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132-578: OMC sold 100,000 motors in 2000 and had one third of the outboard market. OMC filed for bankruptcy 22 December 2000 and laid off 7,000 employees. The Johnson and Evinrude brands were won by bid in February 2001 by Bombardier Recreational Products and the boat division by Genmar Holdings of Minnesota. The former OMC plant #2 in Waukegan, Illinois is now a Superfund cleanup site. Outboard Marine Corporation sometimes referred to as Outboard Motor Company

264-502: A 200cc engine. The Outlander is a utility style ATV available in multiple engine sizes, including 400cc and 450cc single cylinder and 500cc, 570cc, 650cc, 800cc, 850cc and 1000cc V-Twin engines. The Outlander MAX is available for 2-up riding and the Outlander X-MR is built specifically for mud riding. The Renegade is also available with multiple engine choices, a 500cc, 570cc, 800cc, 850cc or 1000cc V-Twin engine. The Renegade X-XC

396-644: A backer and established the Evinrude Motor Company in 1910. The business was an instant success—its market included not only recreational boaters but also the Scandinavian fishing fleets operating in the North Sea. Friction between the partners forced Evinrude to sell his share to his backer in 1914 and depart, after signing a guarantee restricting him from the outboard motor industry for five years. The company continued without him, becoming

528-631: A better reputation than the rival Polaris and Arctic Cat brands of motor sleds. In 1971, Bombardier completed the purchase of the Moto-Ski company to expand the Ski-Doo line and eliminate a competitor from the marketplace. In the mid 1990s, some of the sleds made by Ski-Doo were the Formula III, Mach 1, and Mach Z with Rotax engines. While it is a commonly held misconception that all Ski-Doo snowmobiles were powered by rotary valved engines, this

660-625: A blizzard in Saskatchewan , the company received positive press coverage when army snowmobiles resupplied isolated radio communication towers. In 1948, the Government of Quebec passed a law requiring all roads to be cleared of snow; Bombardier's sales fell by nearly half in one year. Armand Bombardier therefore decided to diversify his business, first by producing tracked snowplows sized for use on municipal sidewalks, replacing horse-drawn vehicles , then by making all-terrain vehicles for

792-579: A dip to $ 304.5 million in net sales. This was partly due to the unprofitable boat line, and partly to a line of tent campers that had never fulfilled expectations after the 1967 acquisition of their manufacturer, Trade Winds Campers. The company discontinued the line in 1971, and immediately saw the improvement in their net sales figures, which soared to $ 394 million by 1972. There were other disappointments. Golf cart sales sank to 2 percent of overall revenue by 1974, and were discontinued in 1975. Chain saw sales totaled $ 19.1 million in 1976, resulting in losses for

924-516: A factory in Valcourt. In 1942, L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée ("Bombardier Snow Car Limited") was founded in Valcourt . During World War II , the Government of Canada issued wartime rationing regulations. Bombardier customers had to prove that snowmobiles were essential to their livelihood in order to buy one. The company then shifted its focus to the arms industry . In 1947, during

1056-529: A first step towards larger outboard motor markets in Asia, the move was also encouraged by a Hong Kong government program designed to attract specific, technologically advanced industries. Assembly operations began in the plant in 1975, with the manufacture of electronic outboard motor components following two years later. In 1974, Charles D. Strang succeeded W. C. Scott as president. Strang's interest in powerboats, beginning in boyhood, had lasted through college and

1188-483: A fiscal 1974 operating loss of $ 13.9 million. Fuel shortages were another downside. Coming to an OPEC-inspired zenith in 1973, they brought fears of a buying slowdown in the peak spring quarter. An OMC environmental executive warned of possible gasoline rationing by the petroleum industry, and outlined steps for fuel conservation among boaters. In the same year, OMC purchased a five-acre site in Hong Kong. Intended as

1320-593: A five-year philanthropic program in 1961. In response to a request to benefit the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization 's freedom-from-hunger campaign, OMC contributed several hundred outboard engines each year to be used in fishing, part of a program to increase food production in underdeveloped countries. Also in 1961, the company established the OMC Boats Division to produce and market 16- to 19-foot boats featuring both outboard and

1452-467: A floating gasoline-powered compressor, the unit supplied air to two masked divers at the same time. Another breakthrough was the loop-charged outboard, devised after the company went back to powerboat racing for the first time since World War II. By October 1967, OMC's fiscal year-end sales had reached $ 233.4 million. Of this amount, 10 percent came from power mowers, with golf carts and utility vehicles sharing second place at 7 percent, and with snowmobiles,

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1584-480: A household in the city was $ 31,987, and the median income for a family was $ 41,796. Males had a median income of $ 31,698 versus $ 21,388 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,214. About 10.7% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. Galesburg is the home of the Railroad Days festival, held on

1716-514: A large hump yard 1.9 miles (3.1 km) south of town. Galesburg is served by Interstate 74 , which runs north to Moline in the Quad Cities region, and southeast to Peoria and beyond. The Chicago–Kansas City Expressway , also known as Illinois Route 110 , runs through Galesburg. To the southwest it passes through Macomb , the home of Western Illinois University , and toward Quincy , before crossing into Missouri . Galesburg served

1848-639: A mix of local, regional and national news. WGIL-AM, WAAG, WLSR-FM and WKAY-FM are all owned by Galesburg Broadcasting while Prairie Radio Communications owns WAIK-AM. KZZ66 provides Weather Information for NOAA Weather Radio in the Galesburg area. The Galesburg Register-Mail is the result of the merger of the Galesburg Republican-Register and the Galesburg Daily Mail in 1927. The two papers trace their roots back to

1980-486: A new winter sport was born, centred in Quebec. In the first year, Bombardier sold 225 Ski-Doos; four years later, 8,210 were sold. But Armand was reluctant to focus too much on the Ski-Doo and move resources away from his all-terrain vehicles. Armand slowed down promotion of the Ski-Doo line to prevent it from dominating the other company products but still dominate the entire snowmobile industry. The snowmobiles produced earned

2112-475: A performance venue. Throughout much of its history, Galesburg has been inextricably tied to the railroad industry. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois's then two biggest cities— Chicago and Quincy —as well as a third leg initially terminating across the Mississippi River from Burlington, Iowa , eventually connecting to it via bridge and thence onward to

