Find Parts To That Old Boat Motor Online; Here’s Where To Go!

A couple of years ago I inherited a vintage boat from my Grandpa who had passed away.  As sad as it was to lose my Grandpa, it did bring me some comfort that I would be able to share his passion for fishing by taking care of his boat.  It’s a 1957 14 foot aluminum boat, with a Gale Buccaneer 12hp motor.  It’s old.

I first put it in the water in 2009.  It had been years since it was last in the water.  I pull started the motor and it burped right away.  I was excited to even get a spark.  After quite a few pulls I got it running and took off.  It definitely wasn’t going to make any speed records but I enjoyed putting around on the lake.  Within a couple of days the motor just quit starting all together.  Money was tight and the season was over, so I parked it.

Well you know how things go, the next couple of years I got really busy and didn’t have time or money to get it fixed, until now.  I called up my uncle who is an amazing mechanic and he pulled it apart and took a look at it.

The problem was both ignition coils (what causes the spark) were cracked.  One was barely working and the other was completely shot.  Meaning, when it was running for me, it was only on 1 cylinder.  That would explain why the boat was so slow.  The problem I was now facing was where the heck do I find parts for a 1957 motor?

The Internet.  Within 10 minutes of searching around for parts, I found 2 websites and a bunch of places on eBay.  For my specific needs, this website worked great.  Here's the coil I need!  Both of them together will cost about $55.

If you have an old boat, or motor don’t just assume it’s a lost cause if it quits working.  You can find just about any part for Evinrude, Mercury, Johnson or  some other boat motors.  Turns out that old gale buccaneer motor was actually a Evinrude sold under a different name.  OMC was who manufactured a lot of these motors and they still make parts for them.  Another great website to check out for parts is iboats.com.