Curiousity really. I have to carry my featherweight along the foreshore from where I park my car to the dinghy rack. Now being a featherweight (why they called it that at 13-14 kilos does seem to be taking the michael), that's ok, just. But then having been out to my boat and returned, the seagull is now hot on the exhaust pipe, and unless I have timed the fuel shut off perfectly, there's smelly petrol ready to soak me. And then the oil...OMG! In the summer guaranteed to ruin those light coloured shorts with the ubiquitous run that comes when it starts to cool down and shed its surplus lubricant, now the colour and consistency of black treacle. But first you have to remove it from the transom without getting your hand burnt by grabbing the exhaust in a rash moment. Now don't get me wrong, I do still prefer the seagull to my ultra quiet, light, clean, and leak proof mariner 2hp. But sometimes I wonder why. So any hints for easy stain free carrying of a seagull?
I have a "Project Manager", sometimes reffered to as "er indoors".
As I'm too old and stupid to go out alone, "er words not mine", she always insists on coming along to supervise.
This means that when I get back, I have a "pack horse" to carry the motor for me.
I just land, rub my back and make moaning noises, the seagull is then snatched from my hand and carried to the car. JOB DONE !.
I have a tarp in the back of the car, I lie the motor down with the carbie on the up side, It doesn't leak much oil,
A friend of mine when I take her sailing grabs the motor out of the car and carries it to the boat upside down.
Never seems to hurt it.
Also there is nothing like the smell of 2 stroke in the morning.
My next door neighbour has a rather natty modified golf club trolley that I sometimes wistfully covet. He uses it to wheel his outboard from car to boat.
But the general problem of hot exhausts are easily cured. Take a can of beer with you - or even better a bottle of Hobgoblin, which I currently rate quite highly.
When boating is over, take top from bottle, and savour beer. If you smoke then do so. After this pleasant interlude heat problems will have disappeared. The effects of the alcohol will quite definitely negate some of the annoyance at hands smeared with black gunge, and the leaking petrol, well it's just possible you won't notice.
Seriously, though, a useful method of transport would be a great boon. I have wondered if some sort of folding handle could be contrived to fit just under the magneto, with perhaps a strap on pair of wheels velcro-ed on to the gearbox.
British Seagull made a light alloy (?) carry handle at one time. Their advert had some skinny looking young gal hauling up her father's Seagull with consumate ease, presumably without the aid of any Woodbines or Watneys Red Barrel!
British Seagull made a light alloy (?) carry handle at one time
A friend bought one of those but, if it the thing you are thinking of, it was not much use because the two handles that closed around the drive shaft did not close together so that you could carry it with one hand. It was even more difficult using two hands that it was without the handle. OK perhaps for two people to carry it between them but as it does not require two people to carry a Featherweight it never was any use.
British Seagull made a light alloy (?) carry handle at one time
A friend bought one of those but, if it the thing you are thinking of, it was not much use because the two handles that closed around the drive shaft did not close together so that you could carry it with one hand. It was even more difficult using two hands that it was without the handle. OK perhaps for two people to carry it between them but as it does not require two people to carry a Featherweight it never was any use.
If you slide the handle between the exhaust tube and drive shaft and close on to the drive shaft and carry with one handle the other handle is hard against the exhaust tube preventing it from opening. Becomes a very effective handle particularly if used at the top of the shaft where it is perfectly balanced.
But then having been out to my boat and returned, the seagull is now hot on the exhaust pipe, and unless I have timed the fuel shut off perfectly, there's smelly petrol ready to soak me. And then the oil...OMG! In the summer guaranteed to ruin those light coloured shorts with the ubiquitous run that comes when it starts to cool down and shed its surplus lubricant, now the colour and consistency of black treacle. But first you have to remove it from the transom without getting your hand burnt by grabbing the exhaust in a rash moment. Now don't get me wrong, I do still prefer the seagull to my ultra quiet, light, clean, and leak proof mariner 2hp. But sometimes I wonder why. So any hints for easy stain free 
carrying of a seagull?