2244-413: A post as a research associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During a later period of employment with the makers of Mercury outboard motors, interest had deepened into vocation. In 1966 his experience in the powerboat industry had brought him to OMC. Eight years later he rose to the presidency. An environmental question was one of his first challenges. It began in 1976, when OMC was cited by both

2376-649: A range of large commercial and exploration vehicles from its location in Medford, Oregon , USA. Thiokol produced popular units, notably the Imp, Super Imp, and Spryte models, but changed ownership and name several times before going out of business in 2000 as the Logan Machine Company and manufacturer of the LMC brand. Armand dreamed of developing a fast, lightweight snowmobile that could carry one or two people. In

2508-451: A result of the merger, the company had to increase its debt to $ 600,000 between 1930 and 1932, when operating deficits totaled $ 550,000. To keep the business afloat, the entire inventory was sold at bargain prices, and Evinrude sacrificed his salary until his death in 1934. Johnson's fate was worse. A too-costly advertising campaign, as well as an ill-timed offering of matched motors and hulls, drained all cash reserves by 1930, when control of

2640-457: A separate company, with majority ownership transferred to Bain Capital. Though the company is a major manufacturer of two stroke engines and four stroke motors for several industries it is better known for its consumer recreational products. They now make Ski-Doo and Lynx brand snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Sea-Doo personal water craft , jet boats, and Evinrude outboard motors (through

2772-628: A subsidiary of the gasoline-engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton Corporation in 1926. By 1921, Evinrude was back in business, in a venture he called the ELTO Outboard Motor Company. His new offering was the Evinrude Light Twin Outboard, a motor partly made of aluminum, reducing its weight by a third. Popular with the fishing fleets, this revolutionary engine outstripped sales of Evinrude's original outboard motor within three years. It also attracted

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2904-517: A thoroughgoing advertising campaign to strengthen its brand name Evinrude and Johnson outboard engines, and began to develop a new generation of outboard motors that were environmentally acceptable, fuel-efficient, and easily repaired. Bowman's strategy worked. By the middle of 1995, OMC's revenues were $ 1.1 billion. The company faced net revenue losses of $ 7.3 million in the 2nd quarter of 1997 ending March 31 and would have been worse if $ 2 million in dividends were not suspended. The previous quarter loss

3036-461: A top speed of barely 20 mph. The Bombardier B12 and C18 were probably the precursors to the more modern snow coach used by resorts for transporting tourists. In their day, the B12 and C18 vehicles were used as school buses, mail delivery and emergency vehicles in northern United States and Canada, and were best suited to flat land conditions, frozen roadways, or frozen lakes. While more than 3,000 of

3168-457: A tornado. Galesburg teams played at Illinois Field (1908–1912, 1914), Lombard College Field (1908–1912, 1914) and Willard Field at Knox College (1890, 1895). Lombard College was in Galesburg until 1930, and is now the site of Lombard Middle School. The Carr Mansion at 560 North Prairie Street was the site of a presidential cabinet meeting held in 1899 by U.S. President William McKinley and U.S. Secretary of State John Hay . Galesburg

3300-731: Is a Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles , all-terrain vehicles , side by sides , motorcycles , and personal watercraft . It was founded in 2003, when the Recreational Products Division of Bombardier Inc. was spun off and sold to a group of investors consisting of Bain Capital , the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec . Bombardier Inc., was founded in 1942 as L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée (Bombardier Snowmobile Limited) by Joseph-Armand Bombardier at Valcourt in

3432-508: Is a separate trim level built specifically for cross country racing. The Outlander 800R X-XC is a version of the Renegade with the same trim level for cross country racing and non-racing trail riding. The XT-P is the modern outlander XXC and features the XT package with front sway bar and beadlock wheels. The 1000cc engine was introduced into the quad classification in the 2012 model year for both

3564-505: Is also more efficient 40 percent less oil burn than the previous Etec. and 30 percent quicker throttle response; this engine paired with the new SP chassis which moves the rider even further forward and provides a big weight reduction over the XP chassis. This makes the 2017 the most capable snowmobile ever, reaching speed of upwards of 120 mph in the MXZ models. During the 1970s, Bombardier built

3696-450: Is in western Knox County. Interstate 74 runs through the east side of the city, leading southeast 47 miles (76 km) to Peoria and north 36 miles (58 km) to Interstate 80 near the Quad Cities area. According to the 2010 census, Galesburg has a total area of 17.928 square miles (46.43 km ), of which 17.75 square miles (45.97 km ) (or 99.01%) are land and 0.178 square miles (0.46 km ) (or 0.99%) are water. As of

3828-431: Is not true. Only two cylinder Rotax engines were equipped with rotary valves . As a rule, the later rotary valved sleds were liquid cooled as well. Fan cooled sleds were usually piston port (2-stroke) induction. Sleds such as the formula III, later model mach-1's and the mach Z were powered by three cylinder, 2-stroke, Rotax engines. In 1994 the company produced the first snowmobile equipped specifically for mountain riding,

3960-469: Is served by U.S. Routes 34 and 150 . US 34 connects Galesburg to Burlington, Iowa , and Chicago . It is a freeway through its entire run in Galesburg and west to Monmouth . It connects to Galesburg through three interchanges at West Main Street, North Henderson Street, and North Seminary Street, along with an additional interchange at Interstate 74. US 150 runs through the heart of Galesburg. It enters

4092-579: The Can-Am brand of off-road competition motorcycles designed for motocross and enduro with Rotax engines displacing 125, 175, 248, 366, 500 and 800 cc. The bikes competed successfully in professional racing with Gary Jones winning the 1974 US 250cc AMA motocross national championship . In 1983, Bombardier licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of the Can-Am motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles of Lancashire, England . 1987

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4224-658: The Civil War . In later years, Galesburg became the birthplace of poet Carl Sandburg , artist Dorothea Tanning , and former Major League Baseball star Jim Sundberg . Sandburg's boyhood home is maintained by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site . It includes the cottage he was born in, a modern museum, the rock under which he and his wife Lilian are buried, and

4356-487: The Eastern Iowa League (1895), Central Interstate League (1890), Illinois-Iowa League (1890), Illinois-Missouri League (1908–1909) and Central Association (1910–1912, 1914). Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (1909) and Sam Rice (1912) played for Galesburg. Rice had to leave the Galesburg team in 1912, when his wife, two children, his parents and two sisters were killed in

