An outboard motor is a self-contained propulsion unit for boats, combining an engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive in a single assembly mounted on the outside of a boat's transom, and it is the most common motorized way of propelling small watercraft, providing steering as well as thrust because the whole unit pivots to change the direction of push. The French engineer Gustave Trouvé designed the first known outboard motor, a small electric unit, around 1870 and patented it in May 1880, and gasoline-powered outboards followed a few decades later: a Michigan-built design begun in 1903 sold thousands of units under the name Porto-Motor by 1914, and the Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude created the most commercially successful early outboard motor in 1909. Evinrude's design and its many descendants made outboard power practical and affordable for small boats, and outboard motors remain the dominant propulsion choice for such craft today.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateOnly the month and year of the Trouvé patent are given by the source (May 1880, Patent No. 136560); the exact day is not stated. YearRecords the small electric prototype built by Gustave Trouvé, the first known outboard motor by the source own account. A second, commercially decisive claim (Ole Evinrude, 1909) is recorded separately below. A genuine competing priority in this field rather than one true first. YearRecords the design built by Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude, named by the source as the most successful early outboard motor and the design that made the outboard motor commercially viable, distinct from Gustave Trouvé earlier 1870 prototype recorded separately above, which the source says had little practical impact. SignificanceThe 1870 electric outboard built by Gustave Trouvé and other early petrol attempts had little practical impact; the outboard motor became commercially viable only when Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude introduced his successful design in 1909, after which outboard motors became the most common motorized way of propelling small boats. 1 FAQs
Was the first outboard motor gasoline powered?
The first known outboard was a small electric unit by Gustave Trouve around 1870.
No. The first known outboard motor was a small electric unit of about 11 pounds designed around 1870 by the French engineer Gustave Trouve and patented in May 1880. Gasoline-powered outboards came later, and the most successful early outboard motor was created by the Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude in 1909. Trouve's electric unit and other early attempts appear to have had little practical impact.
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In Field
Source Outboard Motor (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Invented By
Source Ole Evinrude (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Outboard Motor (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory and developments, opening sentence (Trouvé prototype)
The first known outboard motor was a small 11 pound (5 kg) electric unit designed around 1870 by Gustave Trouvé, and patented in May 1880 (Patent N° 136,560).
History and developments, Evinrude sentence
The most successful early outboard motor, was created by Norwegian-American inventor Ole Evinrude in 1909.
History and developments, opening sentence (Trouvé patent)
patented in May 1880 (Patent N° 136,560)
History and developments, closing clause on early impact
but neither of these two pioneering efforts appear to have had much impact.
In Field: Marine Engineering, Categories
Marine propulsion
View the Source Ole Evinrude (Wikipedia)
Invented By: Ole Evinrude, Lead sectionQuote, Invented By: Ole Evinrude, Lead section
Ole Evinrude, born Ole Andreassen Aaslundeie (April 19, 1877, July 12, 1934) was a Norwegian-American entrepreneur, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
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