Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Having problems with a Seagull? - ask an expert here

Moderators: John@sos, charlesp, Charles uk, RickUK, Petergalileo

Post Reply
Coaster
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:47 pm
Location:

Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by Coaster »

Ive just bought a Seagull No GFP 2219A7 I was told its a 40plus 2.5hp. Was also told it runs well and pumps water well. Today I went out in the estuary with it on my 9ft Dinghy, 1st it was a real struggle getting any speed up would this be normal on a boat of this size ? Also its not pumping water at least none is coming out but a little trickle at the begining on full revs. Does this mean new impellor or water pump or something else ?? Cheers in advance
colgul
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:09 pm
Location:

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by colgul »

Have you got it set at the right depth? The exhaust should be 1-2 inches below water level - if you have it higher than that, then there may not be enough water available to circulate. You really shouldn't run your engine for more than a couple of minutes without proper water circulation as it will cause overheating with potentially permanent damage.
Good luck.
User avatar
40TPI
Posts: 451
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: North Buckinghamshire, 110 miles south of Yorkshire, England.

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by 40TPI »

You could do worse than take a read through the FAQ on common problems on the main SOS site...

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/faq/faq.htm

John at SOS has created this section over many years experience to help answer most of the common problems.... Suggest you check out the cooling and also the drive spring sections ....

You offer no estimate of speed..... Seagulls are intended for displacement hulls. The max speed, in knots, of a 9 foot displacement hull is given to a good approximation as the square root of the waterline length in feet multiplied by a 1.5. So 4.5 knots would be a respectable speed; some would argue this to be on the high side but water skiing is not likely.....

If this is not a familiar subject/approximation have a look here.......http://www.solarnavigator.net/hull_speed.htm or Google "displacement hulls speed"

Hope this helps.


Peter
Coaster
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:47 pm
Location:

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by Coaster »

colgul wrote:Have you got it set at the right depth? The exhaust should be 1-2 inches below water level - if you have it higher than that, then there may not be enough water available to circulate. You really shouldn't run your engine for more than a couple of minutes without proper water circulation as it will cause overheating with potentially permanent damage.
Good luck.

I am new to seagull engines, I assume the exhaust is the hole/outlet just above the prop ? If so the engine was well in the water. I did notice it getting very hot so I guess I need to check the impellor is this in the bottom casing just above the prop?
User avatar
John1952
Posts: 128
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:32 pm
Location: Plymouth.

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by John1952 »

Hi Coaster, when I first joined the forum I myself asked loads of questions!! :oops:
After takeing advice and looking at http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/faq/faq.htm, also looking at other other questions and answers in the help forum, I found loads of answers to my own questions. I am sure if you look you will find an answer somewhere :D
Good luck, John. Welcome to the forum!
User avatar
atoyot
Posts: 238
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:01 am
Location: Delaware, USA
Contact:

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by atoyot »

If there's water pouring out of the little hole on the bottom of the engine block, and the nut that fastens the engine drive tube to the gearbox is under water most all the time (but not much more than that), you're 90% there on the way to reliable operation.

my 40+ pushes a 17' day sailor at about 3 - 4 knotts max, on mill pond smooth water. The difference between that engine and my 4-stroke, 2hp Honda BF-2D is that, whereas the Honda is more efficient per litre of fuel and can ride in the back of the car without being wrapped in newspapers first, the Seagull will maintain that speed into a stiff wind. The Honda will slow down noticeably but it does run nicely, have to admit.

The purpose of the Seagull, as research has probably shown by now, is to get you there and back in a reasonable amount of time, and reliably. Both my engines are long-shaft models, and so I have little to worry about with regard to the heads getting swamped by high seas or spray. It's a good comparison. One's a 9", 4-bladed tugboat prop and the other's a three-bladed plastic/composite prop. I use the Honda 8 times out of 10, but love running the Seagull especially if the forecast is for high seas and strong winds.
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
- Prof. Peter Drucker
Coaster
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 4:47 pm
Location:

Re: Bought A Seagull,, Help Please

Post by Coaster »

UPDATE
Took the seagull out again today with new impellor fitted plus new head, the other was badly coroded that the side case came apart. Anyway now runs really well and throws water out by the bucket full on high revs.
Thank you all for your advice and experience
Now a truly converted Seagull Fan!
Post Reply