4488-625: The Eastern Townships , Quebec . As of October 6, 2009 , BRP had about 5,500 employees; its revenues in 2007 were above US$ 2.5 billion. BRP has manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States (Wisconsin, Illinois, North Carolina, Arkansas, Michigan and Minnesota), Mexico, Finland, and Austria. The company's products are sold in more than 100 countries, some of which have their own direct-sales network. BRP's products include

4620-510: The Maytag plant in 2004, BNSF is once again the largest private employer in Galesburg. Galesburg was home to the pioneering brass era automobile company Western , which produced the Gale, named for the town. Galesburg was home to minor league baseball from 1890 to 1914. The Galesburg Pavers was the last name of the minor league teams based in Galesburg. Galesburg teams played as members of

4752-492: The National Railroad Hall of Fame . Efforts are underway to raise funds for the $ 30 million (~$ 43.6 million in 2023) project, which got a major boost in 2006, when Congress passed a bill to charter the establishment. It is hoped that the museum will bring tourism and a financial boost to the community. Construction of the museum began in 2019. Galesburg has several radio stations and newspapers delivering

4884-504: The Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Can-Am ATVs and Can-Am motorcycles , Sea-Doo personal watercraft, and Rotax engines. The Ski-Doo was ranked 17th place on CBC Television 's The Greatest Canadian Invention in 2007. In January 1934, a blizzard prevented Joseph-Armand Bombardier from reaching the nearest hospital in time to save his two-year-old son, Yvon, who died from appendicitis complicated by peritonitis . Bombardier

5016-530: The census of 2000, there were 33,706 people, 13,237 households, and 7,902 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,994.9 inhabitants per square mile (770.2/km ). There were 14,133 housing units at an average density of 836.5 per square mile (323.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White , 10.20% African American , 0.22% Native American , 1.03% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 2.46% from other races , and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% of

5148-399: The mining , petroleum, and forestry industries. The machines had removable front skis that could be replaced with front wheels for use on paved or hard surfaces, thus providing greater utility to his large snowmobiles. In 1951, the wooden bodies were replaced with sheet steel, and these vehicles were powered by Chrysler flathead six-cylinder engines and 3-speed manual transmissions. In

5280-410: The 1960s began, the United States was in the trough of a recession. First-time buyers as well as those seeking bigger and better leisure-time equipment put their purchases on hold. Because its principal markets were tied to leisure-time activities mostly practiced on a seasonal basis, OMC sales sank to a 1961 low of $ 132.3 million. The economic turndown did not, however, prevent the company from starting

5412-602: The Aktiv Snow Trac ST4 from Sweden, Thiokol , and Tucker Sno-Cat from the USA. The Snow Trac was produced, virtually unchanged, until 1981, but it was successful, with over 2,000 units sold, and it was used all over the globe for exploration and commercial purposes, as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Tucker Sno-Cat grew to become one of the world's largest builders of these vehicles, and produces

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5544-463: The Bombardier 3.8, with hull length of 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m); the Bombardier 4.8 and the Bombardier 7.6 keelboat. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company diversified into railway and aeronautical products and became a multinational corporation known as Bombardier Inc. During restructuring operations in 2003, the original snowmobile and tracked utility vehicle division was spun off as

5676-598: The Bombardier B12/C18 variants were produced, Bombardier had competitors in both the North American and world markets. Most of the Bombardier production stayed in North American. The front ski design was incapable of being used in deep snow and rough ground conditions, which opened the door for the development of dual-track and quad-track snowcats . Unfortunately, the front ski design was not easily adapted to change for other ground conditions, so while it

5808-758: The DS-70 and the DS-90 feature four-stroke Rotax engines. The maverick side by side was introduced to stand up to the Commander's rival the Polaris RZR XP 900. The Maverick has an updated version of the commander's 1000cc V-Twin Rotax engine (1000R) this engine had a massive 101 horsepower. This was achieved by using high flow dynamics to increase exhaust and air flow. The Maverick comes in six packages (at February 2014) Base, XRS, XRS DPS, XMR, X ds, and X ds Turbo. In

5940-620: The ELTO Company, whose annual net profit rose to $ 300,000. Ole Evinrude merged ELTO with Stephen Briggs the following year when he and Harold Stratton disagreed over diversifying Briggs & Stratton into the outboard engine market. Mr. Briggs became chairman of the brand-new Outboard Motors Corporation with Mr. Evinrude as the President. Outboard scarcely had time to find its feet before the stock market crash of 1929 tested its staying power. Already responsible for $ 500,000 in bank loans as

6072-843: The Fishing Boat Group, the Recreational Boat Group, and the Aluminum Boat Group. Each group was responsible for all manufacturing and marketing efforts associated with its line of products. The Fishing Boat Group included Stratos, Hydra-Sports, Javelin and Quest by Four Winns. The Recreational Boat Group produced 80 models under the brand names Chris-Craft, Donzi, Four Winns, Seaswirl and Sunbird. The Aluminum Boat Group included Duranautic, Princecraft/Springbok, Suncruiser, Lowe, Sea Nymph, Grumman, and Roughneck. Many of these same brands are still in production today. As OMC continued to lose money, Harry Bowman,

6204-517: The Gale division contributed its carburetors and ignition systems. Export sales of all items surged ahead during the 1950s. Seeing a 215 percent gain in exports between 1949 and 1956, OMC expanded its export department in 1956, gaining a new subsidiary called Outboard Marine International S.A. By 1960, taking the next logical step of overseas production, the company was manufacturing and assembling motors in Brugge, Belgium. All these developments showed in

6336-812: The Hump Towers and Diesel Shop and see the BNSF at work. During the festival, one of the largest model railroad train shows and layouts in the U.S. Midwest happens during Railroad Days at the new Galesburg High School Fieldhouse. During Labor Day weekend in September, Galesburg hosts the Stearman Fly in. Also in September are the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta and the Annual Rubber Duck Race, at Lake Storey. On

6468-551: The Johnson helm. He instituted a rigorous cost-cutting regime, and by 1937 the Johnson division's gross sales were $ 4.3 million, as compared with Evinrude-ELTO's $ 2.5 million. By now, Outboard Motors accounted for about 60 percent of U.S. outboard motor production. There were three engine lines, suiting most needs: the ELTO line for the buyer seeking thrift; Evinrude, the prestige line; and Johnson, offering special features. Though there

