Outdoors
Johnson CD-11 Outboard Motor
by Johnson
89
7 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Jun 2025
The Johnson CD-11 is a small gasoline outboard boat motor produced in 1954 by Johnson Motors, designed to mount on a boat's transom for lake and river use.
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 6, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Reddit users report Johnson outboards from the 1950s-60s still running reliably decades later with only basic upkeep, including one that spent time submerged at the bottom of a lake, was dried out and had its fluids changed, then ran trouble-free for another 40 years.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as June 2025
Show 1 more mention
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Looks well maintained too!
Tags
outboard-motor boat-motor vintage small-engine
71 years old and this 1954 Johnson CD-11 still works perfectly to get around on my lake.
If you can get around the lake simply being powered by your Johnson that's truly impressive.
Cool to see it running
Dried it out, changed the fluids and ran it another 40 trouble free years
Mines 6 years younger. It's a tank
I used to get compliments on it all the time especially from old timers who remembered them fondly