You may remember that our 1978 20 hp Mercury outboard that we call Freddie Mercury had some engine problems while we were in the middle of Lake Kentucky.
A while after we returned home, we took Freddy to one of our few local outboard repair shops. We didn’t hear from him and we didn’t hear from him so we left a few messages and still didn’t hear from him. Finally we caught him at the shop on the phone one morning.
Freddie’s gear case was trashed, he told us. Can you find a replacement bottom end, I asked. He’d check with a source to see what he could find, he told me. If he couldn’t find anything I would come and pick up the motor, I told him.
Then I didn’t hear anything and didn’t hear anything and so called and left a message. No response.
And I didn’t hear anything some more and finally caught him again at the shop this morning.
He said, “Oh, I junked that motor.” WTF? Apparently, a week ago he decided that he no longer needed the motor hanging around his shop and so sold it to the scrap yard.
I got the name of the scrap yard and they told me that they had intern taking the motor to recycling and it was now probably at the bottom of A huge mountain of recycled metal.
The shop claims they called me several times and weren’t able to reach me and so they killed Freddie (though I show no missed calls or voicemails).
I am still angry and grieving and considering my options. The shop made some noises about trying to replace it.