6600-486: The OMC lineup. In another move, he bought out independent distributors overseas, thus gaining greater control over foreign marketing operations. Threatening OMC's competitiveness was a 1980 Department of Energy proposal that boating be banned on weekends. As a result of this suggestion, public concern about gasoline shortages caused OMC's net sales to plummet to $ 687.4 million in 1980, from $ 741.2 million just one year earlier. It

6732-521: The OMC product line. Besides the Johnson and Evinrude motors then being sold by about 7,000 retail dealers, the swelling list of OMC offerings included Gale Buccaneer motors sold through hardware jobbers, as well as a number of unbranded models sold for retailers. The company's most innovative engine appeared in 1958. The first mass-produced die-cast aluminum engine, it was a four-cylinder, 50 horsepower outboard, completely manufactured by OMC, its V-blocks came from Johnson, its steel parts from Evinrude, while

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6864-644: The Outboard product line during the 1950s. The first, in 1952, was RPM Manufacturing Company of Missouri, whose specialty was a rotary power mower that Outboard planned to sell under its familiar Lawn-Boy tradename. Featuring a detachable engine useful as an outboard, the mower was already a best-selling unbranded item in both the Sears and the Spiegel catalogs. Outboard coped with the huge volume of existing orders by completing entire units in one factory, rather than using

6996-510: The Outlander and the Renegade series. The DS has four engine choices, a 450cc, 250cc, 90cc and 70cc. A 650cc engine was once available but has since been discontinued. An "X" trim level is available for the DS-450 and the DS-90. The Commander is a SSV or Side by side introduced for 2010 with either 800cc or 1000cc engines. Commander has several trim levels, including XT, X and LTD (Limited) at

7128-573: The Ski-Doo Summit. Ski-Doo snowmobiles have been competitive for performance and in the marketplace, taking national titles in racing events from Sno-X to hill-climbing. In 1999 Ski-Doo introduced the ZX aluminum chassis which was lighter weight with better suspension and thus successful in sno-cross competition. In 2003 Ski-Doo introduced rider-forward REV chassis, which changed the sport and was followed by other manufacturers. In 2008 Ski-Doo introduced

7260-494: The U.S. and Illinois environmental protection agencies for polluting a drainage ditch and Waukegan harbor with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The company filed suit against both agencies after lengthy negotiations, charging that the federal government had dragged its feet in spending funds authorized for pollution-control use. Company attorneys also stated that the PCB-contaminated pipes had been replaced in 1976, but

7392-647: The US Bankruptcy Code in US Bankruptcy Court in Chicago. OMC has sought protection under Chapter 11 so that the company can implement its plans to sell some or all of its engine and boat operations. OMC also announced a significant reduction in its North American workforce affecting salaried and hourly employees at all of its operations. Bombardier Recreational Products BRP Inc. (an abbreviation of Bombardier Recreational Products )

7524-756: The Western frontier. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) sited major rail sorting yards here, including the first to use hump sorting . The CB&Q also built a major depot on South Seminary Street that was controversially torn down and replaced by a much smaller station in 1983. The yard is still used by the BNSF Railway . In the late 19th century, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway connected its service through to Chicago, it also laid track through Galesburg and built its own railroad depot . The depot remained in operation until

7656-593: The X ds lineup Can Am brought the first factory installed turbocharged engine to the industry. The turbo boosts the horsepower of the Maverick from 101 horsepower to 121 horsepower. In 2007, BRP announced the launch of a new three-wheeled roadster called the Spyder , which was released in Q4 2007 under the Can-Am brand. This is the first vehicle from BRP to go on the road. It was described as part motorcycle and part roadster ;

7788-455: The XP chassis, which moved the rider further forward with major weight reduction. The XP was the lightest machine available, with power-to-weight ratios in the Summit models for the first time under 3 lb per HP. For the 2017 snow year, Ski-Doo will release its most powerful engine. The Rotax 850 cc "Etec" engine. The engine produces 10 more horsepower (170 hp) than its predecessor, it

7920-530: The agencies likewise filed suit, asking that the company be ordered to remove the contaminants from the harbor, and to pay a maximum penalty of about $ 20 million, reflecting a $ 10,000 fine for each day the PCB sources had been in place. This suit was to dog OMC's footsteps throughout the 1980s. Reorganizing his domestic operations was another Strang priority, with bringing together the Evinrude and Johnson divisions at

8052-454: The annual net sales, which soared from $ 27 million in 1950 to $ 171.5 million by 1959. During the 1950s, OMC's main objective had been acquisitions to broaden basic product lines. In the 1960s, the company's aim was to improve all these products and find growing markets for them. Ensuring its industry leadership by constant innovation and improvement to existing products, OMC allocated more than $ 7 million annually to research and development. As

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8184-579: The attention of a competitor, Johnson Motor Company , which brought out its rival lightweight engine in 1922. Johnson gained market share, snatching the lead four years later with an updated model weighing a trim 100 pounds, costing a thrifty $ 190, and able to drive a boat at a zippy 16 miles per hour. Neither the Evinrude Company nor ELTO could match this. Now far ahead, Johnson produced a net profit of $ 433,000 in 1927, far outpacing Evinrude's $ 25,000 and ELTO's $ 30,000. A new engine in 1928 restored

8316-442: The automatic Loadflite transmissions. In 1970, the company acquired Rotax , an engine manufacturer based in Gunskirchen , Austria . In 1971, Bombardier acquired Moto-Ski . Also in 1971, Bombardier launched Operation SnoPlan, a program to promote snowmobile safety after a mounting death toll due to snowmobile accidents. In the 1970s, the company began producing Can-Am motorcycles , which included Rotax engines. By 1990,

8448-583: The boat market peaked and then went into a tailspin. Although Chapman decided to purchase 15 boatmakers to assure OMC of captive customers for their outboard engines, the company did not develop a comprehensive or well-designed strategy to manage its growing operations efficiently. In the middle of the worst downturn in the industry's history, Chapman reduced staff, closed factories, and eliminated whole product lines, such as Chris-Craft engines and boat models—all to no avail. Between 1990 and 1993, OMC suffered losses totaling $ 440 million. In 1989, OMC purchased some of

