Motors
The Sande Boat Works was also a Mercury Outboard dealership at the time they made the Ace. Although some people used other brands that they already owned, the ideal motor was a four-cylinder Mercury, such as the 45 HP Mark 58A or Merc 400.
Ned Hamlin's Merc 400
Ned Hamlin's 1961 Merc 400, a freshwater motor, had a scored cylinder so it was totally rebuilt.
It now runs like new and pushes his Ace at an indisputable 42 MPH with a 12" pitch bronze prop.
The lower portion of the motor has been repainted Cloud White but the rest is original.
The chrome and stainless steel are nearly flawless.
Ned Hamlin's Mark 58A
Ed saw a freshwater 1959 Mark 58A behind a business in Missoula and asked the owner if he would sell it for $50. Ed told him that it was for "this fellow" in Idaho (Ned). Ed said that Ned might go up to $60. The owner pondered a bit and said "OK, $50 it is." Guess he didn't need the extra $10.
Ned Hamlin's Mark 50
Ned's Mercury Mark 50 was rescued from a boneyard in the back lot of an old boat
shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. It was complete and had been sitting on its back and
was the home of mice and bees for at least 18 years. The shop owner did not
even know the motor was there, but they bickered back and forth for a while.
After hauling it home, Ned replaced the timing belt and water impeller and had
a mechanic convert it for use with a modern fuel tank. After painting, it looks
like a million bucks. It shows compression of 95-98 psi on all four cylinders.
After a carb cleaning, it fired right up. The motor is a work of art but Ned's
wife is not yet buying the notion of hanging it from the beams of their
living room as an object d'art.
Ed Waali's Five Cloud Whites
Click
here
if you have not read the story of how Ed acquired a bunch of old Mercury outboards.