Jack Craib's Rowboat Motor Information Site

Hiawatha

Hiawatha outboard motors were badge motors made by two different companies, Spinaway and Caille.

The Spinaway made motor has the name cast into the exhaust manifold and MW stamped into the crankcase. MW for Montgomery Ward, a huge mailorder store existing from 1872 to 2001.

Montgomery Ward switched from sourcing their motors from Spinaway to Caille sometime in the later part of 1916.

The two motors below with rudders are the only known examples of their kind and the third is far from common. The only way to ID a later Caille-made Hiawatha (example 3) is by the Hiawatha name on the back of the gas tank. The rudder on the earlier Caille Hiawatha is quite distinctive and was not used on other Cailles.

Both Spinaway and Caille made badge motors for several companies, not just Montgomery Ward.


First, the Spinaway badge motor Hiawatha.
 

This is the earliest known example of a Hiawatha which was sold by Montgomery Ward and made by Spinaway. It is also the ONLY known example!

The Spinaway company, like the Caille company, made many badge motors.

Among these were, in addition to the Hiawatha, the Wilcox-McKim, the Clay, the Nichoalds, and the Northwestern.

Here are photos of the restoration of this motor.
Click here to go to the page of photos of this Hiawatha badge motor made by Spinaway.

1915

Click here to go to another Spinaway made Hiawatha.

 

Next, below is the Hiawatha that Caille produced for Montgomery Ward later in 1916.

~ Click on the small images to view a large one. ~