8580-425: The brand names of Four Winns, Seaswirl, Trade Winds, Sunbird, Stratos, and Hydra-Sports include fiberglass runabouts, cruisers, performance boats, and craft for offshore fishing. Outboard Marine also marketed clothing for boating, and resort wear. Unfortunately, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Outboard Marine had a difficult time keeping up with the competition, notably archrival Brunswick Corporation , currently

8712-496: The city as Grand Avenue from the southeast, runs through downtown as Main Street, and exits the city as North Henderson Street. Galesburg is additionally served by Illinois State Route 97 , Route 41 , Route 164 , and Knox County highways 1, 7, 9, 10, 25, 30, 31, and 40. Galesburg Municipal Airport provides general aviation access, while Quad City International Airport and General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport provide commercial flights. Galesburg will be home to

8844-424: The closure of their Milwaukee , Wisconsin and Waukegan, Illinois plants over the next two years. OMC released the 1997 FICHT fuel injected motor in 1996 to meet stiffer EPA guidelines. This motor used gasoline direct injection developed by Ficht GmbH Germany. This motor had problems due to the transition phase of operation being exactly at the same trolling speed of many fishermen and had problems early on, and

8976-552: The company and reflecting a flattening of future market potential. OMC discontinued them the following year. Snowmobiles, constituting about 4 percent of sales volume in 1972, were offered in 1973 with an optional Wankel engine costing about $ 235 more than the conventional motor. Though this was the United States's first introduction to the revolutionary rotary engine, OMC's hopes of success were dashed by heavy competition from other snowmobile brands, as well as by two winters of sparse snow. Snowmobile production came to an end in 1976, after

9108-417: The company announced that it would exit the sport boat business citing a decline in global sales in the marine industry . This meant the loss of 350 jobs, including most of those at a plant in Benton, Illinois . On May 29, 2013, the company announced the closing of an initial public offering of 12,200,000 subordinate voting shares of the company at a price of $ 21.50 per share resulting in gross proceeds to

9240-427: The company licensed his patents to create the Sea-Doo personal watercraft . On January 23, 1969, the company became a public company , listing on the Montreal Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange . In 1969–1970, the standard round windows reminiscent of portholes were replaced with larger rectangular windows that provided more interior light. A change was made to the Chrysler Industrial 318 engines with

9372-427: The company of approximately $ 262,300,000. The net proceeds from the offering were used to repay outstanding loans. The company's shares now trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois , United States. The city is 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Peoria . At the 2010 census , its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and

9504-875: The company passed to its bankers. Next came an attempt to lessen its reliance on seasonal sales by entry into the refrigerator-compressor market. This last-ditch effort did not revive the business, and shortly thereafter Johnson was for sale. In 1935, the Outboard Motors Corporation bought the Johnson Motor Company. Its $ 800,000 price tag brought Outboard a well-known line of outboards and plant and equipment worth $ 1.5 million. It also brought Outboard established overseas markets in China, Burma, Iran, and Albania, to broaden Evinrude's array of dealers in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Another plus

9636-453: The company presidency after his father's death in 1934. These longtime staff members were all on hand with the return of peacetime, when the company converted its facilities back to the production of Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors. Spending $ 8 million on plant expansion and improvement by 1952, Outboard then offered models ranging from one-cylinder, 3 horsepower engines to two-cylinder, 25 horsepower models. Several acquisitions broadened

9768-477: The company subsidiary list in 1957. Well known in the utility vehicle field, Cushman had manufactured the Airborne, a motor scooter dropped by parachute for ground transport of paratroopers. Later the company's lightweight vehicles became popular for agricultural, industrial, and recreational use. Costing 114,000 shares at 30¢ par, the new acquisition added three-wheel mail carriers, golf carts, and motor scooters to

9900-425: The company through the hectic war years were Outboard oldtimers. In addition to Briggs, there was Joseph G. Rayniak, director of manufacturing research, whose career dated back to the Johnson brothers' 2 horsepower Light Twin, unveiled in 1922. There was Finn T. Irgens, holder of 92 patents, who had risen to be director of engineering from a start with Ole Evinrude, in 1929. There was Ralph Evinrude, who had succeeded to

10032-467: The company upon his father's death in 1964. He quit and sold his shares in 1966 after a disagreement with other family members. Laurent Beaudoin , the son-in-law of the founder, then became president, a position he held until 1999. In 1967, the company was renamed Bombardier Limited . By that time, the snowmobiles were very useful for the Inuit . In 1968, Clayton Jacobson II invented the jet ski and

10164-628: The competitors themselves. Chief among these were the Japanese firm Yamaha, eating into OMC's European market, and Brunswick Corporation, makers of premium-priced Mercury outboards. A joint venture between Yamaha and Brunswick had produced a low-cost engine called Mariner; thus Brunswick then had an engine at both high and low ends of the market, leaving OMC sandwiched in the middle. With his newly united company behind him, Strang cleared this hurdle by slashing prices by 25 percent and also by making sure that all products offered by competitors were available in

10296-748: The construction of the Cameron Connector southwest of town enabled Amtrak to reroute the Southwest Chief via the Mendota Subdivision and join the California Zephyr and Illinois Zephyr at the Burlington Northern depot. A series of mergers eventually united both lines under the ownership of BNSF Railway , carrying an average of seven freight trains per hour between them. With the closure of

10428-492: The dealers. In addition to the engines, selling mostly in seasonal markets, there were other items broadening the product lines. The Lawn-Boy lawnmower had been an Evinrude staple since 1932, along with pumps for drainage, firefighting, and lawn spraying. Offerings from Johnson included small generators, a gasoline engine for washing machines, and refrigerators. In combination with the motors, all these produced net sales of $ 6.8 million by 1937, generating profits of $ 945,000. In

10560-473: The drawings himself. The younger generation took over, led by Armand's sons and sons-in-law, reorganizing and decentralizing the company. The company adopted computer inventory, accounting, and billing. Distribution networks were improved and increased, and an incentive program was developed for sales staff. That year, a survey was mailed to Ski-Doo owners to find out how the product was being used. Germain Bombardier, who had been groomed by his father, took over

10692-508: The early 1940s, Outboard's facilities were all converted to the production of war materials. Bomb fuses, aircraft engines, and firefighting apparatus flowed from the Outboard factories, along with landing-boat motors for the Navy. Evinrude four-cylinder engines carried troops across the Rhine. Net sales for 1945 reached $ 1.8 million, topping $ 2.5 million the following year. The personnel who steered

