Business Details

Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) was a maker of Evinrude & Johnson boat motors & many different brands of boats. Evinrude initially began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1907. OMC was based in Waukegan, Illinois. They also owned several lines of boats such as Chris Craft, Lowe Boats, Princecraft, Four Winns, SeaSwirl, Stratos, & Javelin. OMC was also a parent company to Ryan, which made lawn mowers. OMC sold 100,000 motors in 2000 & had one third of the outboard market. OMC filed for bankruptcy in December 2000 & laid off 7,000 employees. They announced they would no longer warranty their product. This left many owners in limbo wondering if the future owner would warranty their products as the future owner is not legally liable but could as a sign of goodwill. The names Johnson & Evinrude were won by bid in February 2001 by Bombardier Recreational Products & the boat division by Genmar Corporation of Minnesota. At the 2001 Miami Boat Show they both said they would do their best to support dealers & warranties. The former OMC plant #2 in Waukegan, Illinois is now a United States Environmental Protection Agency superfund cleanup site funded by taxpayers.