Mecoa outboard system

[RobertDoak]

Hello everyone...i have been eyeballing this for a long time and have not seen any info on it....is there anyone who either used this or knows something about it....thanks...

 

[LohringMiller]

This must mean they really have given up on ever reviving the K&B nitro outboard line despite 20 years of promises. Too bad.

Lohring Miller

 

[Carl Van Houten]

I called Randy about two years ago and could not get a straight answer as to when or if they may ever come back. Like hundreds of modelers, I wanted to see them blow the dust off of at least one engine model and get back on the scene with it. I requested that he pick out one of his one piece case engines and build an improved muffler and start pumping out an improved 7.5cc stock engine. He has a lot of left over parts in inventory ( for instance he still had 2,500 3.5cc lower units when I spoke to him last ). It seems to me like manufacturing pistons and sleeves are what is stopping production. I know some people who have ordered pistons and sleeves and have been waiting two years and still haven't gotten them.

-Carl

 

[john v]

con rods also

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I had ordered a .21 inboard from them over 10 years ago. I never received it nor have I ever heard anything back from them. Seems to me that any brand that MECOA bought out was sold until they were gone and were forgotten about. Kind of sad since, before MECOA bought K&B, you could get engines, replacement parts and just about anything else you needed for them. Now, they are basically unobtainable. I have two disc rotor .67s and a disc rotor .45 that I may never use because of no way to get parts for them.

 

[Carl Van Houten]

I learned a lot about Investment bankers when I once was the Engineering manager for a company that specialized in buying failing businesses and bought them for pennies on the dollar. There are different degrees of them. Some buy companies and sell the remaining inventory until its all but gone and scrap out the rest while others put just enough money into it to make it attractive to potential buyers and turn it for healthy profits.

-Some similar outboard history

The founder for Mercury Outboards, Carl Kiekhaefer learned how uninterested his initial investors were about his outboard products early on when they (just as mentioned above) wanted to turn their investment into quick cash in hand by selling the Kiekhaefer Corporation to Hiawatha.

 

[RobertDoak]

So....with the 5 replys and a small amount of negative energy pointed to MECOA..the root question still wasn't addressed...so I will take this as a ...... No...it just looks like a affordable way to enjoy a electric outboard...although the housing looks to be some type of plastic/resin housing modeled after the 3.5 outboard lower...with a realistic price...just not sure about the durability of the 3.5 Tornado outboard ...

 

[ricwally]

There is a remote possibility that Zippkits may be offering this same unit in the future at a cheaper price. Maybe?

 

[Brian Sorgente]

Hi Robert,

I believe K&B came out with those plastic lower units in the early 2000's but they never really worked out. If I remember correctly people tried putting 21 size nitro engines on them but they just weren't strong enough. Considering the power of the current FE motors you'd probably run into the same issue. I'm sure someone remembers better than I do but I don't think it would be worth messing with. My guess is they still have a ton of them in stock from back then.

Brian

 

[Carl Van Houten]

Most all of us would love to see K&B come back. The realistic thing is that based on what they have done for the past 15-18 years they are most likely not going to supply complete engines again with the exception of the 1" outboard. K&B does supply lower units and some other items that we need and use so they are helping in that regard. There are other alternatives in the works that should be out soon.

 

[Marty Slater]

didnt Jim Irwin make some lower units out of nylon REK ???

 

[Brian Sorgente]

didnt Jim Irwin make some lower units out of nylon REK ???

You know I could be wrong about the K&B ones, maybe I'm remembering the irwin ones?

Brian

 

[Carl Van Houten]

YES, Irwin made them and so did REK.

 

[Alan Elzer]

I have 2 if anyone interested, they used $25 shipped

TAKEN ....

 

[Grimracer]

I swore.. you could feel the skeg wag back and forth on that at 40mph!..

Grim