Dummies Guide to Seagulls

[oldgit]

No woman would put up with the dirty oily stinky things !

You can identify any seagull owning man (they are ALL men) simply by the all pervading reek of petrol in his car.Dont care how good you get at cutting off the fuel to the exact inch on approaching the pier,the few remaing drops of petrol will always be soaked up by your car boot carpet.This deadly muck makes its way slowly through the sound proofing until reaching the bitumen sealants below ,dissolves it into runny goo.

 

[yellowspinnaker]

All men, eh?

I may have to think about my wife's next Christmas present all over again.

'I love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning"

 

[electrosys]

Hmm, Troll eh?
So disagreeing that an antiquated piece of engineering is not the finest thing available to mankind is 'Trolling' .

'Trolling': actions deliberately performed to provoke a reaction.
In your own words: "I await the howls of protest with interest !!"

Interesting though that you are making these comments via a 21st century medium but hey ho, the guys at Bletchley Park probably would have had no use for a modern PC to crack codes as 30's technology worked...Eventually. In the manner of a Seagull.

Relevance to thread ? None. Yet another example of trolling.

 

[electrosys]

You can identify any seagull owning man (they are ALL men) simply by the all pervading reek of petrol in his car.Dont care how good you get at cutting off the fuel to the exact inch on approaching the pier,the few remaing drops of petrol will always be soaked up by your car boot carpet.This deadly muck makes its way slowly through the sound proofing until reaching the bitumen sealants below ,dissolves it into runny goo.

Errr - put a polythene sheet down to protect the car ? That's what I do, regardless of what make of outboard I'm carrying. Simples.

 

[Searush]

You can identify any seagull owning man (they are ALL men) simply by the all pervading reek of petrol in his car.Dont care how good you get at cutting off the fuel to the exact inch on approaching the pier,the few remaing drops of petrol will always be soaked up by your car boot carpet.This deadly muck makes its way slowly through the sound proofing until reaching the bitumen sealants below ,dissolves it into runny goo.

One simply lies the engine on its side on the floor while loading the car & then put it in the car with a fertiliser bag, if you must put it in a car. I invariably leave mine on the boat, stored vertically in the aft cabin - which doesn't smell at all.

 

[Chrusty 1]

Now Grumpyoldgit, you should know better than to criticise what all these old barnacles consider to be a nautical icon, (the fact that seagulls are disgusting, smelly, outmoded, badly engineered piles off doggydoo has no bearing on the matter whatsoever), These afore mentioned old barnacles have what can only be described as nautical beer goggles permanently adhered on their collective noses.

Leave 'em be, to wallow in their nostalgic fantasies, the world has moved on, and outboard engines with it but somehow, these daft old barnacles have missed the bus, leave 'em be, they are a lot quieter that way, considerably quieter than the cacophonous clatter boxes that they are so fond of.

 

[LittleSister]

Best other use for Seagull o/boards is as a convenient kedge anchor or emergency pointy ballast !!

Reminds me of a story I read of a Seagull outboard being used as a sea-anchor in extreme weather, then returned to its intended use afterwards. Versatile, huh?

 

[Niander]

Seagulls?

WE LOVE THEM...UNDERSTAND?

Still very useful

So shut up!...

 

[Tranona]

Now Grumpyoldgit, you should know better than to criticise what all these old barnacles consider to be a nautical icon, (the fact that seagulls are disgusting, smelly, outmoded, badly engineered piles off doggydoo has no bearing on the matter whatsoever), These afore mentioned old barnacles have what can only be described as nautical beer goggles permanently adhered on their collective noses.

Leave 'em be, to wallow in their nostalgic fantasies, the world has moved on, and outboard engines with it but somehow, these daft old barnacles have missed the bus, leave 'em be, they are a lot quieter that way, considerably quieter than the cacophonous clatter boxes that they are so fond of.

Amazing is it not that some "barnacles" on here can eulogise about boats designed and built in that period - or even plastic pastiche copies and be praised for it. Some even reject the boat equivalent of a Yamaha 4 stroke.

But if they admire a product that is well matched to its purpose, irrespective of when it was designed they are accused of "wallowing in nostalgic fantasies".

So its alright to lust after a Nic 32 or a Tradewind 35 (just as examples) rather than a Benny, but not alright to prefer a Seagull to a Honda lawnmower engine adapted to a "marine" application.

 

[Chrusty 1]

Reminds me of a story I read of a Seagull outboard being used as a sea-anchor in extreme weather, then returned to its intended use afterwards. Versatile, huh?

