1960 Mercury Sabre

[Frederic Lynes]

Hi all,

After the McCall boat show, we spent the rest of the summer enjoying Sarah Jo. We did quite a bit of tubing and fishing and really had a great time as a family. While we were at the boat show, our club Treasurer told me about a woody that needed rescuing, after I mentioned that I was looking for a new project. A couple he knows was looking for someone to rescue their family's boat, a 1960 Mercury Sabre. Their father bought it new and it was used extensively throughout the years. Several years ago, the father was diagnosed with Alzheimers. He started taking the boat apart, and thankfully the kids took the parts and put them in boxes. The father passed away two years ago, and the boat has been sitting at the couple's son's house.

I spoke to both the husband and wife, and they felt that the boat should go home with me, so that I can bring her back to life. I'm leaving Friday to pick her up, and I can't wait to see her in person. For some reason this boat has been talking to me, telling me that I need to rescue her. As much as I love Sarah Jo, she never talked to me the way that Overboard has. I'm bringing a pair of new Radials with me and will have Les Schwab mount them. I'm also bringing my magnetic tail lights, just to be safe, as well as my toolbox and a jack and some stands. Wish me luck.

Here are the pics. I'll take more, once I get her.

[Bflaherty]

Congrats on a successful season with the Evinrude! Glad to hear it was well received at the McCall show as well.

You now appear to have caught the NMB disorder (Need More Boats)! Those old wood Mercurys are sweet little boats, definitely worth restoring!

[Kelly]

That steering wheel! Wow! Too cool, congrats! Looking forward to the next set of pics...

[Frederic Lynes]

Well, I got her home! What an experience. First off, I'd like to say that Chad and Anita (the folks from whom I bought Overboard) are great people. I could tell that poor Chad was sad about letting her go, mainly because it was a reminder of his Dad. As I told them both, "I don't think of myself as the new owner, but merely the new caretaker". It was that sentence that had convinced Anita to cajole Chad into selling it to me. I was absolutely mesmerized, when I saw her in person. I could see the beauty. The first thing was to drag her out of her slumber, next to their son's house. The tires were shot, but they made it to Les Schwab, where I was promptly told that they would NOT mount the tires that I had brought with me, because I didn't buy them from Les Schwab......SCREW LES SCHWAB!!!!!! I went down the road to Gonzales Tires, and they gladly mounted my tires. I packed the wheel bearings, while I waited. The trip home was uneventful, aside from a ground wire coming loose on my magnetic lights. The trailer will need a full resto, as well as a spring over axle conversion, because it sits way too low to the ground.

I do need to make one correction: Chad's father did not buy Overboard new....he purchased it from his friend in 1968. The boat was originally from Tehachapi, California and Chad's family lived in Woodlake, California, before moving to Sparks, Nevada.

The weather is now getting really crappy, so I bought a cover for it and parked it next to Sarah Jo. I'll be busy sanding and polishing stainless this winter in the garage. There are wood parts missing, which Chad told me he'd look for, so we'll see if I need to make replacements.

I took a couple pics, but nothing of interest, so I'll post them anyway .....maybe I'll be motivated enough to take the cover off and show you guys the potential that's there.

Cheers.

[Kelly]

Congrats on the purchase and the safe travel home! I know all too well how unpredictable towing a new/old boat trailer and be.
It sounds like it was difficult for the previous owners to let it go but it's good to know they weren't those people who say they'll "fix it up one day..."
Bring on the pics...

[WesleyD]

Congrats on the purchase and the safe travel home! I know all too well how unpredictable towing a new/old boat trailer and be.
It sounds like it was difficult for the previous owners to let it go but it's good to know they weren't those people who say they'll "fix it up one day..."
Bring on the pics...

Those are some great pics Frederic.

[Frederic Lynes]

Thanks! I made friends with a Mercury expert who lives in California. He was coming to Idaho to visit family and asked if he could stop by to visit. He taught me more about that boat than I could have ever learned online. This is going to be a fun restoration project.