These remote controllers were ubiquitous from '1962-ish on. They were replacements for the earlier and simple two lever versions also called Shipmaster (Johnson) / Simplex (Evinrude)/ Bo'sun for Gale - often these are just branded BWP. The innards were exactly the same for all variants despite the tin plates riveted as identifiers, in order to support their marketing.. Bear in mind that Mercury had dropped their 2 lever version in 1960/61..so for OMC to continue to sell them well into the 1970s shows their 'appeal' and longevity. Personally I like them only if one has a single boat, but at one stage I had a Mercury single lever controller on one boat and the twin lever on another, which led to some interesting 'docking'. The throttle has to be closed to idle before the gear shifted, so it always seems like a lot of work (and some frantic hand movements).

Over the years I've had some controllers in horrible / corroded condition, but this one came with a nice 40hp Johnson I bought. The levers moved well enough, but I knew that over 56 years the innards needed looking over and servicing.

They're simple to service, if they come apart without using an impact driver. This one was easily unscrewed and once cleaned and put back together has no resistance. As with all controllers, don't go mad with the grease though; the levers are properly bushed and the base / top of those have a plastic roller that runs over a raised section. Unlike the Mercury remotes there are no metal to metal contacts.

Replacement cables for this box are Type 'O' or Type 400, pre-1979 (these cables were in common use from 1950 to 1978). They're quite hard to find in the UK now.