Pah! That's nuthin! My mate dug up an old Seagull outboard from the river bed one low tide, he reckoned it 'ad been used as a moorin' at some time, been down there for years he said. Well anyway, a quick swill off, and a new plug an' some fresh petrol, an' away her went first pull!! Tis true, Honest!!! I saw it, I was there I tell yer!!......

 

[Chrusty 1]

Amazing is it not that some "barnacles" on here can eulogise about boats designed and built in that period - or even plastic pastiche copies and be praised for it. Some even reject the boat equivalent of a Yamaha 4 stroke.

But if they admire a product that is well matched to its purpose, irrespective of when it was designed they are accused of "wallowing in nostalgic fantasies".

So its alright to lust after a Nic 32 or a Tradewind 35 (just as examples) rather than a Benny, but not alright to prefer a Seagull to a Honda lawnmower engine adapted to a "marine" application.

Sush! You're being noisy again!

 

[ghostlymoron]

It's amazing how much affection there is for the humble Seagull. I was hooked by their promotion picture of the sailor - Seagull in one hand, kit bag in the other. Seagulls have many advantages over modern engines, the chief ones being simplicity and cheapness (I bought mine for £50 off ebay). There are also disadvantages - pollution from the 16:1 mix (although I've adjusted mine to run on 20:1), lack of neutral which makes starting exciting. I'm not too concerned about the pollution aspect as I use so little fuel/oil - I bought 2 litres when I had the engine and, after three years use, have still got over 1l left.
As someone said they're like marmite - you either love them or hate them.
http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/images/british seagull man 2.gif
http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/faq/images/british seagull logo.gif

 

[Chrusty 1]

It's amazing how much affection there is for the humble Seagull. I was hooked by their promotion picture of the sailor - Seagull in one hand, kit bag in the other. Seagulls have many advantages over modern engines, the chief ones being simplicity and cheapness (I bought mine for £50 off ebay). There are also disadvantages - pollution from the 16:1 mix (although I've adjusted mine to run on 20:1), lack of neutral which makes starting exciting. I'm not too concerned about the pollution aspect as I use so little fuel/oil - I bought 2 litres when I had the engine and, after three years use, have still got over 1l left.
As someone said they're like marmite - you either love them or hate them.
http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/images/british seagull man 2.gif
http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/faq/images/british seagull logo.gif

I don't hate them, I just think that they are a bit of an anachronism really, I like the antique look of them, especially a well cared for and polished one, if they are unloved, they do look very disreputable. I wouldn't have another one, regardless of how cheap it was, I have had two of them, and both were noisy, smelly, vibrating piles of mechanical decrepitude.

In their day, they were, (well what else was there?) just fine, and compared to some of the offerings available in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and even the 60s, they were actually quite good, but my 2010 Mercury 6hp that I use as the auxiliary on my boat, makes them look like exactly what they are. I have just re-installed my Mercury back on the boat, it had been stood for 7 months, I gave the cord a tug and it sprang into life, purring quietly, no smoke, no vibrations rattling the teacups in the galley.

I also have a Mariner 3.3 two stroke that I use as the tender donkey, it is I suppose a lot more akin to a Seagull than the Mercury, however, I have just restored it, and I can tell you that it is much better built than a Seagull, the materials in it's build are fit for purpose, and compared to a Seagull is a lot quieter, and smoother. It doesn't leak petrol all over me cars boot floor either.

I don't mind that some people like and use Seagulls, no more than I mind people liking and using vintage cars or motorcycles, I don't even mind if people are a bit evangelistic about them. What I do find a bit silly though, is some peoples insistence that they are better than what is available to us sailors today, that my dear Sirs, is errant nonsense!

Please don't think that I am saying that all of what is available to us today is wondrous, that clearly is not the case, but we do have far more choice than our forebears, and yes, what's good and what's bad is a very subjective matter. For instance, I wouldn't give the small Honda 2.3 houseroom, I think they are agricultural, noisy, and I do not like that daft centrifugal clutch idea at all, but there are others that think the sun shines out of their exhaust port! It's a funny old world innit?

 

[ffiill]

Tickling means pressing down the small, spring-loaded button on top of the float chamber until a rainbow effect of petroil spreads out on the water.
The choke is a pivoted metal lever that obstructs the air intake.
Repeat step 7 until your arm aches!
If you're unlucky, if it starts, the starter cord will jam in the fly-wheel and lash you unmercifully.
Stopping, assuming it starts in the first place, is by closing the throttle.
Fine adjustment of tick-over speed is by raising or lowering the hinged tiller arm .
Try not to look embarrased by the noise.

If it doesnt start second pull-and mine has always since new in 1967-something not adjusted properly.
As for kick back never since it was new and I was 15 in 1967!
Oh yes throttle cable number two;plug number 1!
If an engine of any sort kicks back something wrong with the timing set up!
Oh and mine once went over the side be it in fresh water-luckily with a security lanyard attached as always.
I have no doubt it will outlive me!

