Kahlenberg 336-AT 45-54hp was ordered July 22, 1946 and shipped on August 22, 1946, to Wilfred “Manny” Boutin (1907-1979) of Bayfield, Wisconsin. It replaced a two-cylinder Kahlenberg 30-36 engine in his boat “Old Glory”, a 44 foot wood fish tug. Wilfred was part of the multi-generational family business of fishermen which still operates today.
Wilfred operated “Old Glory” until the early 60’s at which point he sold the boat to his brother Allison. The boat was abandoned around 1968 and subsequently burned after the removal of the Kahlenberg, net lifter and other equipment. Former Bayfield fisherman Clifford Hadland told me Old Glory was made locally from red oak because suitable white oak was not available. This would most definitely have contributed to its demise. The boat originally had a two cylinder Kahlenberg but got upgraded to the three cylinder engine in 1946.
According to Clifford Hadland, the engine was purchased by a man nicknamed “The Michigan Swindler” who was known in the Great Lakes area to buy and sell fishing vessels and parts. He shipped 336-AT to the Kahlenberg factory in Two Rivers, Wisconsin for an overhaul. The engine was rebuild by the factory in 1968 but went unsold and unused for nearly six years due to lack of payment by “The Michigan Swindler”. Kahlenberg finally sold the engine in January of 1974 to Lloyd Mollhagen (1924-1995) of St Joseph, Michigan for his boat Faith II. The Faith II is a 44 foot steel (3/8″ thick hull!) fish tug built by Berger in 1946. 336-AT replaced the original Kahlenberg 45-54 in Faith II. Lloyd fished the boat out of the St Joseph River until 1977, the landing now a restaurant and bar.
Although I have no proof at all, I believe that 336-AT had to be one of the last engines to leave the factory. Kahlenberg had long since stopped manufacturing new engines and few, if any, engines were being rebuild by the mid-1970s. It seems possible the engine was sold as part of a final cleaning-out as the factory had shifted to other manufacturing. Kahlenberg did sell engine parts for many years afterwards.
The Faith II was then purchased by Donald Voight (1926-2015) of Gills Rock, Wisconsin, part of another multi-generational fishing family. In 1986 Don replaced the Kahlenberg with a Cummins diesel and the old engine was placed in his back yard in good working order. The Faith II continues to fish out of Gills Rock, now operated by Don’s son Lyle.
The old Kahlenberg was stored outside but covered under tarps. She was frequently oiled and turned over by Don, and was occasionally started! The engine is believed to have last been run in 2002 in the presence of my father among others.
I purchased the engine from Lyle Voight in October of 2016 and subsequently moved it to Minnesota where it is now stored in my shop with restoration underway. My goal is to bring the engine back to life in good original order and have it look good doing it, possibly mounted and displayed in a trailer to share with others.
The above information was pieced together from a number of sources including the Kahlenberg factory, www.HarveyHadland.com, Clifford Hadland and Lyle Voight, along with a fair amount of Googling.