Back in those summer days of 1956, I was in love. No, it wasn't with a girl, gun or dog. It was with an old style outboard motor. I don't know the horsepower, but it would make the old wooden Jon boat dad and I built, skim over the water in a most satisfying way. Much to the concern of my dad, I would take the old motor and head for a place called "The brakes, or breaks" not sure which is correct. It's a place of connected ponds, sloughs and waterways, with an in/outlet to the Mississippi River. Once settled in the boat, I would wind the started rope around the top flywheel and pull. On a good day, it only took 2 or 3 pulls to start. Then, I would thread my way to the outlet at about 1/4 throttle, so as not to alarm people fishing nearby. Once out into the river, I would ram the throttle hard open. The motor would go into it's high pitched whine, the boats nose would rise, wind and spray would be in my face, and I knew what freedom felt like. The old wooden boat seemed to only touch water every so often. I loved the speed, the wind, everything about it. When my dad was along, it made him a nervous wreck though. He would be yelling stuff at me that I couldn't hear over the motor, all the while he would be gripping the side rails of the boat with white knuckles. One day I came home from school to find the space in the basement usually occupied by the motor, empty. Dad said he sold it, for my own good. My folks did a lot of stuff "for my own good". I'm surprised they let me out of their sight before I turned 21. The photo below is similar to the motor I had. Mine seemed larger and was quite heavy.
Is There Such Thing As TOO Much Outboard Motor Horsepower On A Boat? Because you never know when you just might need 2228 horsepower.
It's a different thing for each of us that sets our hearts free and lets us fly...but flying is a wonderful thing. I'm glad you "fell in love" with something that made your heart fly @Ike Willis, especially before your wings got clipped and you had to be grounded.