OutBoards

Yep a Seagull (perhaps a 'superlight' or whatever it is called - as long as it hasn't been 'repaired' too often by people with more enthusiasm than skill they just go on and on. After all a 'service' is often little more then a swill round of the petrol tank and more oil in the leg.

It's just getting a reasonable one in the first place that can be tricky

For info / parts etc see here
 
A Seagull 40 Featherweight will just about do so long as the dinghy is not too heavy. A 40 plus will be quite adequate though.

The 40+ was available in standard and long shaft versions and also with a clutch in later years.
The Featherweight was only available with a short shaft (about 2" shorter than standard so only suitable for a 13" transom height. No clutch option.

Would not be without my Seagulls but have to admit that a small Yamaha or similar would be quieter, lighter, easier to handle and less messy.

Many Seagulls can be converted from 10:1 fuel mix to 25:1. Details on the SOS website. Later ones were 25:1 anyway. Less messy to handle.
 
The optimum Seagull model for a tender of that size is an early 1980s 40+ with clutch, electronic ignition and a recoil starter - just like I have! But as I was the Marketing Manager for Seagull 1977-80 I am biased!

Would not recommend a Featherweight as the shorter shaft and small prop were designed for little rubberducks like the Redstart and Redcrest.

Have to be honest now that I would probably buy a Yamaha as most Seagulls that come up for sale are probably passed their best.
 
~I use a 40 minus I think. not quite sure what model, its old and leaks but has been reliable, I use it on a rubber duck now but it was previously used for a 9 foot GRP dinghy and puched it along ok.

Seagulls are fine.
 
I use a Seagull 40 plus on a 7 foot tender. When you get a good one it's brilliant, but you need to strike lucky. I was given two. I wasted a lot of time messing with the first, and never did find out why it wouldn't work properly. But the second only needed the plug cleaning and it starts first or second pull now.

When looking at one make sure you get a demonstration. They don't need to be in water to test - you can run it for a few minutes dry, so you can hook it on anything convenient, eg a fence.

My running tips would be:

1) Fit a collar so that it doesn't sit too deep in the water.
2) Learn which side the little vent hole in the float chamber goes when you tilt it, or you get a dribble of petrol into the bilges every time you lift the prop out.
3) Rig up a rope strop to keep it tilted when lifted up out of the water, or it will flop about and drag the prop in the water when the boat rocks or when rowing or towing.
4) Always have an absorbent rag handy - they are messy things.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Would not recommend a Featherweight as the shorter shaft and small prop were designed for little rubberducks like the Redstart and Redcrest.

Have to be honest now that I would probably buy a Yamaha as most Seagulls that come up for sale are probably passed their best.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nonsense, and you an ex-marketing manager! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I'll have you know that I REPLACED my sickly Yamaha with an old 40 featherweight that had sat unused and unserviced at the back of my garage for over 20 years. It needed a new cork on the fuel tap and a new fuel cap 'cos the old vent screw was siezed solid and sheared off when I tried to open it. And a big spanner on the flywheel nut to turn it at all 'cos the water impellor must have been a more than a little rusted up (a large heap of rust formed appeared the exhaust. It then started after a few pulls and has since proved so reliable pushing my 9'6" fibreglass dinghy (for the last 2 years!) that I haven't bothered to fix the Yam yet.
 
I have a seagull century plus and would not change it for anything more modern it would not look right alongside my 1905 gaffer. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif and with The mod to run it on less oil it is fine.
Have a word with John at saving old seagulls :- here
and ebay lodes of bits and engines. As john says there are some really unscrupulous individuals out there that are selling Seagull parts on E-Bay, some are selling at inflated prices and often not new! So beware.

:- here.
 
The Featherweight had a 13 inch shaft and a 2 to 1 reduction box and was specifically designed for the Redstart/Redcrest and little pram dinghies. The 40 Plus had originally a 3.5 to 1 reduction and available in a 15 inch or 21 inch shaft. The greater thrust meant it could move larger boats. The later clutch models had a 2.5 to 1 reduction but a more efficient propeller with a greater balde area giving similar thrust.

