PATH:  Boat Production » Boat Equip » Propulsion » Engines »

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PAGE CONTENTS:
Eska Introduction, Overview, History, Contact Information, etc.
Eska Engine Specifications with Model Links to Detailed Specifications, Data Sources, etc.
Documentation: Catalogs, Brochures, SpecSheets, OpManuals, Parts Lists, Shop Manuals, etc.
Forum Posts, Tech Tips & Tech Notes.
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Academy Members’ Comments that ONLY current Academy Members can submit & view.
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The Eska Outboard motor was manufactured from 1961 to 1987 in Dubuque, Iowa. Motors were sold under numerous brand names. Most all Department Stores, Hardware Stores and some Auto Parts Stores sold these outboards, at one time or another. Some were sold under the Eska name and some under a private brand.   The Power Heads were all manufactured by Tecumseh (Tec) Engines. These Power Heads were all Air Cooled, except the 9.9 through 15 horsepower Twin Cylinders. Most all of the Eska outboards had water cooled exhaust columns using “ram tubes” just aft of the propellers (small engines) or rubber impeller pumps (larger engines).

Hard core parts for these outboards are getting more difficult to find as time goes on. Many older outboards used common Ignition and Carburetor vendors for that period.

More from www.discount-marine-parts.com.

History

Lavern Kascel and Bud Essman formed the ESKA Company in 1945. The name of the company was created from the first two letters of Essman and the first two letters of Kasel.

In the early years, Eska manufactured the first die cast pedal tractors, and until the mid-1950s, Frederick ERTL worked in the die-cast department of the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS. He bought a small, used die-casting machine, which he installed in his garage on Asbury Road and made the small die cast parts for model tractor toys (not the riding pedal versions that came later) for ESKA. ESKA sold to the toy industry as well as to farm implement dealers.

The ESKA planned to provide Ertl farm toys to companies with the ordering company’s original equipment manufacturer’s logo. Under an agreement of the three men, Ertl products were delivered to ESKA which then shipped them. Another agreement was that Ertl made tractors and ESKA manufactured implements, but not tractors.

The agreement continued until 1948 when ESKA began producing steel-stamped farm implements in its factory at 32nd and White. In 1950-51, Carter Tu-Scale took over the ESKA manufacturing operation and moved it from Dubuque to Rockford, Illinois. The acquisition allowed Carter Tru-Scale to expand its farm toy production under the Carter Tru-Scale and ESKA brands. When Ertl discontinued the production of large sand-cast riding, or pedal, tractors, ESKA gained another product. ESKA made several varieties of John Deere pedal tractors and trailers. In 1950 Eska also made cardboard farm buildings.

Bud Essman sold out to Lavern Kascel sometime around 1955. Around 1960, William A. Wright, Jr. (Vice President of Manufacturing) and Luke Sapan of Long Island, NY (Vice President of Sales) each bought 1/3 of Lavern Kascel’s shares and the three became equal partners in The ESKA Company.

At around the same time, ESKA, which had begun manufacturing lawn mowers and chain saws in the mid-1950s, added the Eska Sno-Flyr snowblowers to its line and lost interest in the toy industry. In 1960-61 Ertl obtained Eska’s licensing right for Deere, International Harvester, Case, Oliver, and Allis Chalmers.

By 1980 Eska, a subsidiary of Talley Industries of Mesa, Arizona, purchased the Clinton outboard motor product line from the Clinton Engines Corp. The purchase was to consolidate area manufacturers to maintain a strong hold on the market which had dropped due to the lagging economy. Eska Company went out of business in 1986.

Past Locations:

The 1948 Dubuque Classified Business Directory listed the corner of Jackson and E. 32nd.

In 1957 through 1967 the company was located at 100 West Second Street.

The 1970 – 1986 Dubuque City Directories listed The Eska Company Inc. at 2400 Kerper.

From Encyclopedia Dubuque.

William A. WRIGHT, Jr.

William A. Wright, Jr. who passed away in 2012, made a big impact on fishing.

Born in Maryland, Wright moved to Dubuque, Iowa in 1950, following a stint in the Army Air Corps and a few years of college, where he studied engineering. He worked for two years at Dubuque Stamping and Manufacturing, then earned an economics degree at University of Dubuque.