10824-427: The early 1950s, Armand set aside his dream to focus on developing his company's other tracked vehicles. But by the end of the decade, smaller, more efficient engines had been developed and were starting to come on the market. Armand resumed his efforts to build a "miniature" snowmobile. He worked alongside his eldest son Germain, who shared his father's mechanical talents. Armand and Germain developed several prototypes of

10956-417: The early 1950s, Bombardier focused on developing a snowmobile for one or two passengers. A breakthrough occurred in 1957 when Bombardier developed a one-piece molded rubber continuous track with enough durability to provide snow-gripping traction for lightweight vehicles. The vehicle was called the "Ski-Dog" because it was meant to replace the dog sled for hunters and trappers. However, in 1958, " Ski-Doo "

11088-449: The early 1970s, Bombardier built the most successful snowcat models ever produced by any snowcat manufacturer. The B12 seated 12 people, and the C18 seated 18. Both were similar in design with long tracks in the rear and skis used to steer the vehicle. The B12 and C18 were very fast for their day, with speeds over the snow exceeding 30 miles per hour. Most historic and most modern snowcats have

11220-506: The engine with fresh water while it was running. The Spitfire and Silver-Star models also used an infra-red sensor system called Optical Ignition System (OIS 2000). This system automatically advanced the engine timing to eliminate unwanted timing changes. Other advancements in 1991 included smaller, more fuel efficient diesel stern drive models. The OMC Cobra Diesel was a 970-pound, 3.2 liter, six-cylinder monoblock inline powerhouse that produced 205-hp at 4300 rpm. Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)

11352-456: The fastest-growing segment of the business, also at 7 percent. Chain saw sales accounted for 4 percent of the final figure, while a full 70 percent came from marine products. The only failure of the decade was the boat-building enterprise; initially small operating losses grew each year, until the line was sold to Chris-Craft in 1970. Otherwise, the 1960s had been lucrative, as the 1969 net sales figure of $ 327.1 million showed. The 1970s began with

11484-572: The first product of the company, the Ski-Doo snowmobile, had become its weakest part, producing deficits and high inventories.   In 2001 Bombardier purchased the Evinrude Outboard Motors and Johnson Outboards trade names for the insolvent Outboard Marine Corporation . In 2003, the company sold Bombardier Recreational Products to a group of investors: Bain Capital (50%), Bombardier Family (35%) and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (15%) for $ 875 million. Before

11616-608: The first subscribers to the college-founding plan arrived and began to settle what would become Galesburg. Galesburg, populated from the first by abolitionists, was home to one of the first anti-slavery societies in Illinois and was a stop on the Underground Railroad . The city was the site of the fifth Lincoln–Douglas debate . held on October 7, 1858. Galesburg also was the home of Mary Ann "Mother" Bickerdyke , who provided hospital care for Union soldiers during

11748-526: The former CEO of Whirlpool Corporation , was hired to replace Chapman. When the boat industry finally rebounded from its economic downturn in 1994, OMC did not have enough of the right kind of product for its customers since much of it had been sold by Chapman. Bowman immediately formed a joint venture with Volvo to consolidate two engines into one brand name, finalized a contract with a German firm to bring in new technology for high-pressure fuel injectors so that OMC engines could be more fuel-efficient, initiated

11880-492: The fourth weekend of June. The festival began in 1977 as an open house to the public from the then Burlington Northern. Burlington Northern gave train car tours of their yards. The city started having street fairs to draw more people to town. In 1981, the Galesburg Railroad Museum was founded and opened during Railroad Days. For a while, the city and the railroad worked together on the celebrations. In 2002,

12012-444: The holdings of Murray Industries, Inc., makers of Chris-Craft boats. That same year, OMC sold off Lawn-Boy, a popular lawn mower company, and Cushman to The Toro Company and Ransomes respectively. The sales netted a much needed $ 248 million in cash for OMC. One portion of the money was used for capital improvements for its boatbuilding facilities while another portion was invested in building a new Suncruiser aluminum pontoon boat. Despite

12144-481: The industrial vehicles division to the Camoplast of Sherbrooke , Quebec. The industrial vehicles division made tracked vehicles such as snowcats , sidewalk snow removal tractors, and Tracked Utility Vehicles, including the descendant of their original Muskeg tractor. In October 2007, Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. ordered at least some U.S. ATV dealerships to stop selling vehicles to Canadian customers, as

12276-554: The large expenditures, OMC's decision to focus on boatbuilding proved to be a good one. OMC was able to pair boats with appropriately powered outboards and sales of boat packages doubled within a one-year timeframe. Smaller and quieter V-6s were introduced in 1991 in the form of the Evinrude Spitfire and the Johnson Silver-Star series. These outboards featured a new flushing device that could be used to flush

12408-634: The latter is how the company refers to it. The Guinness World Record for the “Largest Parade of Can-Am Spyder Roadsters” was established in 2010 when 438 Can-Am Spyders paraded around Magog, Quebec . In 2018, the Can-Am Ryker was launched as a simpler, more easygoing counterpart to the Spyder. Beginning in the 1970s, Bombardier also built several sailboat models, including the Invitation sailboat, with hull length of 15 ft 7 in (4.7 m);

12540-414: The lightweight snowmobile and finally, the first Bombardier snowmobile went on sale in 1959. The Ski-Doo was intended to be named the "Ski-Dog" because Bombardier meant it to be a practical vehicle to replace the dogsled for hunters and trappers. By accident, a printer misinterpreted the name and printed "Ski-Doo" in the first sales brochure. Public interest in the small snowmobiles grew quickly. Suddenly

12672-451: The mid-19th century. A daily, it is the main newspaper of the city, and was owned by Copley Press until it was sold to Gate House Media in April 2007. The Zephyr was started in 1989, was published on Thursdays and was the only locally owned newspaper until its final edition December 9, 2010. The New Zephyr began publication in early 2013. It is published every Friday. The Knoxville Bulletin

12804-451: The more time-consuming method of piecemeal assembly in several locations. In 1956, the company changed its name to Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). The same year, OMC purchased Industrial Engineering, Canada's largest chain-saw manufacturer, for C$ 2.55 million plus 40,000 shares. OMC moved this new subsidiary to Peterborough, Ontario, and changed the name Industrial Engineering to Pioneer Saws Ltd . Cushman (company) of Nebraska joined

