Look at my "new" outboard!

[WillJacocks]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

GREAT.
I have a 1950's era long shaft British Seagull 12hp. It takes 12:1 gas to oil mixture.
I have not used it in 30 years but assume that it still works.
Does anyone want it?

I want it!!! My dad had one with his SC22 sailboat, we loved it! I regret not trying to buy it when he sold the boat. But we were in no position to.

[rbthorson]

I don't think that is a Johnson or Evinrude. I have never seen that kind of recoil starter on an OMC outboard, I have only seen the OMCs with the recoil above the flywheel.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Boy that looks a lot like a Johnson/Evinrude. I wonder if they made them for Chrysler labeling then?

Exactly looks like my friend's 2HP Johnson motor from the 70s that was her dad's.

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

GREAT.
I have a 1950's era long shaft British Seagull 12hp. It takes 12:1 gas to oil mixture.
I have not used it in 30 years but assume that it still works.
Does anyone want it?

Mate, British Seagull never made a 12HP motor. Ever.

If it's from the Fifties, it's either a 4HP or 2HP, dependent on capacity (102cc or 64cc respectively). The 4HP has an approx. 4" diameter exhaust tube, the 2HP approx 2.5" diameter exhaust tube. The exhaust tubes are usually chromed brass, whereas the driveshaft tube is usually chromed steel. Short shaft 16", long shaft 20".

If you look for the engine number, on the crankcase near the tiller mount, a string of letters and numbers, then look it up online you can tell what year (approx) it's from.

And they didn't use 12:1 fuel/oil ratio, it was 10:1.

Initial recommendation was for SAE30 engine oil, but that tends to make them pretty smoky. Any National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) TC-W3 labelled two-stroke oil is better, and will smoke way less.

I own several of them, from many eras, Forties to Nineties. Factory went bust 1994. Only one model ever had Reverse (F-N-R). Most were direct drive with the remainder being Clutched models (F-N). Most only ever had rope-pull start. Recoil start was optional aftermarket accessory until Eighties when 'some' models came out with the same optional SIBA recoil factory-fitted. I have two of these, a 5HP and a 3HP.

One of their unique features was a spring-operated prop. I know, sounds weird, right? But actually the spring slotted into a slot on the end of the prop shaft, and then hooked into a corresponding slot on the prop blade, so if the prop 'stopped' (i.e. hit an obstruction) the spring would 'wind up' and usually not break, unlike 'shear-pin' type props. After multiple groundings the spring would 'slip' and so too would the prop, but often still provide enough drive to get to shore but, if not, the prop-spring could be changed in the boat, as the motors had a pivot-pin that could be removed so the motor (but not the bracket) could be hauled into the boat.

I have done this but it's a PITA.

The other advantage of the pivot-pin is that you can leave the bracket bolted to the boat, and just remove the motor and carry it home home or to your car. Lighter and easier to carry.

They have no bearings, only bronze bushings inside strong alloy casings, so nothing much to rust, but they can only rev to 4200RPM as a result. Bronze bushings are self lubricating up to a max of around 4500RPM. Low gearing and large prop provides more torque than a tiny motor should ever be able to produce.

10,000 of them were built during WWII and mainly used to power barges and Bailey-bridge sections, one on each corner, so they could literally spin in their own length. These were the 'Plus' version, which indicates a larger-than-normal 11-13" prop. A long-shaft version of the Plus models will push a 30' carvel-planked sailboat to around 3-4kts. A standard-sized (9") prop 5HP will push a 20' dinghy to it's hull speed of around 6kts.

The owners (and later their appointed M/D) held the unwise view that 'no-one ever needed reverse', and so the US and Jap motors killed them off, eventually.

Unlike early US motors with rope-pull start, British Seagulls are virtually a dime a dozen, and are possibly the cheapest (and least likely to be stolen) motor you cna put on a dinghy.

Just remember that they'll never get it up on the plane, be prepared for 'hull speed only' and they are actually not a bad thing.

There was a time when 'Sigul' (Seagull) was the pidgin word for 'outboard motor' in the Pacific Islands.

There is an annual race around Bermuda, called, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Round the Island Seagull Race (RISR) held every year in June (just been run) and the only stipulation is the motor must be a Seagull product.

There was a (very) later version that was a rebadged 5HP Selva motor, known as the Seagull Sport, for which there is a special category, and the record speed for a 33' needle boat with a souped-up version of one of these is about 30kts. From memory, the round-island speed record is just over 2.5hrs.

The Kiwis also 'race' them down the Waikato river at Easter every year, again unsurprisingly called the Waikato River Seagull Race.

I did that one in 2010. Was a hoot. Put both on your bucket list. Anyone wants contact details for the organisers of either, send me a PM.

Oh. And a bunch of crazy Aussies built 23' William Atkin Russel R dinghies to sail the 200kms of navigable waters of the River Murray, powered only be British Seagull outboards. Took 34 days, camping on the river banks.

[Buzzman]

Here's the Murray story- in two parts as the file size wouldn't upload unless I split it

[RealSailing]

Originally Posted by Eisemann

Home Depot sells non ethanol fuel in gallons either premixed or straight gas. A bit expensive but it will save removing and cleaning carburetor on a more than frequent basis.

A great website for anyone running an outboard motor or other sensitive equipment for which they don’t want to use ethanol: https://www.pure-gas.org/.

[taxwizz]

Originally Posted by WillJacocks

I want it!!! My dad had one with his SC22 sailboat, we loved it! I regret not trying to buy it when he sold the boat. But we were in no position to.

I am delighted to sell it to you.
How does US $300.00 sound?
But... It is heavy and bulky.
It also still contains oily fluids, and may be impossible to ship.
Are you planning to be in Toronto this summer?
Eddy

[WillJacocks]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

I am delighted to sell it to you.
How does US $300.00 sound?
But... It is heavy and bulky.
It also still contains oily fluids, and may be impossible to ship.
Are you planning to be in Toronto this summer?
Eddy

Oh dang! That's a long ship!

Just spent 3K on a Torqeedo, so I better keep the missus happy by bowing out of this one. Thanks mate!

btw, for a running seagull, you're at a good price with a bit of negotiation. Good luck!

[admiral 31]

Identify your Seagull o/b here



British Seagull Engine Identifier - from Saving-Old-Seagulls.co.uk