OMC’s Red Headed Stepchild

[hdted]

I’m a new member. Just thought I’d post a picture of the new toy I drove 770 miles round trip to pick up. Snagged a 1961 Sea King 15 HP that has light use and has been sitting in a garage for over 30 years. Original owner passed away and his wife stated motor has never had anything replaced and is all original. I checked compression and it was 125 on both cylinders. I’m looking forward to going through this motor and putting it back on the water. It came with the original Sea King tank plus a spare prop and a stand that was bought from Montgomery Ward when the motor was purchased.

---

Attachments:

[fleetwin]

Very cool!

[1946zephyr]

Very nice find. Must have been a good deal to drive 770 miles. LOL

[hdted]

I gave all it was worth and then some. My first 2 outboards were Sea Kings, the first bought when I was 14 I bought a 3HP because that’s all I could afford. The next was a 5HP when I was 15. I always wanted a 15HP but could never afford one. I was raised on a farm and picked cotton to make spending money. Now 53 years later I have my 15.

[Steve A W]

Cool story.
That’s a good lookin motor!

Steve A W

Member of the MOB chapter.
I live in Northwest Indiana

[fisherman6]

That is a very sweet Sea King 15. I have a ’62 Sea King 15 like that but blue-gray in color. I like those Gales.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[Mumbles]

Ah, nice motor! I find these Gale built motors to be very attractive and they were available in different colors in the early sixties. Although not as powerful as their eighteen horse cousins, they will still give a decent ride on a light boat.

One thing to watch for on them is the lower crank seal. It’s a lip seal which tends to fall out or disintegrate. The powerhead is basically the same as a ’56 Johnson FD-10 15 horse so gaskets and parts are available. If I remember correctly, the base gasket is slightly different though.

---

Attachments:

[wedgie]

Here’s the Gale Buccaneer badged one for sale on my local Craigslist. Too bad I don’t need another outboard. 🙁

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rds/boa/5812013946.html

[hdted]

I have all the Sea King colors from 1960 to 1963 except for the blue/gray one. I am looking for one of those. The others are all 5 HP that my 12 and 15 year old granddaughters use. They are also into old outboards too. Nice looking Buccaneer. Wish it wasn’t so far away.

[majorramifications]

I have essentially the same motor, but mine is a ’63 and was sold as a Buccaneer and it looks just like the picture that Wedgie posted, but not quite as pretty. The guys on this site are the best and have helped me out numerous times, I mean they really have gone above and beyond.
Here are a couple of links to help you along:
http://richardlpaquette.ca/15D11V15D12V … elogue.PDF

http://richardlpaquette.ca/GaleProducts … Manual.pdf

The first is a parts catalog, and the second is a service manual. You probably already know this, but Gales were made with many different brands on them. Yours is branded for Montgomery Wards and my first Gale was branded to be sold at Esso gas stations. Some guys like to collect a certain type, like Richard who posted those wonderful pdf files I linked to up there. He likes the Viking branded Gales.
The parts list I posted gives numbers for individual parts, but the guys on here can help if you need a part number for a set of parts, like a carburetor rebuild kit. You can order any of these parts from your local BRP dealer or from online dealers like Marineengine.com or Boats.net. You may need to add a zero to the front of the part number, as apparently a digit was added to the part number some years ago.

Now, hows about filling in your profile so we’ll know where you are located? This is an affordable, fun hobby and the guys on here love to help each other out (I think they are trying to make amends for the sinful ways of their youth or something). I mean, when you get older, you start thinking about where you will end up.

Happy Motoring!

[Author]

Posts