Mercury 4.5 for Sale!

[John@sos]

No its not mine! A friend of mine is swallowing the anchor and I have been helping out clear out his boat gear and selling it for him.

I have here a longshaft 1980 approx 4.5 hp Mercury. FNR gears remote tank, fittings reusable but tank needs replacing as its steel and suspect. It has been dry stored for at least last 20 years!



Running in test tank.

I have had a friendly Mercury engineer check the motor over, all is well, water pump checked OK, gear oil replaced, carb cleaned and she burst into life. i have a video of it running. Apart from descaling the waterways maybe seems all ok. The motor looks little used.

selling for £250

Collect from Essex.

I have a video clip of it running if anyone interested.

01621 778859 or via john@saving-old-seagulls.co.uk

[Collector Inspector]

PHEW!

Initially I thought that you had turned to the darkside of the incorrect continent but when reading all is well.

I hope someone can use it John.

Cheers

B

[haventaclue]

I could use it,but distance makes it nonviable,anyway what's wrong with the "Darkside"?

[Collector Inspector]

There are always "haters" lurking..........beware.

B

[John@sos]

Well that did not take long!

Someone nearby in Essex saw the advert and has bitten my hand off for it! Apparently the 'blue band' Mercury's quite saught after. Gone to a good home anyway and my Seagulls can relax again, they were getting quite aggitated with a 'foreigner' in their midst!

Pleased to do my mate a favour!

Regards,
John
SOS

[haventaclue]

has bitten my hand off for it!

If I was closer I would have too.

'blue band' Mercury's quite saught after

Yes they are,a very reliable engine,if you ever venture to the darkside

[John@sos]

Well I am pleased to have done a chum a favour in selling it and also to find someone who knew about the model and is going to look after it.

It seems a well made and reliable motor, an nicely once the varnish had been removed from the carb..... and actually seems to be made for salt water as opposed to some motors that seem to be more for lakes and freshwater rivers!

A plus is the new owner is a fellow berthholder where I keep our little boat and I have been promised the odd fish if he sees me when he comes in from a day of worm drowning!

John
SOS

[haventaclue]

Yes they would be reliable and easy maintained,by the decals,I would say '83,so a 30yr old,enjoy the fish,Ok I'm showing off,but I have a fondness for old Mercs Not the best thing to admit on a site for old Gulls

[Keith.P]

I don't mind admitting to having a 64 Merc, I will admit I don't start it much, having one without electric start, pulling over a 50hp, the last year of the 44cu motor isn't much fun.
I do like the mercury motors, even my car has a mercury badge on the boot.

[John@sos]

Hi Keith, recognised the Avatar straight away!

I used to have, (1n 1973!) a Coventry Victor 12hp motor that looked just like this one! Difference is it was fitted as an inboard! Was in a boat I had. No gearbox but a feathering prop made by 'Watermota', that would engage pitch and thus thrust when it decided to, most embarrasing at times!!! As it was a liability I replaced it with a Stuart Turner.

The history of the Coventry Victor motor was interesting, the former owner of the boat bought it at a surplus sale at a Norfolk RAF base, where it was mounted on a trailer running a fire pump! apparently similar units were towed behind taxi's during the Blitz on London!

My abiding memory of it was the starter handle, it turned left handed! Very interesting!

Regards,
John
SOS

[Keith.P]

In all sense and purpose it is basically an inboard motor, just a Coventry victor Midget engine on a leg, its heavy enough just with 8hp.
I have never seen or heard of a CV fire pump, Coventry climax pumps, seen loads of them, a totally different animal, the only wartime twin pump I have seen is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QATqjvuyV0

[John@sos]

Hi Keith


that looks far more likely as a fire pump than the little Coventry Victor.
I always wondered as it was water cooled....

suspect when he bought it they were also selling these larger pumps. Was back in 1960!

As a matter of interest does yours also swing lefthanded, (said the actress to the bishop!).

cheers,
john

[Collector Inspector]

Cool!

I have One Merc 60. Not Black as a bit early.

Needs painting but mech A1 goes like "Scolded Dingo Stink" actually.

I have paint code and have all the decals from nymarine in Canadia for later.

Work in progress.

Cheers

B[/color]

[Keith.P]

Having a think about this, I restored an engine some years back, a flat twin left hand start, they used this engine to pump water, it was also used in WW2 by the Royal Engineers/bridge builders, even though it is not water cooled it is the only left hand, flat twin water pump type engine I can think of, some had one cylinder converted as a compressor and just ran off the other cylinder, I will post a picture of the one I restored.

P1000076.JPG

P1000077.JPG

If I am not mistaken, the mercury went black in 1964. I did have a look at decals myself, for my one. However, last time I looked at $150 a time, it would be more than I paid for the motor, so that is not going to happen. I do like the earlier style, just don't see them very often. Yes, they go like stink, but so does the fuel.

[John@sos]

Hi Keith
the Coventry Victor had the same updraft carb as the outboard on your avatar and a water pump with spring loaded vanes in the same place as the one on yours.

It was side valve with a small plate over the valve gear on the top side of the cylinders. Very easy to get at!

Water cooled and eventually a head cracked, but I was able to get it brazed up!

It had a magneto mounted at the rear and that would fail if you tried to restart when warm, main reason I eventually took it out.

The motor had a nice brass plate with 'Coventry Victor' on it but scant other info. I found out it was rated at 12hp, but with the inefficient Watermota variable prop, a tiny thing, bet no more than 6 leaked out!

there was also a 1939 stamp and Gov broad arrow.

The exhaust was not water injected, but lagged and noisy, no silencer at first. Recall I managed to get one off a small industrial motor that quietened it down a bit.

Today I have a 3 cylinder baby Kubuto in my boat, fitted it 20 years ago, just clocked 1,000 hours and still runs like a sewing machine. How times change.

Regards,
John
SOS