charlesp wrote:The competition for these items (blocks, tanks) is of course the second-hand market. That can happily supply blocks, but the tanks are a different matter.
Couldn't disagree more. Tanks and blocks are opposite propositions: tanks are nearly always available (2 on Ebay as I speak - and there have been several over the last few weeks), but most importantly, "what you see is what you get". Being brass, you'd be very unlucky to get one which couldn't be put into service after a clean-up.
Blocks on the other hand are always 'a pig in a poke' - whether you buy a block on it's own (seldom seen) or a complete engine for the block, you only get to find out the condition on strip-down - and, unlike a tank, they can't be repaired if damaged. I've bought 4 Silver Century square blocked engines so far - one was/is near perfect, and a second is now serviceable - having been bought with a completely blocked jacket. But sadly, the other two weren't caught in time, and the blocks are cracked. But I only discovered the cracks after buying 'em. That's the problem with Ebay - buying stuff unseen and untested.
Lincolnshire is full of freshwater get in your car & drive around all your local boat yards & chandlers & go & ask them if they've got any old Seagulls, they're not popular with mainstream boaters & British Seagull made approaching a million of them, so there shouldn't be a shortage.
Most of the ones you will be shown won't start because the points need cleaning && the petrol is as old as I am, then ask them how much they want, just try not to look too guilty when you walk away with a century & a 40 + for £20 & one of them has a nearly perfect tank.
Ebay is for people who like buying from the comfort of their armchair!
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
I suspect we're coming at this from different angles. While I agree that serviceable tanks are easily available, ones in good cosmetic condition are not so easily found.
And I guess eBay purchases made without actually seeing the goods are risky. I have been caught just like you, but goods you have examined should be a better bet.
The relative prices on the Bay and elsewhere second hand are an illustration - a cosmetically good tank goes for more than a good block.
Don't know about others but my good blocks end up on clutched or EFNR models so I end up with a few blockless direct centuries. For some reason there seem to be a few motors floating around down under without brackets. Perhaps the bracket is bolted to a transom and then becomes separated from motor.
The costs for the press tooling for the end caps will be the show stopper & the swaged in tank ends they fit on tooling, Seagull should already have the tools & they're still no longer available in the price book so is it reasonable to assume that it's costs of manufacture & low demand made them decide not to bother because it's not financially viable.
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
I would have assumed that if blocks were re manufactured and sold at a heavily subsidised price there would be an exponentially increase in the number of seagulls in use and as such a huge increase in requirements for other parts. May need to wait for a few more decades of interest though....
A block is about 3 Kilo's. Which would work out at about $30us each for transport then. Quality is my concern. Probably need to order a few hundred. Interesting concept.
Wik: Tuangou
"The tuangou phenomenon has been most successful in mainland China, where buyers have leveraged the power of group buying, which has led to English language media, such as msn.com, profiling the tuangou buying process.[2] The popularity of the strategy in China is often attributed to the Chinese tradition of bargaining for the purchase of goods of all types. Tuangou buying also ameliorates a traditional distrust of goods purchased from unknown sellers as individual members of the buying group can vouch for a particular seller's quality to the rest of the group."
Sorry SAE that wasn't intended to be an insult, but just encouragement to be proactive in your buying.
Some of the best Seagulls I've ever bought have been from wandering into boat yards & asking that question & also from wanted adds in the local free paper.
I walked out of a boat yard on the Thames with a perfect short Kingfisher a running AD will all the tank transfer on a perfect tank, a model 60 missing the carb but with a twistgrip a 40+ a really good CPC, there were 6 in all & several packs of new spares & the guy thought he'd ripped me off for the £200 I gave him. All that while the girlfriend went shopping.
When enough people learn your into Seagulls you'll end up being given them rather than them being taken to the tip.
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
Horsley-Anarak wrote: I prefer the more blunt Aussie attitude myself, but I do work in construction. H-A
That would explain it, I'm a bluey in construction, and considered pretty ruff by Aussie standards. I try to converse in a civilised manner here but....
