Voyager Outboard

[Buccaneer]

I picked up a Voyager outboard today. (made by Champion)
I seen an old advertisement for Voyager Outboards,
that said "Woodbury Hardware Company".
There’s a Woodbury in New Jersey. Does anyone know
if that’s where Voyager was sold? If so it’s a long
way from home in MN now.

Prepare to be boarded!

[frankr]

Don’t know the answer to your question, but a quick Google search found a Woodbury in MN, CT, GA, TN, IA, NY, and I quit looking when I got that far.

[Buccaneer]

Well, seeing how Champions were made in MN, I’ll
see what I can find out about Woodbury, MN.
Thanks Frank!

Prepare to be boarded!

[Buccaneer]

A search turned up a 1946 catalog of the Woodbury Hardware Company
from Portland, Oregon. If it wasn’t $85 bucks, I’d be tempted to
see if they had Voyager outboards in it!
http://www.amazon.com/Woodbury-Hardware … B000M6ZM3M

Update: Found out Voyager outboards were also sold through the
Richards and Conover Hardware Company of Kansas City, MO.

Prepare to be boarded!

[kevinf]

According to Peter Hunn’s book the 1950 Champions made up the first Voyager’s. Discount Marine shows a 1949 motor as the first. Either way you might want to save the $85 for a 1946 Catalogue 🙂
There’s a Voyager for sale in Cambridge Ontario right now – wonder how it ended up up here 🙂

Kev

[Buccaneer]

Anyone have any good colored photos of Voyager outboards?

Prepare to be boarded!

[lotec]

My understanding is that the Voyager was a private label brand offered by Champion. You didn’t have to be a Champion dealer, there wasn’t any exclusivity, dealer network, sales territories, etc… so any hardware or sporting goods store could sell them. (Scott did the same thing with the Corsair line and OMC early on with the Buccaneers, though that later changed to protected dealers and territories.) Likely you will find that old advertisments show many different retailers offering Voyagers throughout North America, not just the previously mentioned Woodbury Hardware.

This is different from private label brands that were offered though exclusive dealers – for Champion the only one I can think of is Sea Flyer offered in the BF Goodrich stores for a couple of years. Scott had a number of long-term private label exclusive contracts: Firestone and Hiawatha, Mercury with Western Auto and the Wizard brand – and of course OMC with the Sea King, Sea Bee, early Sea Flyers and several others.

The Voyagers are not all that common, I only have one photo in my archives from our 2008 Windsor CT meet – my son Graham and Cole B. hanging out next to a 5.5hp Voyager:

[Buccaneer]

Lotec, thanks for the information. Makes sense, and I would
expect more ads from hardware stores, etc., will pop up
on EBay. Glad your indoctrinating those kids into the
outboard world, lol. I believe my Voyager is tan on the
top, says Voyager and has a "duck" graphic on the tank.
Mine is a single cylinder, Model 2VA1489, 4.2 hp.,
Built around 1949?

Prepare to be boarded!

[hotrod]

I think the ‘duck’ is supposed to be a generic seabird (seagull, albatross?). I’m not sure if this blue is correct.

[Buccaneer]

Hotrod, thanks for the photos. No Albatrossi in MN, so I think
I’ll call mine a generic "duck"!
My Voyager is missing the rewind and side covers, but think
I may have them from some Champions I got at the same time.
Will try to get some photos of mine up and perhaps someone
will know the color scheme for the Voyager rewind and covers,
should I put the Champ parts on the Voyager.
Thanks!

Prepare to be boarded!

[Author]

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