Iron Fist: The Lives of Carl Kiekhaefer

by Jeffrey L. Rodengen

Iron Fist: The Lives of Carl Kiekhaefer, reveals the breathtaking life of the indomitable founder of Mercury Marine. Kiekhaefer was a modern-day giant killer, who delighted in spoiling the well-laid... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0945903049
• ISBN13: 9780945903048
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Write Stuff Syndicate
• Length: 640 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Amazing good biography ...

... especially considering the mountain of paid-for corporate propaganda, 'legends of ...', put out by the same author. I really enjoyed this book, knowing very little about Kiekhaefer before, although my parents were a Mercury dealer 1957-'61. An unforgetable moment was when a Mark 55H was unpacked at our store, ordered by a lawyer with a Class D Speedliner. I got to take it out of mothballs and air it out once in the 1980s. Amazing motor. And the story is about an amazing man who lived and breathed: compete and win. Really interesting that the man who built the world's fastest outboards in the era 1949-'64 grew up on a farm repairing heavy machinery, had never set foot in a boat (the author points out that Robert McCulloch raced outboards in college), and whose aim was to build magnetic separators for livestock feedlots when he fell by accident into the defunct Thor outboard factory. The author apparently tells the whole tale of E.C.K. as he knows it, girlfriends, awful temper, paranoia and all, which makes for a first rate biography. That is, Kiekhaefer (whon some local yokels persisted in calling Kefauver) was a ---, but as one said of others like Patton, he was a magnificient ---. I remember the photo of my Dad standing by the first (red) Mark 75 that arrived in our store in spring, '57, and the twice around the world endurance run at Lake X with two Raveau powered Mark 75s (I also recall reading the factory bulletins). Rodengen tells the tale of cheating and manipulation, how key parts and even powerheads were illegally changed while someone took the auto club observers out to eat. However, his statement that they 'pulled the heads' to clean the carbon from the exhaust ports is technically wrong, they perhaps pulled the exhaust water jacket to clean the ports. Every inline Mercury had a 1-piece block, there was no cylinder head. I liked very much the descriptions of Strang and Rose (both MIT engineers) and Jost. I knew and liked Edgar Rose and Jim Jost during my OPC racing 1977-'85 (although Edgar Rose was widely disliked with respect, he was in charge of motor inspection for APBA), and recall how Charlie Strang appeard at APBA National Championships with his mother. Wonderful story how, while Kiekhaefer was squandering money and engineering effort on car racing, Strang secretly created the first 6 cyl. prototype by cutting and welding 2 4 cyl. blocks and 3 2-cyl. cranks! But that was anyway how Kiekhaefer made the first 4 cyl. prototype from two 2 cyl. blocks and cranks. My father, who was very active in NOA racing, complained to Kiekhaefer Corp. about the enormous size and low gearing of the Mark 75,78, and Merc 800 gearcases. The results, nearly too late in 1960, were the speedmaster and sportsmaster gearcases. The NOA unlimited record was held in 1960 by a John-Rude 75 at about 57 mph on a wooden Allison runabout. The production John-Rude had a high geared stock gearcase that resembled a Quicksilver lower unit. I held the 70-80 cu.

GREAT BOOK

I have collected outboards for years. I have always been a collector of Scott-Atwater outboards and Evinrude's. I have always liked Mercury's, but have never really collected them. I bought this book just to learn a little about the man and the company. Of all the books I have ever read, about outboards, this is the best one. Not just a great outboard book but a great book on the early years of outboards. You would have to put Carl Kiekhaefer in the same category as a Henry Ford and a Bill Gates. He built a company and didn't settle for just being in business, he strived for perfection and dominance. When it was all over he had accomplished both

Part of an unbeatable combination

As anyone reading this review will know, Cark Kiekhaefer was one of the godfathers of the racing world. His Kiekhaefer 625 motors and Don Aronow's cigarette designs, decimated the competition for many years. The book made me appreciate just how hard he strived for success. It also brings to light a softer, more vulnerable side to Kiekhaefer that is endearing. I'm sure he probably would have been highly embarrassed. The book is a great account of a life that I believe would make a great movie. If you liked the offshore world of the 70's and 80's where monohulls and KAM power ruled - you should enjoy the book. The only drawback for me personally was that there weren't more pictures.

An incredible book for Mercury outboards fanatics

As one who grew up on a marina in central Ky., the outboard "wars" of the 1960-70's were a major part of my life. We were Mercury fanatics in Evinrude country. Rodengen's work on the life of Carl Kiekhaefer is mandatory reading for anyone who worshipped at the Mercury altar. It confirms the genius of Kiekhaefer, and the superiority of his product, while at the same time making clear the weaknesses that ultimately led to the loss of his company to Brunswick, and with it the unique "personality" that made Kiekhaefer Mercury the beloved company of its time.The most amazing thing to me was the number of engineering accomplishments and the ultimate dominance of the marine industry by the men in black. For any Mercury devotee, this book will literally cause tears in your eyes. I'm glad it was written.

Biography of Keikhaefer and history of Mercury Outboards

Rodengen has written what is likely to remain the most complete Keikhaefer biography, and because of this man's life will be the detailed history of Mercury outboards. Rodengen reveals here for the first time: who really invented the inboard/outboard and why Volvo and Mercury never challenged each others patents. He details how Keikhaefer made the mistake of a lifetime, and lost everything he had built. How the genius engineer inventor, Charles Strang was lost from Mercury as an employee, and from Carl as a friend, and became instead the leader and CEO of the "Enemy", at Evinrude. Loaded with detail, and fully indexed, a work to be admired and a "must-have" for any Mercury Outboards fanatic.