2012 Seagull - Thoughts on what it would be?

[Rex NZ]

As for electrics. There are Super-Capacitors are on the horizon. They can store for weeks & offer more energy density potential than batteries. However, We'll see where they go.

As for combustion engines. I think there's development potential with Sterling engines running thru electric transmissions. Need storage buffers to make them responsive. External combustion, so you can burn just about anything, sawdust, tyres, waste plastics, packaging.

[Grumpy]

I really like that Aussie idea of a steam fired underwater jet engine .
Imagine a 30ft yawl, far out in the north Atlantic , dad mum the 3 kids and the family dog.
A typhoon erupts and tears the sails apart leaving the yawl with only a storm sail to keep her headed into the wind, fighting to keep her nose forward and get them up and over the monstous seas, survival fast becoming a distant fantasy.
Dad , in desperation races to get his new untried jet steam underwater jet outboard motor started .
Mom , with the 3 kids grasped to her large maternal breast , the yelping cocker spaniel, sodden but as yet unbowed and full of total trust in her human family, looks at her husband in total admiration yet with a mixture of doubt and fear.
"Will the jet outboard save us "she screams.
"Unlikely" he responds" but at least the rest of the empire will know we , in our fatal last moments , drank our last cup of tea, er, coffee made by our fantastically fast steam outboard, perhaps the fastest ever"
Find the dog a biscuit.

[fortyplus]

I can see a diesel Seagull - that way are you running on a 1:1 100% oil mix LOL. Something about the eccentricity of a diesel and it's frugal nature would seem to fit with the Seagull concept. However in reality I do not see the point of diesel for a small light weight outboard, where fuel economy from a little 4 stroke would already be incredible. I recently ran my Seagull 90 for over 3 hours on less than one tank full. Also a diesel would not be cheap to produce.

A problem I see for a 2012 Seagull would the simplicity issue. I love the simplicity of the classic model Seagulls. Unfortunately we live in a world where bells and whistles seem to be the order of the day and even the simplest of devices seem to be plagued with a lot of unnecessary features and abilities - it appears simple may not be in fashion these days. The only way I can see basic and simple working is if it is also much cheaper than the competition's more sophisticated offerings. However if the market you appeal to is rather narrow, you will not have the volume to have low unit cost. This must have been part of the Seagull demise originally. It seems if you wanted to produce a 2012 Seagull, you are always going to be trapped in how to produce something that has some unique features and benefits compared to the other brands at the right price, or you are faced with how you can compete in a market with lots of other brands already producing essentially the same product. This is essentially what the reborn Triumph motorcycles has done, while it has cleverly (or cynically depending on your viewpoint) managed to mix it's heritage and model names into it's marketing, it is pretty much making what the Japanese manufacturers build - although I do have to admire what they've achieved, from being utterly out of the market to where they are now is nothing to be sneezed at.