Charles, interesting stuff. Raises a question, who currently owns British Seagull and where do they manufacture spares? Or is the current stock NOS that was bought up along with the rights to post 1988 editions of manuals etc. You'd think they'd be even more successfull and more popular if we could see the odd pic of a Nigel manufacturing spares for us. I for one sure don't mind spending 30 bucks for an HT lead or 10 bucks for a bolt knowing that a hard working Birmingham Dad is bringing home good wages to keep the kids in boots and books.
Sheridan Marine, just put British Seagull into your search engine, I don't get paid for this, so don't expect Charles & I to do all the work for you.
Some of their spares are NOS but as they own all of British Seagull's tooling, drawings, patterns it's unlikley that anyone else could produce a century piston set for £33.74 including 20% sales tax, piston, piston rings, gudgeon pin & circlips, that your 100% certain is fit for purpose, these are new not NOS, as are the century cylinders, prop springs & head gaskets.
These are low volume items that no clone manufacturer would ever consider producing.
Take the crankshaft & rod from the 5R that Stelious found, these are no longer available NOS but to have 4 remanufactured last year cost me more than $2500 US, without British Seagull still producing the century piston set how much do you think it would cost you to get some cloned when the total market demand is probably less than 20 a year.
Boy do we need British Seagull to survive!
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
I know of a Marion who assembled HT leads, she did it at home after leaving British Seagull's full time employment when she became a mother. A van used to arrive from the factory a few hundred yards from her home with the components and it would collect yesterday's quota of assembled leads. British Seagull used to regard themselves as very modern and progressive when they originally employed her drilling castings along with the men. She was allowed (allowed!) to eat her lunch in the ladies toilets so as to cushion her from their rough male humour. British Seagull further proved their progressive and caring attitude when one week before her confinement she was allowed to actually sit down at her work bench...
We all want the Seagull spares business to be successfull, as the spares support is what makes the seagull engine a worthwhile hobby. A couple of scenarios:
Scenario A. A new owner asks for advice, a kind forum member offers expert advice and shows a carb diagram. The new owner goes away, learns more about his engine, buys some parts and rebuilds his engine. He posts some photos, comes along to a seagull run, and everybody is pleased.
Scenario B. A new owner asks for advice, a kind forum owner posts some advice which the moderator deletes. New owner gives up, seagull ends up in bits at the back of the shed gathering dust.
Which one is best? The seagull scene will grow, and more spares will be sold, if we are open and helpful. Don't start me on about the unmentionables...
When you look at other outboards that I am becoming interested in: Ferrier, Mallard, Britannia there is no spares support at all, we are very lucky with Seagull, and we need to encourage more newbies!
Oyster 49 wrote:Scenario A. A new owner asks for advice, a kind forum member offers expert advice and shows a carb diagram. The new owner goes away, learns more about his engine, buys some parts and rebuilds his engine. He posts some photos, comes along to a seagull run, and everybody is pleased.
We do try, perhaps we should create our own graphics then there is no argument.
Charles, cool I am very pleased to know that Sheridan Marine is currently machining Century pistons in Great Britian. Hard not to get behind a company that would continue U.K operations when it surely would be more profitable to send some CAD files off to India/China. They really should consider putting a 'Made in the U.K" lable on stuff.
Now all they have to do is harness some of that latent ingenuity and engineer up a U.K manufactured little 4-stroke that shares the admirable traits of the historic Seagull and insure the legacy lasts beyond the life span of a few stubborn gearhead OB affecianados (the 20 guys buying pistons that could'nt find one out of a cracked block).
Thanks for the info, we see lots of pics on ancient history but recent history can instill as much pride of ownership as sepia prints.
The bucket is a little bit on the small size, remove the prop if your going to use that size bucket, or use a wheelie bin.
At least cover the bottom of the exhaust tube with water, I have had them up to the bottom of the transom in water on a boat.
Today afer a test run I bring the engine indoors, I was bored to death so I pull the cord to see if there was any fuel left in the carb, and.. there was
