who don't know the drama of the particular outboard world, Force was essentially the particular successor to the old Chrysler outboard line. When Mercury (Brunswick) eventually bought PEOPLE Marine, they held the Force collection going for the while as the budget-friendly alternative to their own premium motors.
So, if you have the later-model Gamefisher, it might actually discuss a lot of DNA with the Chrysler or a Power outboard. These are conventional water-cooled engines, plus they tend in order to look a little bit more "modern" than the old boxy Eskas.
How to Tell Who Produced Yours
Given that Sears used therefore many different suppliers, you can't simply guess based on the color. The "secret code" is the model quantity. Sears used a particular prefix system that will tells you precisely who the producer was. Choose a little metal tag on the mounting bracket or the engine block. It'll usually start with 3 digits followed by an interval.
- 217. XXXXX: This is the most common. The 217 word means it was made by Eska .
- 225. XXXXX: This prefix shows the motor was manufactured by Tanaka .
- 536. XXXXX: This usually factors to AMF (who also possessed Western Tool & Stamping at the time).
- 210. XXXXX: Often connected with McCulloch (though these are usually much rarer).
When you have that prefix, you've solved the mystery. You can stop looking for "Gamefisher parts" and begin looking for "Eska 217 parts, " which will open up the lot more doorways in the vintage boat world.
Why Does It Also Matter?
A person might be thinking, "It's an aged motor, why do I care who made it? " Well, if you've ever tried to find a water push impeller for a 40-year-old motor, a person know why it matters.
Gamefisher is a "dead brand. " If you walk in to a modern marine mechanic's shop plus say you need a part intended for a Gamefisher, they may just laugh and tell you to buy a new Honda. But, in case you tell them a person have an Eska with a Tecumseh powerhead , an experienced mechanic might actually be able in order to help you find a cross-referenced part.
Knowing the manufacturer also helps with the "is it worth it? " factor. For example: * Eska models are great intended for hobbyists. They are basic to work upon but can be finicky. * Tanaka models are bulletproof little containers for small canoes, but they are loud enough to wake the neighbours. * Force/Chrysler models are more like "real" boat motors, but they have a popularity for ignition problems that can be expensive to fix.
The "Love-Hate" Relationship with Gamefisher
Let's be honest: Gamefisher motors don't precisely have a reputation with regard to being the easiest or quietest items on the water. They were the "budget" option associated with their day. They vibrate, they smoke cigarettes, and they'll provide your pulling hand a serious workout if the carburetor is even slightly out of adjustment.
However, there's the reason a lot of associated with them are still kicking around within barns and garden sheds. These are mechanically easy. There are no complex electronics or personal computer chips to fail. In case you have spark, energy, and compression, that will little green beast will most likely cough in to life eventually.
Tips with regard to Keeping an Old Gamefisher Running
In case you've made a decision to keep your Gamefisher on the water, there are a few things should know. Very first, by no means use old gasoline . These two-stroke engines are quite sensitive to the ethanol in modern gas, which can eat through the aged rubber gaskets plus fuel lines. Constantly use non-ethanol (Rec) fuel if you can find it.
Following, if you possess an Eska-made model, keep an in depth vision on the "shear pin. " This is actually the little pin that will connects the propeller to the shaft. It's designed in order to break in case you hit a rock so you don't damage the engine. Given that these motors were often used in shallow ponds and weedy lakes, all those pins go via a lot of stress.
Lastly, don't be afraid of the web forums. There is a surprisingly dedicated community associated with "Antique Outboard" fans out there who live for these types of old Sears motors. If you're stuck on a timing problem or can't find a head gasket, someone with an old-school message board probably has the response (and maybe actually the part).
Wrapping It Up
So, who makes Gamefisher boat motors? This will depend on when it was born. It could become an Eska, the Tanaka, or perhaps a Force, but it will always be a Sears classic at heart.
These motors represent a period when you can order a boat, a trailer, and a motor right out of a catalog and also have it delivered to your local store. These people aren't the fanciest things on the lake, and they certainly won't win any kind of races, however for the slow afternoon associated with trolling for bass, they do the task just fine. Simply make sure you know your model word before you start ordering parts, and you'll keep that piece of background humming for an additional generation.