In 1966, Boston Whaler founders Dick Fisher and Bob Pierce launched the Bearcat, a revolutionary four-stroke outboard based on a WWII-era marine engine. Quiet, clean, and fuel-efficient, it outperformed contemporary two-strokes. But despite its innovation, the Bearcat struggled commercially due to dealer loyalty to Mercury and Johnson/Evinrude. Though discontinued in 1972, it remains a case study in how market dynamics—not technology—can determine a product’s fate, decades ahead of its time.
outboard, bearcat, vintage outboard
