The Gold Cheetah Outboard Motor was produced by
Boundy Manufacturing Company and John Boundy Industries, Springvale and
Clayton, Victoria respectively from approximately 1954 through to 1960.
Boundy was essentially a manufacturer of Lawn
Mowers. He produced three models, The Lawn Cub which was powered by a JAP 80,
and the Lawn Scout & Lawn Patrol which comprised a Boundy designed 3.6hp
Single Cylinder Air Cooled engine, initially named the Gold Cheetah and more
recently the BMS10.
Unlike most other small engines of that era, the
Gold Cheetah/BMS10 engine comprised a forward mounted ignition box rather than
the more traditional flywheel magneto. The ignition box housed the coil, points
and condensor. The coil was energized by a magnet affixed to the upper crank
lobe via an aluminium insert. This lobe also drove a small pushrod that passed
through the crank case to operate the points.
With the unique design of the Gold Cheetah/BMS10
engine, came several unique problems that were not easily repairable. The small
pushrod that passed through the crankcase wall to operate the points would
allow crank case vapors and oil to pass into the ignition box thus causing
erratic running and often made the engine impossible to start. In addition, the
crankpin would loosen after the blades had struck a few obstacles, making the
engine non-serviceable. The crankpin issue that was less a problem with the
Gold Cheetah outboard of course which was further protected by a shear-pin in
the prop assembly. None the less, the lack of long reliability resulted in many
Boundy mowers and outboard motors being scrapped, thus making complete examples
still in existence today, rare and collectable.
From the above it becomes
apparent that the Gold Cheetah Outboard takes its name from the original 3.6hp
Single Cylinder Air-cooled Boundy engine that powers it.
Records, highlights
and acknowledgements to follow:
