Saving Old Seagulls

I have been reading your helpful advice to pistnbroke to rebuild his tank to AD spec.

You say it should have, for an early AD (1947?) a bayonet cap, and cartouche (not come across that word - shall use it as often as possible) large seagull illustration.

I have 'D2016' without tank, ready for refurbish. I am hoping a tank I have obtained for it is correct. It is the same as you describe above in brass with bayonet cap and jubilee clips.

Is this the next engine after the SD? I am confused by similar aged listings for this period - what year should it be and have I got the right tank?
This motor has the flat exhaust, raked two blade prop and elegant brass transom mount.

Thanks, I'm hoping its the same age as me . . .

I have 2 SD's and 3 AD's and not one of them has a bayonet fitting. I think it would be unlikely the tanks on all five would have been replaced. Most have the bow tie 2 bladed prop. Differences in export models(oz)? I think this would be unlikely. One AD has exposed brass tank with brass filler cap.

Hugo.

Hugo, Charles replied to Pistnbroke:

'The AD I looked at has a bayonet fitting cap; for export they changed to a screw fit after AD2930. I guess yours may have had plated steel tank straps, it's not quite clear when that changed from Jubilee clips.'

I am hoping my D, being a non export, should have the bayonet fitting with jubilee clips.

I am still not sure where a D sits in the hiearchy to the SD and the AD . . .

Is there any BS litrature supporting that there were in fact export variances?

Hugo.

The D was in fact immediately after the SD, it used a long water jacket with brass core plugs and the flatter Villiers magneto. This magneto has a baseplate without flanges and a 'sharper edge' on the upper flywheel radius. It had a plain aluminium cover plate without any of the 'Best Outboard...' stuff on it. The points were off the 'nut 'n bolt' variety rather than the 'adjust with a screwdriver' type.

The D should have a brass tank with a bayonet filler cap, attched by Jubilee clips. The decal would have been the large seagull facing right within the cartouche - same general design as that on the later Marstons.

I have a copy of the Production Manager's notes that details some of the changes. Export models had things like a screw thread cap and plated steel tank straps a little earlier than the domestic ones. Sadly I only have a few sheets of this stuff, which is frustrating. But it illustrates the policy of continuous improvement that B.S. were implementing.

An SD would generally not have the 'bow tie' prop, rather it bore the swept back variety. Same with the D. Both would have what I refer to as the 'skeletal' bronze bracket if supplied for a transom attachment, but the SD was usually supplied with the large bronze general pupose lug that would allow the use of a variety of strange mountings for wierd and wonderful military applications.

The D was only made in 1946

Charles you have made me very happy - thanks.

The D is the oldest engine I want to aspire to, I've quite enough 102's now!

Andy

The D is the oldest engine I want to aspire to, I've quite enough 102's now!

That's what I used to think...