Ledgendary Seagull

[Wansworth]

I have a feeling I had a 102 back in 1970,it had a clutch ,I sold the engine and sailing dinghy for 50 quid as Ihad to go away to work.

 

[14K478]

Sorry, but that just is not true. There is very little connection between the Marston Seagulls and the post war Way-Hope types which derived from the wartime 102 as I described above, The next generation with the square cylinder blocks, particularly the smaller 64cc models were new designs. Of course the design principles were similar but there is virtually nothing carried over from the 102. Gradually over the years the quality of materials declined as they either became unavailable or too expensive (aluminium exhaust tubes instead of chrome plated brass or stainless, steel tanks instead of brass as examples). Many parts relied on a high degree of hand finishing - cylinder blocks and crankshafts were a nightmare to get right. I could go on. It was by the 1970s an ongoing fight to get them built in such a way that they performed well with customers. Much depended on a loyal group of experienced staff. It was a shock for me coming from a relatively high tec automotive component background to step back into the past of craft type working. Even more alarming to find that many parts actually had no engineering drawings and even some of those that did bore little relation between the drawing and the part as made.

Different world but despite all that the product has an enviable reputation, apart from the oil slicks.

You are certainly right but if I look from my 102 to my late and debased steel tank 40+ to my Honda 2.3 the quality of materials gets worse. The charm of the Seagull is that it lets those of us who once owned a British motorcycle pretend that we still have one as we tickle the carburettor, etc.

 

[fisherman]

I keep a 102 to use on my c 80 yr old oyster punt, just for the hell of it. Actually if we all go out I sometimes need three boats and engines so it gets used in earnest.
I issued the challenge for our regatta last sunday, but no other seagull turned up. Annoyed as I had it all tuned and ready to go. It had been left idle for two years, started first pull but stopped, a lot of varnish in the carb.
The Warrenjet....ha ha, I have a photo on the wall of me and two brothers in 1956 with an Aurora Aquajet. If you think a Seagull can be a nightmare you need to think again. Like the Warren, it was supposed to suck up water with a horizontal prop and blow it out the back.
You can find the Warrenjet on line, not the Aquajet.......
We gave up on it and got a British Anzani. Would have been better off with a seagull from the start.

 

[fisherman]

You are certainly right but if I look from my 102 to my late and debased steel tank 40+ to my Honda 2.3 the quality of materials gets worse. The charm of the Seagull is that it lets those of us who once owned a British motorcycle pretend that we still have one as we tickle the carburettor, etc.

Note the legend 'Best Outboard Motor in the World', had to be changed to 'for the world' I think there was a complaint.
My engineer friend is working on blowing an outboard by fitting a fan and larger jets.

 

[DownWest]

Note the legend 'Best Outboard Motor in the World', had to be changed to 'for the world' I think there was a complaint.
My engineer friend is working on blowing an outboard by fitting a fan and larger jets.

I wonder what sort of fan? They give a draft, not pressure.

 

[fisherman]

I wonder what sort of fan? They give a draft, not pressure.

Yes, he understands all that. Well qualified. He is ex MN class one, and incidentally does yacht and boat work locally, including fabrication as well as engines.

 

[DownWest]

Yes, he understands all that. Well qualified. He is ex MN class one, and incidentally does yacht and boat work locally, including fabrication as well as engines.

I like the idea of the exercise, but curious as to what will provid the puff? Obviously it would be far cheaper to get a bigger o/b, but one aplauds any one who looks for other solutions.

Our company yacht had two Detroit supercharged diesels. 140 hp from four cylinder 2T engines with displacement superchargers, not turbos.
Now, very unpopular due to emissions and being pulled from fishing boats in the US

 

[JerryRhum]

The electric motor (on deck) is for everyday use. The Seagull is for back up.

Mine came from Joe Menhams He is the bloke (mentioned earlier) that had the stall at Henley. His garage has so many beautifully maintained Seagulls that he could charge an entry fee.


P.S This was before I started work on tidying up the boat.