He began work at The Eska Company and, within a few years, became a partner. Among his work were innovations for lawn mowers and snow blowers. With that technical expertise — and an interest in fishing — Wright developed an affordable outboard motor by mounting a small, air-cooled lawn mower engine onto an old Evinrude lower unit.

By the early 1960s, the product had become fine-tuned enough to market. Fishermen were the primary audience for the 3.5 hp and 5 hp models, the latter selling for $99. When 1,000 were sold in the first two weeks, the company knew it had a winner.

Eska outboards eventually became the world’s best-selling motors under 10 hp, thanks in part to Sears Roebuck & Co., their largest distributor.

Wright and his partners sold The Eska Co. in 1970.

In the early 1970s, baseball Hall of Famer and Sears spokesman Ted Williams paid a visit to Dubuque to honor Wright and the Eska team with The Sears Award of Excellence in manufacturing.

The company, which most recently was located at 2400 Kerper Blvd., went out of business in 1986. But not before making its mark on the fishing world.

From Encyclopedia Dubuque

Contact Information

Eska Company > Out of Business
2400 Kerper Blvd.
Dubuque, IA 52001
Toll Free: 1-8
Phone:
Fax:
Website:
Contact Form:
Email:

Please do not try to contact this marine vendor via our EverythingAboutBoats.org website's Email or Comment system. Comment Rule #9. It will be moderated and trashed.
Please contact them directly.

Eska Private Brand Names

AquaBug       Barracuda       Blue Jet       Coast to Coast       Colt       Explorer       Federals

Fury       Golden Arrow       Golden Jet       Hanimex       Hiawatha       Pathfinder       Sea Hawk

Seabreeze       Seaco       Seacruiser       Sears Canada       Skipper       Sportfisher       Superbug

Voyager       Wiljo

Other Brand Names made by Eska
(These brands assigned their own Model Numbers)

JC Penny       Sea King       Wizard       Sears

Eska Model Number List

1101 – 1734B       1745A – 14034D       14035B – 14241B

Eska   Model Year Guide

1961 – 1966       1967 – 1970       1971 – 1973       1974 – 1975       1976 – 1979       1980 – 1983       1984 – 1987

PIX

Specifications For Eska
2-Stroke Cycle Gasoline Outboard Engines

TABLE KEY:
^ Data: ⊗ = Data Not Available from Data Source. ¿… = …? = Data in Question/Unconfirmed.
BASE ENGINE: Manufacturer/Vendor & Model of Base Engine followed by Specifications.
^ CYL: Cylinder Orientation & Configuration – (Dash w/no spaces) Number of Cylinders:
^ ^ Cylinder Orientation: None = u… = Upright (Vertical). s… = Slanted (Inclined). h… = Horizontal (Pancake).
^ ^ ^ i… = Inverted (Upside Down).
^ ^ Cylinder Configuration: …S = Single Cylinder. …T = Twin Cylinder. I = In-Line.
^ BORE & STROKE: …mm = Millimeters. …in = …” = Inches.
^ DISPLACEMENT = Swept Volume: …cc = Cubic Centimeters (cm³). …L = Liters. …ci = Cubic Inches (in³).
^ DS = Data Source: Click DS Link to view DS. ⊕ = Data Compiled from Multiple Sources.
^ ^ …bd = BD = BoatDiesel.com. Wik = Wikipedia. M = Manufacturer.
^ ^ …d = Directory. …w = Webpage. …y = Years Mfr’d History. …c = Catalog. …b = Brochure. …s = SpecSheet.
^ ^ …o = Owner’s/Operator’s Manual. …m = Service/Repair/Technical/Workshop/Shop Manual.
^ ^ …p = Parts Catalog. …h = History. …f = Forum. …1,2,3,A,B,C,etc = Source #, Version, Revision.
MODEL RATINGS: Base Engine Model, Duty Ratings, Power Ratings, etc.
^ A-F: Aspiration-Fueling: Intake Air uncharged – Petrol.
^ ^ Aspiration: N = Naturally Aspirated (uncharged).
^ ^ Petrol Fueling: C = Carbureted.
^ DR = Duty Ratings: See the Engine Duty Ratings at the end of the Table. ⊕ = Multiple Ratings Available.
^ ^ C = Continuous (eg Workboats). I = Intermittent (eg Pleasurecraft)
^ POWER: kW = Kilowatts. HP = Horsepower. BHP = Brake Horsepower. SHP = SAE Horsepower.
^ ^ sHP = Shaft Horsepower. MHP = Metric Horsepower.
^ RPM = Power Ratings @ Revolutions Per Minute.
^ YEARS: Beginning-Ending. Trailing “–” (Dash) without an Ending Date = Still in Production/Available.
^ ^ Vendors usually market products after production ceases, often until stockpiles are exhausted.
^ DS = Data Source: See DS above.

