Seagull outboards

[Guest]

Has anybody got any experience of running Seagull outboards on a petrol/oil mix other than the slick producing 10:1 mix shown on the tank. I am thinking that the modern synthetic 2 stroke oils must be much better for this type of application and would guess that the ratio could be modified to say 25:1 without harm to the engine or the ecology of the entire Norfolk Broads system!!

Any help on this one is appreciated.

PZ

 

[paulrossall]

I am aware that you can runs seagulls on a different mixture, but I understand you have to change the needle in the carb. My engine man only does it if requested as he says the engine will last longer if run on 10/1 and the increased cost of oil over a season is not significant.

 

[Guest]

As Paul says you can run a seagull on 25: one without difficulty even seagull recommended this mix in their latter years. As in a previous life I was one of the seagull service/quality engineers we used to experiment with various fuel oil ratios, I ran a seagull century for a year on 100: 1 and for three months on 200: 1 when it stripped and examined there was no calculable where on the Barings or bore. Unfortunately the external area of the cast iron cylinder block aluminium head and crank case steel drive shaft casing and aluminium exhaust chute (as was using a one gallon brass tank) had an almost corroded to a point off at which they were only suitable for scrapping, of course I had to adjust the jet/Needle. The reason for this is that a two-stroke does not burn oil and therefore if you crease the amount of oil in the petrol the engine will sacking in more petrol and run richer. To get back to the story the reason for seeing goals using so much oil in their petrol is not that they need it to lubricate a the internal Barings but to lubricate the external areas and therefore stop them corroding away.

They used to be a story told that sea gulls and Merccury started at the same time with different philosophy Mercury started developing their engines running on pure petrol and adding oil until it ran sea gulls started at the other under the spell with Pure Oral and added to petrol until it ran. The reasoning behind this was was that Merccury being the American realise that people wanted power rather than longevity and seagulls

If you run a seagull on eight: one (1 gallon of petrol to one pint of oil) you can use any oil that comes to hand even the draining his from the chip pan! The spilling when filling it will protect the outer casing

The thing you must never do never do Net That Never Never do is to put Greece in the lower gearbox, what is needed is a very very very thick or oil.

-{)>

 

[chippie]

At work today we were discussing seagull engines and got to wondering if they ever made a recoil start model. Does anybody know?

I always thought their simplicity was a virtue as well as the fairly large torque they must have produced given the large props they swung.
I sometimes speculate whether there would be a place for a modern version.-Electronic ignition,compatible metals, recoil starter etc.but still simple if that is not a contradiction with the other criteria i have mentioned.

 

[yoda]

Not withstanding what has been said in other posts I ran a very early prototype 40 featherweight on 25:1 for several years. In the end the engine died from the effects of going swimming and not lack of oil. I made no alteration to the carb and it seemed to make no differenc whatsoever.

Yoda

 

[yoda]

Yes they did make a recoil start model. The recoil mechanism was bolted on to of the flywheel. The development you refer to is I believe called a mariner 2.5Hp which when you take the cover off is quite simple, electronic ignition, compatible materials, etc, etc. I know which I prefer of the two and I won't be buying another Seagul!

Yoda

 

[chippie]

Re:I agree

NM

 

[Guest]

Very interesting and helpful responses

Thanks

PZ