Saving Old Seagulls

[electrosys]

Has anyone any idea what's afoot at SoS ? The forum's been down since last Saturday, and emails to John Williams are being bounced back.

Particularly bad time for a comms snafu, as there was (perhaps still is ?) some kind of Seagull event on this weekend.

Hope it's nothing more serious than a gremlin in the server ...

 

[Lakesailor]

I noticed that as I tried to date (that is; discover it's age) a 40 Plus that came with my last purchase.
If you try to view the images that are missing it seems they are no longer available.

 

[yellowspinnaker]

The main site is partially back, but the forum is not as yet up and running. A major glitch has occurred, and strenuous efforts are under way to rectify it, together with efforts to prevent it happening again.

Meanwhile, if you tell me the serial of your recently acquired 40 and maybe a photo as well I'll tell you when it was made.

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk will take you to the SOS home page where details of this weekend's meet are shown.

 

[VicS]

The new quick ID your Seagull facility is down along with the forum but all the old info on engine numbers is still available as usual on the website
see
http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/i_d_your_seagull/i_d_letters.htm

I note John is looking for a new webmaster .... Dont know what happened to the last one ( but he is blamed for the loss of the engine identifier) ... any takers ?

 

[Lakesailor]

I'm sure Seagulls are far too polluting for Webby to get involved.

Seagull engine number FP505MO

 

[yellowspinnaker]

December 1970.

Yes the stuff about dates is all there, more to come doubtless, including the forum, hopefully with all the historic posts. It would be a huge shame to lose it, it's a veritable treasure trove of information.

The dates are at:

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/i_d_your_seagull/i_d_letters.htm

 

[Lakesailor]

Thanks. I don't know if it runs yet, but it turns over easily.
The bloke it came from hadn't run it in 8 years.

 

[Dockhead]

I heard it's been replaced by an updated site -- MDOS --





"Melt Down Old Seagulls"

 

[yellowspinnaker]

Indeed there's a chap planning to do just that with unsalvageable bits of some of the very old ones, the idea being to cast new components...

 

[ValleyForge]

Thats very nearly a modern one LS, you can tell by the plastic air trumpet (or ram intake if you prefer) and black plastic fuel pipe. Looks very nice being all shiny & intact, would be surprised if she doesn't start straight away after a good carb. clean. Have one similar albeit 1960 and a lot scruffier. Works fine when called on every 6 months or so though.
Tip - worth investing in new cork tank top washers - stops those drips on yer keks & boots when carrying.

 

[ffiill]

In the 1960s we used to have a Prout folding dingy circa 1950ish which used to travel on my dads roof rack all over the UK.
In 1967 I persuaded him to get an outboard-a Seagull Forty featherweight.
It was first used on the Norfolk Broads that Whitsuntide-last used last week on my dingy returning from my yacht moored at Arisaig!
For twenty years 1970-1990 it sat in my Dads garage-checked the plug and points;cleaned the fuel line and it fired second pull from cold as it has always done ever since.
My yachts may come and go but the Seagull stays with me!-its simplicity continues to appeal.

 

[OldBawley]

Built a Barrow sailing dingy. Someone asked me to get rid of a ceased Johnson seahorse 2 HP outboard after buying a new Tohatsu. 5 minutes later the Johnson was running, so I took it with me on our trip to the Med. It was running but gave some problems in the 15 years we used it. Rubber gaskets in carb gone by age. Repaired with gasket from gas lighter. Water pump housing eaten by electrolyses. Made a new housing out of two sheets of plexiglass ( Old window ) glued together and machined on model making – lathe. Improved with a seal from derelict Yamaha. Prop broke one blade, repaired it with SS inlays. Had lots of problems with the high tension lead. The engine gave shocks that made my toes curl inside my rubber boots so I could not take them of for hours. The wife found it great fun, not me. One solution was to put one rubber boot on my hand and regulate the gas with that “glove “. Although being a mechanic, could not find the reason for this terror.
Did not use the outboard much because of the terrifying electrical blasts. So one day, after two months hanging on the railing the engine ceased again after some seconds running. This time it was the top needle bearing. All needles became triangular in stead of round.
Torrington needles, could not find them in Turkey, nor in Internet. The seahorse was 30+ year.
My genius friend Alain had the solution. Mix the needles from upper and lower bearing. That way you have one good needle, then a triangular witch works as a spacer end so on. It worked.
The engine run but I never felt confident. After all, sometimes your life depends on that piece of metal.
And then one day, I found a Seagull. Bought it for 10 € in Simi Greece. Did some repairs, oa a new head gasket. This one will not let me down. No bearings, but bushings. Can make them myself on the toy lathe. No gaskets in the carb. Metal propeller. Always starts first pull. Will not be stolen. My kind of technique.
The Johnson is hidden in a cave in Turkey, who knows.

 

[Niander]

This is not good!
i need a part for a silver century
actually the long stainless clutch rod
anyone got one?

 

[DownWest]

Re shocks of a Johnson: We have a 5hp twin, very old (60s?) and when I revived it 20yrs ago it gave hefty shocks at above idle. For some reason the rotating ignition plate was not making good contact with the engine block, thereby breaking the HT circuit. A bit of flex electrical cable bridging the joint solved it.

 

[Lakesailor]

Got it started with the technical measured direct fuel injection method.

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