 

[Niander]

It doesn't leak petrol all over me cars boot floor either.

They don't leek if used correctly and tap and tank air screw are good.
But i love old vintage stuff...so i suppose that helps...
Inboard is an old 2 cylinder 4 stroke petrol engine...smooth as silk
Don't like Marmite though.

 

[electrosys]

What I do find a bit silly though, is some peoples insistence that they are better than what is available to us sailors today, that my dear Sirs, is errant nonsense!

One of the problems with 'the Seagull debate' is that ALL Seagulls get lumped together and viewed as if they are all alike - a Featherweight being similar to a Bargepusher - I don't think so. They may look superficially the same, but whereas one is ideal for propelling a tender across an inland lake, the other is far more at home pushing a one-ton workboat.

The vast majority of modern outboards are designed to be multi-purpose, and as such have simply not been designed around the needs of slow, displacement craft.

AFAIK, there is only one modern outboard engine which approximates to the BargePusher, and it ain't cheap. Perhaps you would care to reveal the identity of all the others which are "available" ?

It is still a mystery to me why modern outboard manufacturers do not address the needs of the yachtsman and displacement workboat - perhaps the market is too small to be concerned with, as it has become dominated by small diesel inboards ?

 

[Chrusty 1]

One of the problems with 'the Seagull debate' is that ALL Seagulls get lumped together and viewed as if they are all alike - a Featherweight being similar to a Bargepusher - I don't think so. They may look superficially the same, but whereas one is ideal for propelling a tender across an inland lake, the other is far more at home pushing a one-ton workboat.

The vast majority of modern outboards are designed to be multi-purpose, and as such have simply not been designed around the needs of slow, displacement craft.

AFAIK, there is only one modern outboard engine which approximates to the BargePusher, and it ain't cheap. Perhaps you would care to reveal the identity of all the others which are "available" ?

It is still a mystery to me why modern outboard manufacturers do not address the needs of the yachtsman and displacement workboat - perhaps the market is too small to be concerned with, as it has become dominated by small diesel inboards ?

Any modern outboard above say 4hp, can I believe be fitted with a high thrust, (or sail drive if you prefer), propellor, as my Mercury is. It has transformed the thing, it shoves my Seal along at 5.5 knots, with no effort, maybe a bit more at full throttle, but I don't bother thrashing it. The other benefit is that it stops very well to, and give good thrust going astern. My Mercury also has battery charging, which although is nowhere near the output of an alternator on an inboard engine, is still worth having if you have to use the engine anyway.

Seagull offered different propellors on their engines to suit different applications.

 

[Tranona]

Seagull offered different propellors on their engines to suit different applications.

Not quite correct. There were (for most of production) two powerheads and 3 gearboxes. The models were made up with different combinations of each. So a 40 Featherweight had a 64cc powerhead and a 2:1 box (and an super short shaft) 40+ had 64cc powerhead and 3:1 box. Century had 102cc powerhead and 3:1 box, Century+ 102cc powerhead and 4:1 box. Each combination had its own prop, most the straight bladed fan type but "weedless" with curved blades from c1979 onwards. (Happy memories of hours chugging up and down the River Frome chopping up Canadian pond weed while testing them). After 1980 or so the old 3:1 and 4:1 boxes were replaced by the ones with clutches (2.5:1) and FNR (3.5:1) - all with seals so did not drip oil.

So, the only choice in prop was between the fan type and the weedless as the two were interchangeable on the same model. There was minimal difference in performance.

 

[Chrusty 1]

Not quite correct. There were (for most of production) two powerheads and 3 gearboxes. The models were made up with different combinations of each. So a 40 Featherweight had a 64cc powerhead and a 2:1 box (and an super short shaft) 40+ had 64cc powerhead and 3:1 box. Century had 102cc powerhead and 3:1 box, Century+ 102cc powerhead and 4:1 box. Each combination had its own prop, most the straight bladed fan type but "weedless" with curved blades from c1979 onwards. (Happy memories of hours chugging up and down the River Frome chopping up Canadian pond weed while testing them). After 1980 or so the old 3:1 and 4:1 boxes were replaced by the ones with clutches (2.5:1) and FNR (3.5:1) - all with seals so did not drip oil.

So, the only choice in prop was between the fan type and the weedless as the two were interchangeable on the same model. There was minimal difference in performance.

Pardon my mistook! I stand corrected.

 

[Tranona]

Pardon my mistook! I stand corrected.

Thats OK. Knew all that stuff from 30+ years ago would come in handy one day (or not!) Just don't get me started on pre 1965 Fordson tractors.