In a previous column we wrote about old sled collector Ron Berthelette, who lives in the Okanagan Valley, when he posted a number of his “collector-edition” vintage snowmobiles for sale on Facebook.
We’ve already featured his classic Moto-Ski Zephyr snowmobile and this time we'll feature his cool powder-blue Snow Cruiser. Remember—Ron has these sleds for sale, he says he can deliver, all are priced fairly and being fully restored they are of special interest to serious collectors. You can contact Ron at 250-212-2921.
As we have written before on SnoRiders: ”In the fall of 1964, Outboard Marine Corp. (OMC) of Waukegan, Ill., jumped into the fast-growing sport of snowmobiling. With three years of testing under its belt, OMC was ready to tackle the burgeoning market. The company produced three variations out of their Peterborough, Ontario, facility: the Johnson Skee-Horse, the Evinrude Skeeter and, in Canada, they changed the name of the Skeeter to Snow Cruiser. About all that was different was the paint colour and nameplate. The Johnson Skee-Horse was green, the Evinrude Skeeter had a blue tunnel with a white hood, and Snow Cruisers came in blue.”
Here’s a bit more on the Canadian version of the Snow Cruiser as well: “Snow Cruiser was a brand owned by Outboard Marine Corporation of Canada who in turn was a wholly owned subsidiary of the US based OMC. Envirude and Johnson outboard motors were in the same corporate family. Snow Cruiser exclusively sold snowmobiles in Canada from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s. They were manufactured in a large and modern factory located in Peterbough, Ontario. In 1971, OMC discontinued the Snow Cruiser brand and instead choose to market its Evinrude and Johnson line of snowmobiles in Canada.”
Do you have a vintage sled restoration? Tell us about it! We would love to share your old sled story.
