Introduction and is it treatable?

[Daxk]

I'm fortunate to have stumbled on this site and its obvious sense of humour after doing an idle search on British Seagulls.
I remember Seagulls as a bit of an oddity around the Durban Yacht Club basin in South Africa, raucous, smoky, noisy, and usually transporting drunken yachties in small tenders on a weekend night.I now live in Ireland, a place of great beauty and plentiful lakes where the trout live well beyond the reach of my fly-casting arm.
so I have been looking out for a boat small enough for my areseritus to drag/handle into the water and a outboard motor light enough not to give me a hernia.

My Hobby is fixing things (restoring I tell my wife), sometimes so that they are actually worse than when I started, (my 1942 Harley Davidson WLA and a failed restoration of of a 1940's Packard Roadster spring to mind) but fortunately, my successes outweigh the failures.
I'm currently busy with a 1963 Triumph Spitfire, have finished off a 16 Fireball Sailing Dinghy and had a 15 foot Dinghy donated.

so looking on fleabay uk under outboard motors I came across a plethora of seagulls and my eyes lit up.
I looove classic machinery.

also being wary having made a few tostesterone and wine charged impulse purchases on Eabay previously I googled Seagull Spares and found this here superb website and forum.
As the forum does not have a search function I will probably ask a lot of questions previously answered and beg your forbearance.

from my memory, Seagulls did not have a reverse gear and neither could they idle, it was either go or wrap the starter cord and restart?
I see that some of the later models (forties) had a clutch? would this allow the engine to idle rather than trying to calculate how much fuel is left in the carb bowl?

Standard shafts seem to be plentiful whereas longshafts seem to be rarer?

if so, how much play/choice do you have on a longshaft (which i would prefer) to still only get the required immersion on a small transom dinghy?

Or can I convert a standard shaft to a longshaft when I find the 24foot sleeps three under sail on the lake I dream off?
really appreciate your advice.
Thanks
Dick

[charlesp]

Lots of questions...

Yes they do idle once adjusted correctly.
Reverse gears, well yes, from 1934 to 1936, then from the late seventies.
Clutch - from 1937 up to the 1974 the 102 series had clutched versions, so did the centuries and silver centuries, later forties did too, as you state.
Yes standard shaft motors seem to be more common. Perhaps a peruse of the main site where there are charts and the like with shaft lengths would be a good idea. Once you have a good idea of what you fancy then we can work on adjustment.
Ther search function is at the top right...

[Daxk]

Thanks for the reply Charlesp, spotted the search function after I had posted, will check through the main site for shaft lengths.

[cahillp3]

Welcome Daxk.

Many beautiful lakes indeed although i would a pike man myself. I miss it dearly.

Where have you located yourself then?

[Daxk]

Hey cahillp3, just outside Galway, village called Ardrahan, there are some stunning lakes down in Co Clare as well as up in Mayo, Lough Carra at ballintubberin particular is a safer water than the Corrib and has some great fish.

[Hugz]

Idle. If a seagull is in gear (as are most, permanently) and at minimum revs is it still called idling? Or is idling when not working? Just passing the time...

[Daxk]

If the props not turning then it must be idling, is there then some sort of limited slip arrangement that only transfers torque above certain revs?
or if the prop grounded would the motor cut out if it was "idling" if the prop was still turning but only one revolution every 17th fish?
or something,

[RAY SWANN]

Why where you at Durban yacht club?
Looking at seagulls?
Hope your not a WATER GAWKER ?

[Daxk]

Why where you at Durban yacht club?
Looking at seagulls?
Hope your not a WATER GAWKER ?

I was ballast,apprentice bouy holder,qualified tea-maker and general scavenger of any opportunity to get my butt on anything that had sails and was heading out into the Hindi -aan Ocean.

[Daxk]

OK, took a gamble last night and now have to bring two seagulls across the sea to Ireland (sung to the tune of Galway Bay)
seller is prepared to palletise them up in Scotland but I need to advise DHL or whomever of the weight,
rough guess anyone? two 3-4hp motors? 50Kg?60Kg?

[RAY SWANN]

Parcelforce will carry outboard motors,but they will have to be sent in separate boxes or sacks,to stay in the weight limit.
Don't mention they are engines,but make sure all oil and fuel has been drained.
I was quoted £56 from Cambridge to Staffordshire for 68 kilos, (Petter ac1 engine)so its not cheap.
You may be better off with your pallet idea.
Good luck.

[rosbullterier]

If you are accurate with the description of the engines (rather than 3/4hp) it would only take a few minutes for someone to weigh them individually on bathroom scales.
Then Google Parcel2Go who will arrange transportation at the best price with a few button clicks. Up to 25kg is aprox £8.00. So two, at up to 25kg each would be about £16.00 for the two parcels. Or one surcharged parcel might be cheaper. Stout cardboard packing can be obtained free from the senders local Convenience Store. You send them the delivery label. The carrier collects from their address.
P2G are an excellent company, even with a live 7-day email chat room for probs.
Choose DHL for the carrier - NOT, NOT, Home Delivery Network. (Google this disasterous company for reasons why)

[Daxk]

Thanks Ray and Rosbullterrier, I use parcel2go often so it will probably be with them, thanks for the input, will classify them as used machineparts and get them strapped to a pallet, wrapping angular stuff in cardboard can lead to damage, I'm awaiting model numbers from the seller, so will know better what I have soon, I hope, both are complete but having had fuel left in them will need a carb cleanout and service reading the other threads.
what and how much oil do they use apart from the two stroke?
Thanks
Dick

[charlesp]

Oil is a bit dependant upon model type. Let su know the serials and we will doubtless let you know - and where to get it, too.

[Daxk]

Right, I should have both motors next week.
another quick question, do Seagulls have a cutoff switch? or do you circle until the Carb bowl empties?