Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

[greenhornet97]

Hello guys. I went to look at a Gale Sovereing 60 hp today. #s are 815961 - 60DE10BL . Owner wasn't sure on the year , said early 60s' . He said that the motor was sitting in a barn for 20 some years and had never seen salt water. And I have to say thats it's the cleanest motor from that era that I have ever seen. The hood is black and white and there is NO fading to the coloring at all. Lower leg and prop and sheg look like brand new also. the flywheel and all componets look clean and and in excellent condition. He says that when he bought it this fall that he had it running in a barrel for about 10 minutes and that it ran great. After looking at it for about 5 minutes in stunned silence I checked the prop to see if it spun freely, which it did. I looked at the shifting lever and noticed that it was in the middle posistion [straight up and down]. I then tried to shift it in forward and reverse but couldn't get the shifter to move. ? He said that the throttle position had to be in a certain posistion to be able to shift it. We played with the throttle linkage a bit but still couldn't get the shifter to shift. Mind you that the motor is lying down on it's back. Next I pulled on the pull cord and had all I could do to get the motor and pull cord to move more that about a foot . He said that he winterized the motor but it felt like there was 90 weight gear lube in the cylinders the way it was pulling over. Please bear in mind that I have only had experience with two cylinder motors and have never had the priviledge of pulling on a v-4 before so maybe thats the way this motor is supposed to feel when pulled. That's what I would like to know. Also, he is asking $ 200 for the motor with controls to fit a 16 ft boat. I told him that I would think about it after getting some info on this motor. After leaving his place I recalled that there was no wiring harness coming out of the motor and recalled that he said the motor came off af a boat that was literaly rotting out from under it. Is this guy fibbing a little bit if he says that he had it running when there is no wiring harness attached to it ? The only thing wrong with it that I could see was a broken transom clamp bolt. I want to put this motor on a 16 ft starcraft aluminum boat 1972 year vintage. The plate on the transom says boat is rated for an 85 hp motor. I am trying to put a package together for my grandsons' so that they can water ski. Would this motor work for what I am trying to do ? I would like to get some opinions and know what year the motor is. I do know that the motor is an OMC product and that a lot of the early 60's 75 hp J/E motor parts will fit it. I bought a 1966 chrysler 45 hp motor long tail about 10 days ago for the starcraft but read through this site that that is not a good motor to try and water ski with as it has a weak lower unit design. Thanks for any help or opinions that I may receive. Please don't be afraid to hurt my feelings if it will save me some time and money. As I have plenty of time but very little money ! Vincent in Mass.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

It's at least 1963 vintage...first year Gale made the Sovereign 60 hp. Very similar to the Johnson V4 Fat Fifty. A real heavy, thirsty beast. I wouldn't touch it unless he can put up on a stand, test the compression and make the shift work and the prop turn. You can do better than that motor at that price. If you want a period motor for that boat, go with a Merc 500 or 650...just my 2 cents.

 

[F_R]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

One man's trash is another man's treasure. I happen to like the Gale 60. Now, it is true that they are thirsty and messy as most all motors of the period were. But they are good reliable motors. It is sort of a mixture of the J/E 50 and 75hp motors. It will perform right up there with the 75 except for the last MPH or so, but on a lot less gas.

Yes, it will run without any electrical hook-up at all by hand starting it. And they are not all that hard to start by hand if you know what to expect.

The Gale 60 came out in 1960 and ran through the end of Gale production in 1963.

DO NOT release the tilt lock while it is not clamped to a boat. There is a bear trap spring in there that will make the brackets fly up violently. On the other hand, that spring makes the 60 tilt MUCH easier than the 75 which is not equipped with a spring.

As for why it won't shift, I don't know without looking. Could be the throttle setting (has to be on "slow"). Will it wiggle just a little bit? The stuff has to be rotating to let the gears "fit". Try rotating the prop while attempting to shift. That might be all it is. Or, the worst case scenario is it is rusted and corroded from water in the lower unit. DO NOT remove the phillips head screw from the lower unit gearcase!!! The oil plugs are large straight blade screwdriver slots.

 

[greenhornet97]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

Hi guys , thanks for the imput. I checked out the spec plate on my 1972 Starcraft Holiday 16 foot and it states it is rated for 1500 lbs. max. and up to 85 hp. I have a picture of the boat in the water with the 1976 Evinrude 35 hp on it. The boat sits very high with the water line barely touching the the chine line at the stearn and the bow of the boat actually a few inches out of the water. It has a 20 inch transom with a spash well So I don't think the 233 lb Gale will be a weight issue. Seeing as how the gale is only about 35 mles away from me I think that I will go back and have a second look see ! The owner has a 2by8 by 8feet long plank that he was going to lay up across the ceiling joists in his work shop along with an electric winch . He is partially disabled and cannot get the job done by himself so I think that I will volunteer my time and try and get the motor standing up and at least do a compression test on it and have a look at the shifting issue. He also has an early 60's glass runabout 14 ft with a 33 hp short-tail Evinrude attached thats sitting on a junk trailer. The boat has pastic emblems on the back rear sides that say "rocket". Can't find a plate on boat to find the manufatuer. He is asking $ 350 for the package. I picked up a 1968 33 hp evinrude longtail last week with controls and 6 gallon gas tank for $75. It's still in the trunk of my Merc Grand Marquis to give me traction in this New England snow. I can't wait to lift that motor out by myself. Owner says that it runs but needs a tune up. We'll see !!! I am still trying to find out the year of the 60hp Gale #s 60DE10BL / 815961 .
Thanks for the feedback and the info. Best regards, Vincent

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

Man, what a gold mine. Make him a sound offer on the Sovereign and the boat with the 33 shorttail Evinrude. If the Sovereign doesn't work out, you've got twin 33's to put on your 72 Starcraft. Twins might be as fuel efficient as the Sovereign in running shape.

 

[F_R]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

60DE10 is a 1960. Not to alarm you, but just for a point of information, the lower unit was only used one year, then modified in 1961 with a different drive shaft and some other parts. Same as the 75hp, year for year though. And if push comes to shove, the newer units will directly replace the 1960 ones.

 

[greenhornet97]

Re: Gale Sovereigh 60 hp - year ?

Hi There, thanks guys for the imput. I really like the thought of the twin 33s !All that I would have to do is find a set of twin shifter/fuel controls and modify the steering bar a bit.I knew that there was a reason that I liked this site !!! Spring is on it's way !!! Regards, Vincent
PS: Thanks for the info on the 1960 year model !