seagull outboard advice

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steveeasy

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Ok I bought a seagull outboard as it was cheap and actually looked cool sort of retro goes with my boat. It's a short shaft with blue tank square type.

Had some issues with it. My biggest concern is the fuel bowl that houses the float has 2 holes in it. So when you tilt engine up fuel poor out all over my tender.if you carry it you get covered in fuel.these holes it looks like are supposed to be there. But surely even in the 70s it could not be designed so poorly to release petrol everywhere. I'm sure lots on here will have experience with these.

Steveeasy
 
steveeasy said:
Ok I bought a seagull outboard as it was cheap and actually looked cool sort of retro goes with my boat. It's a short shaft with blue tank square type.

Had some issues with it. My biggest concern is the fuel bowl that houses the float has 2 holes in it. So when you tilt engine up fuel poor out all over my tender.if you carry it you get covered in fuel.these holes it looks like are supposed to be there. But surely even in the 70s it could not be designed so poorly to release petrol everywhere. I'm sure lots on here will have experience with these.

Steveeasy
Click to expand...

There will be some on here who will say "use it as an anchor" or similar, but when running right, they are a great little motor.

Can't answer your question, but here's a website for info on old Seagulls.

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/
 
The holes are there to allow atmospheric pressure into the float chamber.

It is a misunderstanding that fuel is sucked through a carburetor into the inlet port. The carb venturi causes a pressure drop lower than atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, the atmospheric pressure acting on the fuel in the float bowl pushes it through the jets into the incoming air stream where it is atomised.

So, dont block the holes!

If it has the Villiers type carb, drain it by removing and tipping the fuel out of the float bowl. You might need a Whitworth spanner-5/16th IIRC.

Probably still be smelly though.........................................
 
If you turn the fuel supply off (actually by pushing the plunger in) a bit before you reach your destination, then the float chamber will be nearly empty and not much will dribble out.

Experience will teach you how much before!
 
davidej said:
If you turn the fuel supply off (actually by pushing the plunger in) a bit before you reach your destination, then the float chamber will be nearly empty and not much will dribble out.

Experience will teach you how much before!
Click to expand...

+1
It can be quite gratifying to turn off the fuel and have the engine stop just as you come alongside, very irritating if you get it wrong though.
 
As designed. Button on top of carb "tickles" the float, increasing fuel level in bowl for cold starts. Press till some petrol drips out! As others have said turn off fuel before arrival at destination, minimising further spills. Crude machines but the most reliable outboards I've ever owned or used.
 
My sailing neighbour had a shoulder replacement a few years ago and can't pull-start a modern outboard. He tried an electric one but it wouldn't do the job, so he now used the lower-compression Seagull. If nothing else, we can hear him coming.
 
steveeasy said:
Ok I bought a seagull outboard as it was cheap and actually looked cool sort of retro goes with my boat. It's a short shaft with blue tank square type.

Had some issues with it. My biggest concern is the fuel bowl that houses the float has 2 holes in it. So when you tilt engine up fuel poor out all over my tender.if you carry it you get covered in fuel.these holes it looks like are supposed to be there. But surely even in the 70s it could not be designed so poorly to release petrol everywhere. I'm sure lots on here will have experience with these.

Steveeasy
Click to expand...

You lean to deal with it and also to let the water, any remaining petrol and oil which has leaked from the gearbox drain away before loading into the car boot.

You don't say the exact age but if not already a 25:1 motor it can be converted to run on 25:1 fuel mix by changing the carb needle ( applies to all from 1967 until 1978 when they were all produced as 25:1 motors) Do not be tempted to try 50:1. They don't last long on that. They are a lot less messy on 25:1 than on 10:1

All you will need to know is on the Saving-old-Seagulls website . Advice also available on the owners forum. Go to John Williams for any parts you may need ... dont be ripped off by e Bay suppliers,

look after it, its needs are minimal, and it will easily outlast all the far eastern 2 strokes and the 4 strokes by decades.


rotrax said:
The holes are there to allow atmospheric pressure into the float chamber.

It is a misunderstanding that fuel is sucked through a carburetor into the inlet port. The carb venturi causes a pressure drop lower than atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, the atmospheric pressure acting on the fuel in the float bowl pushes it through the jets into the incoming air stream where it is atomised.

So, dont block the holes!

If it has the Villiers type carb, drain it by removing and tipping the fuel out of the float bowl. You might need a Whitworth spanner-5/16th IIRC.

Probably still be smelly though.........................................
Click to expand...


