Seagull

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pat_detente

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Just thought I would share this with the forum.

Having just acquired an inflatable dinghy we had a go at starting my father-in-law's
Seagull outboard, which to my knowledge has lived in the cellar for at least 25 years, if not longer.

It started on the third pull, and this was with the fuel that was already in the tank.

Am looking forward to seeing how it will perform over the next fortnight on our summer cruise.....
 
But if it is a 40 series with a Villiers carb it will need a different needle. Strictly speaking your Amal carb should also have a different jet to compensate for the richer petrol mix, although not so critical as with a Villiers.
 
Suggest you clean the complete fuel system, particularly the little mesh filter at the tank end of the tap. This will quickly block as your stale fuel gets disturbed. You might also treat it to a new plug and HT lead - the latter can break up over time.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Suggest you clean the complete fuel system, particularly the little mesh filter at the tank end of the tap

[/ QUOTE ] And the even smaller filter in the banjo connection to a Villers carb (Bing Carb similar) or in the connection between the float chamber and the carb body ("mixing chamber") of two jet Amals.

But is all on the SOS website
 
It started on the third pull, and this was with the fuel that was already in the tank.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I hope you shook it up to distribute the oil,it would be a pity to see such a wonderful example of British Engineering ruined.
 
"it would be a pity to see such a wonderful example of British Engineering ruined. "

Not at all........It would be the best thing that could happen to it! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
My long shaft seagull is mounted on the pushpit rail and prop faces aft. Initiate asked whether it was an auxiliary airscrew for added thrust!

But as for reliability, then it cannot be beaten. Have a friend with just three or four in garage for later use.
 
I bought a Chinese copy of a stern light & very cheap it was,unfortunately they had forgotten to drill the hole that you poke the wires through the same size & it was useless.
At least the seagull was born out of hard & fast practical experience (in it's day).
 
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Not very patriotic of you Chrusty.Engineering used to be a wonderful thing in this Country.Sad loss....

[/ QUOTE ]

Patriotic??.......well I consider that every one of those abominations that is sent to the scrapper as doing this country a favour environment wise, along with giving us all cleaner air to breath and much reduced audio polution.

Also before anybody starts blathering on about carbon footprints and production of new outboards I have heard it all before. I would suggest that those people should also confine themselves to driving cars of the same vintage and employing domestic appliances at home from the same vintage.....I wonder how many do??

If a British manufacturer was to produce a clean, quiet, reliable and lightweight four stroke, I would buy one, as it is, I will stick with Yamaha.

Yamaha versus Seagull, no contest, and it isn't anygood saying that the Yamaha wont be around in God knows how many years, and that Seagulls have stood the test of time, because nobody has any way of knowing, y'll just have to wait and see. In any case, I couldn't care less if my Yamaha isn't around in thirty or forty years, cos I wont be around to use it!.

I do agree though that yes it's a shame that British Engineering is about as dead as a Dodo, at least comparitively speaking, so blame the twats that turned us into a service and retail economy.
 
"At least the seagull was born out of hard & fast practical experience (in it's day)"

Nope! they just didn't know how to do it any different, do you really think that if they had access to modern technology that they would have built them like they did?

Just how rosy are your specs Kristophulos?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Suggest you clean the complete fuel system, particularly the little mesh filter at the tank end of the tap. This will quickly block as your stale fuel gets disturbed. You might also treat it to a new plug and HT lead - the latter can break up over time.

[/ QUOTE ]

While you're tinkering, suggest you also put a smear of grease on the 'points' cam - the grease there might have dried-out over the years. And you might as well check the gap setting at the same time. And that's the maintenance done for a good few years !
 
Who rattled your cage this morning?!

As somebody who knows more than most about the saintly Seagulls having been the Marketing Manager in the final days of the "old" company, I can confirm that "engineering" in the way that we now know it was in short supply. The origins of the product were in the toolroom era of wartime production when you just got on and did things. Hence for many components there were no drawings as the designer originally made the part and then gave it to a machinist to copy. Most of the patterns and machinery were worn out after 20 or 30 years of use, and quality of materials steadily declined as efforts were made to keep costs down.

Despite all this the end product was fantastic for its time, particularly when you compared it with the opposition before the Japanese came in. suddenly the price advantage disappeared and the new products were overall superior.

Having said all that the product is still worth having. The 40+ I built for myself out of the best bits, mostly dating from the early70's is still going strong.
 
[ QUOTE ]
"At least the seagull was born out of hard & fast practical experience (in it's day)"

Nope! they just didn't know how to do it any different, do you really think that if they had access to modern technology that they would have built them like they did?

Just how rosy are your specs Kristophulos?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I shall not argue I shall just buy an ss jaguar or something like that if I can ever afford one & drive past you chrusty old bean with my nose in the air while you commute in your characterless modern automobile.Toot toot chrusty /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
The 40+ I built for myself out of the best bits, mostly dating from the early70's is still going strong

[/ QUOTE ] And the Featherweight, just run of the mill production model from April 1974, I use on my tender runs as good as new. Still looks pretty good too.

Still get spares for 'em if necessary too. You cant for Yamahas and mechanics wont look at them once they are more than a few years old.

Enjoying its pre-season test run earlier this year:

DSCF0417.jpg
 
"I shall not argue I shall just buy an ss jaguar or something like that if I can ever afford one & drive past you chrusty old bean with my nose in the air while you commute in your characterless modern automobile.Toot toot chrusty "

I see that they are very rosey indeed, still it does no harm at all to dream. Toot-Toot! to you too Kristophulos!

OK, seriously...........now pay attention cos seriously doesn't last long with me. If folks enjoy running old Seagulls then good on them, it takes all sorts to make a world. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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