The Engine

The 1909 Straubel 6hp engine is the heart and soul of Putt Putt.  This engine was produced in Green Bay, WI by the Straubel Company.  Green Bay’s Austin Straubel airport honors this family.

The Straubel is a 2 cycle, single cylinder engine, one of the first types of gas engines used to power boats, starting at the turn of the century.  Wisconsin was and still is a hotbed of small engine manufacturing.  Foundries around the state produced these engines, some growing into large corporations such as Fairbanks Morse and Evinrude.

This type of engine was also used on farms as stationary engines.  Small 2 cycle engines were even used to power early Maytag washing machines before electricity was widely available.

Most fishermen who bought a Straubel  had never operated a gas engine.  It had to be simple and reliable to survive.  The Straubel has only 7 moving parts and they move quite slowly.  The engineering and workmanship is amazing.  With the one major rebuild in the 1970’s this engine will last another 100 years.

The Straubel is not without its quirks though.  Most who have cruised in Putt Putt have heard it backfire with a loud bark if the mixture goes too lean.  The Straubel engine room (Russ) has been frustrated at times when it won’t putt putt happily.  The Straubel is patiently telling me something is wrong.  Once corrected, it happily starts and runs at its leisurely pace.