Saving Old Seagulls

Excellent video, nice to see everybody working to achieve an accurate replica. Imagine going out in open water in one of those? Incredible :o

Whats the next project monty?

We're looking around for an inboard two-stroke engine to go into a 1916 boat hull to re-create a WW1 river launch as used ...

Been off the forum for a bit - but excellent work.

btw here's a video of our Middy in it's canoe. It's taken in the basin at Southampton Docks last summer. I don't know the person who took it but they've got some of the facts incorrect. Anyway it shows it running in our canoe. It's running without ...

You don't...!

BTW ... !'ve got lots of spares for these motors as I've been collecting lots of dead ones for a while now. So if BTW you think you're stuck ... you probably aren't.

Chris

I have a poorly power head you can have. Seized and in need of tlc - but you're welcome to it. It would be a start and you can join the race for spares. PM me

No, but if you do find one I can certainly help you with spares.

Haven't built the sail and mast yet ... but it's on the way.

Finally ... it works. On the lake at Clumber Park.

Just been given a small cache of brand new spares either in boxes, waxed paper or grease. Lots of useful bits such as a piston, crankshaft and rotary valve as pictured here. loads of other stuff too such as bearings and piston rings.

Pretty soon I'll be able to open a shop.i need to buy a brown ...

I've had quite a bit of experience with these engines now and have found that diesel baths don't seem to work.

I made myself a 18mm hydraulic fitting and pumped the thing apart. I had to make a blanking plate for the exhaust port to stop oil leaking out but it did pump the pistons out of the ...

Yes they're original - outriggers are there for stability and can be pushed out when the canoe is sailing. There is a small lateen rig. This is the original - under engine power.

Just had first trials of the canoe today to check buoyancy, outriggers and general water-worthiness. Every thing is fine, no leaks and the vessel seems to be OK. next step is to try it with the engine in place.
canoe2.jpg

She was launched with a bottle of finest Burton IPA.
Launch.jpg

Her name ...

Here's the engine in rebuild - just sorting the magneto now.

The still of the canoe is off a short movie. Is it a seagull? Can't imagine where you'd attach it to a canvas canoe?

An interesting sideline. When I was rebuilding the engine on the weekend, I found on many of the castings, both aluminium and brass, a minute JAP logo stamped into the metal.

Britannia obviously bought in their castings from the North London firm. I don't know if that continued after WW2 when JAP ...

Has anyone heard of a marine engine designer of this name (J.H.E.Jeffes) possibly from the 1940's? He later became a metallurgist.

Chris