Evinrude has produced outboard motors for small watercraft since 1930. Although Evinrude recommends that you visit your local dealer and have him look up the outboard year of manufacture from the current Evinrude reference manual, there are ways to determine the year on your own. Each Evinrude outboard has an eight or nine character model number composed of letters and numbers located on the motor or the mounting bracket. This code can tell you the model, style, horsepower, shaft length, model run, design features and year of manufacture.
Step 1
Determine the year of an Evinrude outboard with a nine-character model number by locating the seventh and eighth character of the number. Nine-character model numbers indicate outboards made between 1980 and 1998. The two letters occupying the seventh and eighth spots in the model number indicate the specific year of manufacture. Evinrude's code is such that each letter corresponds to a single digit; I corresponds to 1, N to 2, T to 3, R to 4, O to 5, D to 6, U to 7, C to 8, E to 9 and S to 0. For example, a code containing the letters CE in the seventh and eighth spaces would correspond to a manufacturing year of 1989.
Step 2
Find the year of manufacture for your Evinrude motor with an eight-character model number by looking for the sixth and seventh character of the number. An eight-character model number indicates an engine made between 1999 and the present. Evinrude corresponds a number with each letter, such that I corresponds to 1, N is 2, T is 3, R is 4, O is 5, D is 6, U is 7, C is 8, E is 9 and S is 0; a code of SS, for example, would indicate an engine made in 2000.
Step 3
Figure out when Evinrude made your outboard engine with a model number consisting of fewer than eight characters by using online reference materials such as those published by Marine Engine, an authorized Evinrude dealer. Because Envinrude outboards made before 1980 do not have a consistent model number code, reference materials are critical. Online references such as those published by Marine Engine feature a list of motors, categorized by horsepower, model number and year of manufacture.
References
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Matt Browning has been writing about health, science, food and travel since 1990. His career has spanned advocacy, medical communications and public relations and his stories have won awards from the Virginia Press Association. Browning earned a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from the University of Virginia.