12936-490: The name Muskeg tractor. Each track is composed of two or more rubber belts joined into a loop. The loops are held together with interior wheel guides and exterior cleats, commonly called grousers . The tracks are driven by a large drive sprocket that engages the grousers in sequence and causes the track to rotate. Two belt tracks were common on early model Bombardiers and muskeg machines. For deep-snow use, wider tracks, employing additional belts, are used for added flotation over

13068-642: The new engines. During the 1960s, public interest in novel sports offered new market potential. Alert to novel trends, OMC entered the snowmobile industry with enthusiasm, introducing the Evinrude Skeeter and the Johnson Skee-Horse in 1964, each sure to thrill riders with speeds of more than 30 miles per hour. Another innovation was the Evinrude Aquanaut for skin diving, also sold under the Johnson tradename Air-Buoy. Consisting of

13200-403: The newer stern-drive engines. Production began the following year, helping to raise sales to $ 151.9 million by 1962. The stern-drive, or inboard-outboard motors, were available both as separate units for boat-builders, or as components of boats produced by OMC. Built to give the fuel economy and dependability of inboard engines, they were nevertheless as versatile as outboards. By 1965 the company

13332-463: The population. 17.4% were of German , 12.6% American , 11.5% Irish , 11.3% Swedish and 9.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000 . There were 13,237 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who

13464-476: The presidency of the company, succeeding Robert F. Wallace, whose short tenure had lasted from January 1982. Like his predecessors, Chapman grappled with the Waukegan Harbor question. This issue was finally laid to rest in April 1989, when the U.S. Department of Justice ordered OMC to fund a trust to remove the pollutants from Lake Michigan. This was just the beginning of OMC's problems, however. In 1988,

13596-654: The principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area , which includes all of Knox and Warren counties. Galesburg is home to Knox College , a private four-year liberal arts college, and Carl Sandburg College , a two-year community college. A 496-acre (201 ha) section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galesburg Historic District . Galesburg

13728-459: The purchase of Outboard Marine Corporation ). Bombardier Recreational Products no longer sells outboards under the Johnson brand since 2007, as they have moved all sales entirely to Evinrude Outboard Motors. They support existing Johnson outboard motors through servicing and parts. They also produce motorcycle motors, kart motors, and small airplane motors, through their Rotax division. In December 2004, Bombardier Recreational Products Inc, sold

13860-416: The railroad backed out of the festival and there were no yard tours. In 2003 the city worked with local groups to revamp the festival and the Galesburg Railroad Museum resumed bus tours of the yards. The Galesburg Railroad Museum has continued to provide tours of the yards since then. In 2010, the Galesburg Railroad Museum started offering a VIP tour of the yards, in which a select group of riders are allowed in

13992-531: The rear, designed for the worst winter conditions of the flatland Canadian countryside. After producing half-tracks in World War II for the Canadian Army , the company experimented with new forms of track systems and developed an all-tracked, heavy duty vehicle designed for logging and mining operations in extreme wilderness conditions, such as heavy snow or semiliquid muskeg . They produced it under

14124-403: The sales were a violation of dealer agreements to respect assigned geographic boundaries. Bombardier also announced that the warranty on any craft purchased by a Canadian in the United States – even if the purchase was initially made by an American - would be void. Newspaper articles revealed that some models were being sold in Canada for as much as 40% above prices in the U.S. In September 2012,

14256-504: The smoking and knocking of these engines, along with many pistons and rods exploding out the sides of the engine block, created an aura of doom to potential new customers. Some outboard motor industry insiders have speculated the rush to meet EPA standards helped with the undoing of OMC. OMC press release 22 December 2000 WAUKEGAN, Ill., Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) Outboard Marine Corporation and several of its subsidiaries today filed for voluntary reorganization under Chapter 11 of

14388-416: The snow. The research for the track base made it possible to produce a small, continuous-rubber track for the light one- or two-person snowmobile the founder of the company had dreamed about during his teen years. This led to the invention of snowmobiles . The company created the snowmobile market, and held its own after international competitors entered the market in the late 1960s. From the 1940s through

14520-464: The snowmobile industry against competitors Polaris Industries and Arctic Cat . In 1963, Roski was created in Roxton Falls, Quebec as a manufacturer of composite parts for the Ski-Doo. In the 1960s, V-8 engines were added. On February 18, 1964, J. Armand Bombardier died of cancer at age 56. Until then, he oversaw all areas of operation and controlled the research department, making all

14652-422: The start of the company's development of track vehicles, Joseph-Armand Bombardier experimented with propeller-driven aerosleds . His work with snowplane designs can be traced to before 1920. He quickly abandoned his efforts to develop a snowplane and turned his inventive skills to tracked vehicles. From the start, the company made truck-sized half-track vehicles, with skis in the front and caterpillar tracks in

14784-500: The state-supported Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr take passengers to Chicago or points west, while the California Zephyr discharges passengers only on its eastbound run since the other trains provide ample service. Galesburg Transit provides bus service in the city. There are four routes: Gold Express Loop, Green Central Loop, Red West Loop, and Blue East Loop. BNSF provides rail freight to Galesburg and operates

14916-404: The third weekend of every August, a Civil War and pre-1840s rendezvous is held at Lake Storey Park. Amtrak , the national passenger rail system, provides service from Chicago on four trains daily. It operates the California Zephyr , Carl Sandburg , Illinois Zephyr , and Southwest Chief daily from Chicago Union Station to Galesburg station and points west. The Southwest Chief and

15048-430: The time the only engine option for the extra packages was the 1000. The XT had upgraded wheels, winch, front bumper and upgraded gauge and steering wheel. The X package had Bumpers, rock sliders , XT gauge and steering wheel, X package seats, and beadlock wheels. Commander Limited includes air ride suspension, an am/fm radio with four speakers, an iPod adapter, XT package and built-in touch screen GPS. All Can Am ATVs except

15180-539: The top of the list. Complete separation of the two since the company's beginnings had fostered an intense rivalry between them, along with disregard for competition by manufacturers outside the company. To unite the company against outside competitors, in 1978 Strang centralized all domestic manufacturing operations at the corporate headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois, charging vice president James C. Chapman with responsibility for their coordination, as well as for manufacturing policy. Next came long-range plans for dealing with