Older Villiers carbs , with a metal bowl, did not have evnt holes in the bowl. A vent was incorporated into the tickler button.
Its only the metal bowls that need a spanner to remove them as they are retained by a caop nut screed onto the bottom of the centrepice


davidej said:
If you turn the fuel supply off (actually by pushing the plunger in) a bit before you reach your destination, then the float chamber will be nearly empty and not much will dribble out.

Experience will teach you how much before!
Click to expand...

You can also adjust the idle speed so that it is controlled by raising and lowering the tiller and set it so that at the last moment when coming alongside you can push the tiller down to stso the engine.



davidej said:
BYW I think they were designed in the 1940s. Like the motor industry, they failed to keep up with changing technology
Click to expand...

The original Marston Seagull started production in 1931. History all on the website.
 
VicS said:
You lean to deal with it and also to let the water, any remaining petrol and oil which has leaked from the gearbox drain away before loading into the car boot.

You don't say the exact age but if not already a 25:1 motor it can be converted to run on 25:1 fuel mix by changing the carb needle ( applies to all from 1967 until 1978 when they were all produced as 25:1 motors) Do not be tempted to try 50:1. They don't last long on that. They are a lot less messy on 25:1 than on 10:1

All you will need to know is on the Saving-old-Seagulls website . Advice also available on the owners forum. Go to John Williams for any parts you may need ... dont be ripped off by e Bay suppliers,

look after it, its needs are minimal, and it will easily outlast all the far eastern 2 strokes and the 4 strokes by decades.





Older Villiers carbs , with a metal bowl, did not have evnt holes in the bowl. A vent was incorporated into the tickler button.
Its only the metal bowls that need a spanner to remove them as they are retained by a caop nut screed onto the bottom of the centrepice




You can also adjust the idle speed so that it is controlled by raising and lowering the tiller and set it so that at the last moment when coming alongside you can push the tiller down to stso the engine.





The original Marston Seagull started production in 1931. History all on the website.
Click to expand...

Marston Sunbeam motorcycles were renowned for the quality of their paintwork. This is shown with many pre-war Seagull outboards still having factory paint on their fuel tanks.

Seagull outboards were used in the Chindit campaign in Burma for crossing wide rivers.

Reference in John Masters book " The Road Past Mandalay "
 
johnalison said:
My sailing neighbour had a shoulder replacement a few years ago and can't pull-start a modern outboard. He tried an electric one but it wouldn't do the job, so he now used the lower-compression Seagull. If nothing else, we can hear him coming.
Click to expand...

They are ludicrously low compression by modern standards: from memory about 6:1. My 40+ absolutely always started first pull, once warm you could often restart it by just grabbing the flywheel and spinning without bothering with the cord. The Century I later had wouldn't do that, but again always started first pull. Except once, when I took it out of storage a few months after buying a more modern outboard that then went wrong. It needed at least three pulls to start it then - throwing a hissy fit at being sidelined.

Both mine ran on 10:1 mix of cheapest petrol and cheapest straight SAE30 oil, exactly as the makers said. Fairly smoky, cold starts after tickling the carb left a rainbow of oil on the water. Don't run them for hours at low revs, like all two-strokes it gums up the plugs, flat out hour on hour though is fine. Have crossed Channel on a Seagull 40+ pushing about a ton, run full throttle till out of fuel, top up and restart (several times). The quiet when you get there is nice though.

And the 40+ spent a tide underwater once, washed, dried, oiled and started first pull as usual. Kept and used it years after that.

Of course I use much newer engines now: but never had anything as reliable.
 
HI,
It is a 40 Minus F/weight it seams. was difficult to start but runs extremely well. No sign of smoke. Ive been running it on 25/1 two stroke oil. Just a shame it dribbles petrol everywhere. Not sure I can live with that, it will ruin my decks and me trousers.

Steveeasy
 
I have a 1965 Featherweight which will run happily on 20:1 but won't go to 25:1 even with a different needle. I'm happy with that though much better than 10:1 - less expensive oil and pollution.
 
ghostlymoron said:
I have a 1965 Featherweight which will run happily on 20:1 but won't go to 25:1 even with a different needle. I'm happy with that though much better than 10:1 - less expensive oil and pollution.
Click to expand...

Apparently he bearings are different ( smaller ) pre 1967 so probably you wont seal the crankcase properly with less oil in the fuel. Generally advised not to use less anyway with the smaller bearings

MY 1973 Featherweight needed the needle setting considerably different from the standard setting ( weakened) in order to run without excessive four-stroking
 
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