1914 Waterman B-2 marine engine

Enlarge Image Image Gallery The circa-1914 Waterman B-2 marine engine, which Tom Stranko bought at a longtime friend’s auction, with the repaired exhaust manifold. Tom Stranko

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The following could be called, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” or, better yet, “I Can Now State Unequivocally That There Are Still Magicians!” No, I have not been smoking any illegal substances. Here is the whole story behind my 1914 Waterman B-2 marine engine:

In September 2008, I got a nice color auction flyer telling me that my longtime friend Howard was having the sale I’d been waiting for. All the antique hit-and-miss gas engines and accessories from his wonderful museum were going on the block.

When the day came I did not have to rush down early because I had already scouted everything. I had taken time to look it all over, take many pictures, etc. I did all the tire kicking and hood lifting (or what passes for it on old iron). I was ready. My brain thought there were two possible “apples of my eye” but my heart knew there was only one. It was a Waterman model B-2, copper-jacketed, magneto-sparked, twin-cylinder, 2-cycle inboard marine engine circa 1914. WOW!

I had never seen the B-2 in the flesh. I know that GEM is strictly G rated but there are so many, well, let’s say “earthy” references I could make about how I “lusted” after such a beauty. Now was my chance to possess one of my very own. I just had to be sure my arm stayed up long enough.

Anyway, I won the bid, loaded up my prize and headed home to really look it over and take photos.

Analyzing the Waterman
Now, I knew that some kind of exhaust manifold that connected the two flanged pipe stubs out of the cylinders was missing but, what, me worry?

I opened my Xerox copy of a Waterman catalog, circa 1914, showing my exact engine. There, in black and white, was the engine image including the manifold. In the picture the manifold was a lighter color (aluminum, like the crank cases) and extended along the whole length of the engine and more. It was bristling with ports, knobs, bosses and threaded openings. Hmm – I realized I didn’t actually need the manifold (now seen as a water-cooled unit) because I could just do what the last owner probably did which was to allow the engine to run without muffler or restriction to get the most RPM from it. I could do this if racing was my thing instead of authenticity. I began to remember how rigidly I had held up my hand at auction day. Could that have been a mistake made in the heat of passion?

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