15312-477: The way for a new stern-drive engine, to supersede previous models. After reviewing the stern-drive market, the company sent interviewers to dealers and service department personnel, gathering information for the ideal stern-drive engine. The result was the OMC Cobra, introduced in 1985. Designed for both boat builders and consumers, its 7.5 liter engine delivered 340 horsepower. In 1984, James Chapman stepped into

15444-436: The world's largest manufacturer of powerboats. Motorized transport was just becoming an everyday part of life in 1907, when Ole Evinrude first mass-produced a practical outboard engine for boats. Evinrude placed an advertisement in a motor magazine to introduce his motor, drawing so many inquiries from U.S. and overseas readers that he decided to try large-scale production. Needing financial help with this undertaking, he found

15576-400: Was $ 14.3 million even after selling assets such as the corporate jet. In April 1997, OMC hired Salomon Brothers to explore future option such as a buyout or merger. In 1997, Detroit Diesel made a $ 16 a share bid for OMC. They were outbid at $ 18 a share by Alfred Kingsley who previously owned 2 million shares purchased at $ 17 a share and had no experience in the outboard industry. The deal

15708-410: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. The population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% 65 or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for

15840-567: Was Johnson's niche in the refrigeration market; Outboard established the Gale Products Division at Galesburg, Illinois , to manufacture this new line. Expansion brought changes. No longer devoted to purely marine interests, the company changed its name in 1936, to the Outboard Marine & Manufacturing Company. Stephen F. Briggs resigned his Outboard chairmanship temporarily—he had held this position since 1929 to take

15972-478: Was a mechanic who dreamed of building a vehicle that could "float on snow". In 1935, in a repair shop in Valcourt , Quebec , he designed and produced the first snowmobile using a drive system he developed that revolutionized travel in snow and swampy conditions. In 1937, he patented and sold 12 of the 7-passenger "B7" snow coaches . They were used in rural Quebec to take children to school, carry freight, deliver mail, and as ambulances. In 1941, Bombardier opened

16104-429: Was accidentally painted on the first prototype, and immediately became the popular name. The public soon discovered the fun of speedy vehicles zooming over snow, and a new winter sport was born, centered in Quebec. In the first year, Bombardier sold 225 Ski-Doos; four years later, 8,210 were sold. Bombardier slowed promotion of the Ski-Doo line to prevent it from crowding out other company products, while still dominating

16236-573: Was backed by George Soros . Carl Icahn , a corporate raider who bought TWA in 1988, is said to blame Kingsley his lieutenant during the 1980s for the ensuing TWA bankruptcy a few years later. David Jones, former Mercury Marine Division president until August 1997, was hired by Kingsley in September 1997 to become the President and CEO of OMC, but resigned in August 2000 due to financial turmoil at OMC. In March 1998, OMC laid off 200 employees after earlier laying off 348. In September 1998, OMC announced

16368-416: Was cooperation, operations were largely independent. This left each division to award contracts to outside bidders as well as those sharing a place under the Outboard umbrella. Even export sales operations were handled differently; although they were all routed through the Waukegan headquarters, Johnson tended to sell directly to its dealers, while most Evinrude sales were passed through distributors and then to

16500-433: Was designed to specialize in one manufacturing function. In addition, overseas plants were refined to reduce operations costs and provide more efficient handling and storage. Streamlining made product innovation easier. Power steering, variable-ratio oiling—delivering exact mixtures of gasoline and oil to the engine—and saltwater protection were new features appreciated by powerboat buyers. Starting in 1983, OMC began to prepare

16632-497: Was formed in 1929 when ELTO was merged with Lockwood-Ash Motor Company. They began using the name OMC in 1956. Outboard Marine Corporation was the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of outboard motors and second largest producer of powerboats. Based in Waukegan, Illinois the company had become famous for its brand-name Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors, as well as its Chris-Craft and Grumman powerboats. Other products under

16764-550: Was founded by George Washington Gale , a Presbyterian minister from New York state who had formulated the concept of the manual labor college and first implemented it at the Oneida Institute near Utica , New York. In 1836 Gale publicized a subscription- and land purchase-based plan to found manual labor colleges in the Mississippi River valley. Land was purchased for this purpose in Knox County and in 1837

16896-483: Was introduced on some OMC drive systems in 1993, representing the first time that EFI was available to recreational stern drive customers. With the previous carbureted systems, boaters had to endure a nine-step starting sequence. With the EFI, boaters had only to turn the key and shift into gear. By 1993, OMC had more than 20 brands in the marketplace, ranging from canoes to cruisers. Operations were divided into three groups –

17028-446: Was not easy to maintain the company's competitive edge against the Japanese at this time, but Strang slashed budgets, reducing his work force by one-third, to save an annual pretax amount of $ 47 million. The reward for this effort showed at the end of fiscal 1982, when net sales reached $ 778 million. OMC was now in a position to spend $ 100 million on the construction and tooling of nine new plants. Contrary to previous practice, each plant

17160-613: Was selling only about 20,000 stern drives a year, however, and sales of the outboards were still outpacing them tenfold. The problem stemmed from the engine's state-of-the-art technology; many dealers did not know how to repair these motors, and owners were often ignorant of maintenance needs. OMC met this challenge by developing computerized week-long repair and maintenance classes for dealer training. Four schools, two permanently stationed in San Francisco, California, and Waukegan, Illinois, and two mobile units familiarized customers with

17292-565: Was successful on flat lands, frozen lakes, and snow-covered roads, it could not compete on rough, off-road conditions. The combination of the lack of design flexibility, incompatibility with off-road conditions, and the advent of modern snowplowing practices of public roadways beginning in the 1950s, and becoming common in remote areas by the 1960s, probably led to the demise of the B12/C18 design. Today, B12s are still in used in large-scale ice fishing in northern Canada. Notable competitors included

17424-622: Was the last model year for Can-Am. In 2007 Bombardier renamed their all-terrain vehicle line of products Can-Am. Can-am Off-Road has seven models of ATVs, the Outlander, the Renegade, the Commander, The Maverick, the DS, the Traxter, the Quest, and the Rally. The Traxter and Quest (no longer in production) had two engine sizes 500cc and 650cc. The Rally (also no longer in production) was available with

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