Of course a Featherweight can be used on a dinghy provided the transom is the right height, but it has significantly less thrust. On the other hand a 40 Plus is often used on a Redcrest like I do, but usually with a collar to raise the powerhead otherwise backpressure can cause starting problems.

So, not nonsense, I am afraid, but in line with what the Seagull recommendations were.

As to whether a Yamaha/Tohatsu/Mariner etc is better, I don't know because I have never owned one, but hear good reports. As others have said, Seagulls are getting old now and many have been messed about. They can be brilliant like mine or suitable anchor material. Even when new they could be a PITA. I can remember giving customers either completely new engines or their money back when a cranky one escaped from the factory. Happy days!
 
I have both a 40+ and a Tohatsu. No clutch on either
The Seagull is undoubtedly noisier and not having a cut-out button is more difficult to stop on arriving at a swinging mooring. The correct adjustment for a Seagull should have the engine die when you lower the tiller with the throttle shut right back (I think) but it's not as convenient as the Tohatsu.

However I find the Seagull usually more dependable to start.
 
I keep a Featherweight on board for the Redcrest. The Shaft is a bit short for this though.
I use a 40 Plus on my 15' tender for doing the mile to the mooring if we have more than three of us.
I have a Century, which I have yet to get going.

I also have a 6 year old 2HP mariner. Whist it is quiet, it starts no easier than the Seagulls. The only issue I have with it is that it needs is impellor changing regulary, sa every couple of years.
In reality it rarely gets used, as the Seagulls are more enjoyable!
All customers outboards that I collect and get serviced always need new impellors too. Over the years the Seagull seems cheap to run as it does not need these.
The only larger consumable is oil, which they use more of, which of course ends up in the sea, so no Brownie points for saving the Planet!

Finally, I have happy memories as a kid listening to the sound of Seagulls buzzing about an anchorage. We have a duty to the youth of today to use noisey outboards!!
 
Oh, just to confirm the consensus - would not be without my 40+.

If you find one with the chrome on the leg intact this is a very good sign. Worth a test run in water if you can arrange this - the cooling water on its way out should be plentiful and at blood heat, no warmer - they run very cool.

My favourite model is the bronze flywheel version - better ignition and still the nice brass tank. I actually have two because I got one as a spare and have never needed it. There is a steady stream of good ones turning up from the depths of garages all the time.
 
The brass tank is interchangeable with the nasty steel one - still have nightmares over the warranty problems with that! We reverted to brass for a while before the plastic tanks came in.

If you held an elevated (?) position in the company like me, you could build your own spec, so mine has an early 70's power head, a 60's stainless exhaust tube and drive tube with the better chrome, a clutch gearbox, electronic ignition, Villers carb, brass tank and a recoil starter - best of the bunch!
 
Mine did, 2nd pull anyway, after it's winter sleep. Even with the old fuel in.

OBSeagull.jpg
 
Allright I'm going to 'fess up.

I have two kingfishers, two 90's (one never used in anger and only started twice since new) all with alternators fitted. I have a 75 with recoil start and two 40+'s with recoil starts. One of the 40's is a nice late (55?) with clutch and the other is a tatty old jobby. With the exception of the tatty 40 they have all been rebuilt and including the tatty one all run perfectly and start without problem.

Now you may well ask why I have them and I don't really have the faintest idea as the only one I use is the tatty one on my tender and my boat doesn't even have an outboard bracket on it so I couldn't even play with the others if I wanted to.
Reading through this post makes me feel my mental state may be just ever so slightly unbalanced.
 
Touch wood. It's been well behaved. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

We used it on my brother in-law's heavy 15ft grp fishing boat on Ullswater and it ran faultlessly. Pushed it around well for about 6 miles or so.

Davesboat02.jpg


That's him. Doesn't photograph very well.

Dave.jpg
 
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