Finding a home for a Vincent boat engine

[Ubergeekian]

I have a 1950's boat engine made by HRD Vincent, the motorbike company. Single cylinder air cooled two stroke, hand start, petrol-paraffin. complete with sterntube and propeller. To the best of my knowledge complete and unused, but could do with a clean up. Also a spare engine, just petrol.

I understand that this was a marine adaptation of a fairly short lived Vincent industrial engine, and that they were used by a builder of small motor boats on the Thames.

I was going to offer them to the National Motor Boat Museum at Basildon, but they seem to be in dire straits with imminent closure on the cards. So ... any good ideas about where I could find a good home for this? Either a museum or somewhere to advertise it ...

 

[Poignard]

What about the Classic Boat Museum on the Isle of Wight?

http://www.classicboatmuseum.org/home.html

 

[oldfrank]

I have a friend who lives near Wayford Bridge who has recently rebuilt one of these engines. He doesn't 'do' computers but if you pm me, I can speak to him and see if he's got any ideas if you wish. The conversation that I had with him revolved around his being unable to re-install it into a boat as it would never get through a current safety inspection ... which he thought wasn't quite the right way to guard our heritage!

 

[[32511]]

As an aside, I used to have one of these engines driving a small rotavator, from memory, a Merry Tiller.I always wondered how a firm that made the most expensive 998cc V-twins could make such a mundane article.

 

[double_ender]

A good home for an old engine

There are enthuiasts that collect restore and enjoy old stationary engines, I have found and worked on a number like the Lister etc.
The magasine "Stationary Engine" have free private ads, for sale etc which you could use, or Ebay it under stationary engines and it would attract considerable interest, I think. I recall articles about the Vincent when I took the magasine a few years ago. I might be interested if you were near the Clyde!

all the best, Malcolm

 

[Ubergeekian]

There are enthuiasts that collect restore and enjoy old stationary engines, I have found and worked on a number like the Lister etc.
The magasine "Stationary Engine" have free private ads, for sale etc which you could use, or Ebay it under stationary engines and it would attract considerable interest, I think. I recall articles about the Vincent when I took the magasine a few years ago. I might be interested if you were near the Clyde!

I'm in Glasgow every week. PM me if you'd like a look at it!

 

[Bassplayer]

These engines were used in the "Amanda" water scooter - the forerunner of the jet ski. They had a lot of trouble with the fibreglass and I believe that the demo sank! There are one or two left. The engine was originally commisioned by Sufolk as in Suffolk Punch lawn mowers. Unfortunately, in typical Vincent style it was a bit too powerfull and tore itself out of the first mower they tried it in! Phil vincent was heard to remark that he thought that perhaps their mowers werent "used to such torque"! I actually have one of the rotovators....