Saving Old Seagulls

I bought this old GULL and don't know what it is.

Numbers - 911 A9

Thanks Bill

Are there any code letters in front of the serial?

At the moment we can tell that whatever it is was probably made in January 1969 - but it's the letters in fron that denote what model etc.

I was surprised only to see 911. I did assume it was made in Jan of 69. I will have to look closer with glass but I'm pretty sure it just says 911

Bill

Have a look, and report back - if no letters we will have to work it out from a photo if you can post one...

Okay, a closer look I found the "FP" it was above the other numbers and did not stand out. So it looks to be a forty plus Jan 1969, right?

I know seagulls are not rated in HP, but how can one estimate what the HP is when selling these. Most people in USA want to know what HP these outboards are rated at.

I three of these motors and will be picking up three more this week, all for sale

Thanks Bill

2-3 HP range nominal.

My FP pushes my Island 17 foot sailboat to hull speed without a problem

Okay just picked up one at lunch, I think I know what I have.

SJP 240 N6

Forty Plus made November 1966

Does that sound right?

Hi fishon71. I've just had a look through the ID section and you're very close. At the risk of sounding pedantic, your forty plus was made in December. The letter "L" was not used in the date sequence so "M" would be December, but apparently the manufacurers threw the odd "N" in (Just to confuse the issue?). You still awake after all that??
Tight lines,
upthecreek.

Just to confuse matters a little more..

It was not unknown for British Seagull to make up batches of motors in the winter - when sales were a bit slower - using the date code for when they reckoned they'd be actually on sale. Way-Hope was concerned that dealers - and customers - might think they'd got old stock, and that sales were poor.

The date and model codes provide endless head scratching, and the appearance of strange letters or oddities is by no means unusual.

I still ponder on the production of the inboards - calling them SD (standing for 'Sail Drive' when there were already in existence rather a lot of 102s from the forties with 'SD' stamped on the crankcase.

A little snippet I heard a long time back was that when 'Lady Docker' was involved during WWII the castings had her initials on them, 'SD'!

Was her first name Sarah???

Cheers,
John
SOS

Lady Docker - Hmm, she was related to the chap who bought Bill Pinniger's shares wasn't she?

I had heard that the SD was so named as being the first model fitted from the start with a spring drive. The contemporary SN started life intended as a rubber buffer model.

The later SD was 'cos it was a Sail Drive...

Hi Charles, that was a quick response!

Have just spent an hour reading through all the posts since I've been away.... You have all been busy!

Lady Docker was in charge of Seagull during the WWII years as I understand it. Part of the government War Dept.....

Odd they never called the Rubber drive version an RD?!

Hee Hee!

Regards,
John
SOS

She was called Norah. She was an ex dancer who married Lord Docker in 1949. He divorced his earlier wife in 1935.

Having said that I'd love this crazy colourful woman to be part of the Seagull story - there's precious little glamour in it to date.

Plenty of sex, but no glamour...

No I'm not going to expand on that!