HOW TO READ THIS TABLE

Each line displays the data available from the identified Data Source (DS). The data is displayed according to the Table Key above. Clicking on the Data Source Link will open a new window for that Data Source. Data Sources include Catalogs, Brochures, SpecSheets, Manuals, Parts catalogs, and Articles.

Keep in mind that Data can be inaccurate in the source material. We do not correct these errors in the table, however we do point them out in the “NOTES” when we find them. Also remember that in a few cases the source material may be illegible. We try to obtain the best source material available. If you wish to point out an error or you can help us obtain good source materials, please let us know via email to⇒Editor@EverythingAboutBoats.org

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Table Under Development

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NOTES:

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Eska
Engine Duty Ratings

Marine:
C = Con = Continuous = Commercial
I = Int = Intermittent = Pleasure Craft

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Product Documentation

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DS = Data Source for Engine Specifications.

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2 – BOAT PRODUCTION.
2.6 – Boat Equipment (Vendors, Specs, Manuals, Reviews, Recalls,+).
2.6.8 – Propulsion Machinery (Types, Configurations, Features, Control Systems,+).
2.6.8.1 – Engine Brands & Manufacturers (Petrol/Gasoline, Diesel, CNG, A~Z,+).
2.6.8.2 – Engine-to-Marine Gear Interfaces (SAE Specs, Damper Plates, Jackshafts,+).
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15.3.2.6 – DIY: Hull Penetrations & Openings (Thru-Hulls, Scuttles, Skylights, Hatches,+).
15.3.3 – DIY: Propulsion Machinery (Control Systems,+).
15.3.3.1 – DIY: Engines (Fuels, Troubleshooting, Repair, Rebuilding vs Repowering,+).
15.3.3.1.1 – DIY: Engine Mechanical (Pistons, Rods, Crankshafts, Blocks, Heads, Valves,+).
15.3.3.1.2 – DIY: Engine Lubrication (Splash, Forced, Oil, Filtration, Additives, Oil Analysis,+).
15.3.3.1.3 – DIY: Engine Fuel (Petrol/Gasoline, Diesel, CNG,+).
15.3.3.1.4 – DIY: Engine Electrical (Starting, Charging, Instrumentation,+).
15.3.3.1.5 – DIY: Engine Cooling (Air, Raw Water, Fresh Water,+).
15.3.3.1.6 – DIY: Engine Exhaust (Dry, Wet,+).
15.3.3.1.7 – DIY: Engine Mounting (Hard, Soft,+).
15.3.3.2 – DIY: Engine-to-Marine Gear Interfaces (Adapters, Dampers, Jackshafts,+).
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15.3.3.4 – DIY: Shafting (Shafts, Couplings, Joints, Thrust Bearings, Seals, Cutlass, Struts,+).
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15.3.4.1 – DIY: Direct Current.
15.3.4.2 – DIY: Alternating Current.
15.3.4.4 – DIY: Auxiliary Generators.
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FROM Spencer: Hello eska family, I have a working Ted Williams 5.5 and broke the gas bulb mount screw while trying to stop leaky bulb .  Argh. So I need a new carb.  Serial numbers are all nearly rubbed off the motor. The carb is stamped with  ? L2 390.  Searches come up with  tecumseh  stuff in will a lawn mower carb work if the holes line up? {200517}

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