Combustor,
You said "I suspect most of them met a watery grave. You may have a sole survivor! Thank for reviving an old memory."
In at least one case you are right, though the old memory might have been better left buried. I had a Golden Cheetah outboard - bought it from my brother for $5, and I bet he is still laughing 35 years later. When I first got it, it would usually start when going out, but would almost invariably refuse to go when it was time to come home - many's the time I rowed a 12 foot aluminium boat 5 or 6 kilometres home before I woke up and replaced it (with a Clinton, but that's another sad story).
Our neighbor had a son about 14 who badly wanted to try the Golden Cheetah on the back of his father's ancient plywood dinghy. I gather he spent much of one morning pulling it over - it would fire but not pick up. He then got the idea that a bit of water flow over the propeller might help, and got a tow from a speedboat. He eventually got the engine to run, but the high speed tow coupled with the vibration from the motor soon proved too much for the old dinghy. The whole transom complete with Golden Cheetah broke loose from the boat, and, I presume, is still at the bottom of the Herbert River somewhere near Halifax in North Queensland.
It couldn't have come to a more appropriate end!
Frank.
