Once upon a time, a 200 hp outboard was huge. Today, there are boats with a half-dozen 600 hp V-12s strapped onto the transom. But how did we even get here? And where are we going? Ever since Gustave ...

Anyone with a boat powered by a vintage Johnson motor will tell you that a well-maintained outboard engine can last decades. When then motor finally dies, don’t discard it. Convert the engine into the ...

The first outboard was actually electric (left). The 12-cylinder block for Mercury’s 600-hp Verado shows how far outboard technology has come. World History Archive/Alamy stock photo Once upon a time, ...