Saving Old Seagulls

I had a look at my 1972 Forty Plus and decided that the throttle cable was wrongly led and should lead through the hole at the inboard end of the tiller, so I re-located the Villiers throttle as near to the tank as it would go. In this position it is angled over to starboard. Is this right or wrong?

I think I need to do some repainting this winter - bronze spray Hammerite for the flywheel, I gather. What should I do about the cast iron square block? A good wire brushing, followed by black "heat resistant" paint?

Yes the throttle should be 'canted' to the right - I've had a quick look at British Seagull adverts, and they're all shown 'listing to starboard'.

I'm not sure when the tiller with the hole in it appeared.

The paint on the block doesn't need to be heatproof - it shouldn't get all that hot; not like an exhaust manifold on a car, for instance. I use hammerite for its rust proofing properties.

A bronze 'hammered' paint is fine for the flywheel.

Should look good!

Service sheet number 7 states the throttle control lever should be angled at 45 degrees and positioned 2 1/8 inches from the tiller fulcrum.
It also, puzzlingly, states that "the throttle control cable is of standard length to give the over-riding control feature enabling the engine speed to be varied by raising or lowering the tiller"
Since the relationship between inner and outer cables is constant, wherever the tiller is positioned, how this was supposed to work?

Do not run the throttle cable through this hole in the casting at the mounting end of the tiller arm, it kinks the throttle cable & ruins them.

John is selling throttle cables that are better quality the recent ones from British Seagull & the most important bit, they are 50mm longer, so that the position of the throttle lever is not so critical.

I too have wondered about how the tiller arm can possibly work as a throttle.

But it does! I suspect that someone noticed it happening - and hey presto, you have another marketable feature...

Charles wrote: I too have wondered about how the tiller arm can possibly work as a throttle.

But it does! I suspect that someone noticed it happening - and hey presto, you have another marketable feature..


Hi Charles,

How it works?

When you take two pieces of metal and make a bow in them, you need one which is a bit longer than the other to keep the ends together. So when you raise the tiller you make an extra bow: that is you need an extra long cable inside which results in giving extra throttle.

At least I suppose that is how it works...
And I like this feature!!


Albert

Thnk you, everybody.

I recall a thread where an engineer type wrote to Seagull about finally eliminating the variation in speed when the tiller was raised - only to be informed that this was a design feature...

Hi,

Yeah I noticed that in the manual it actually says, you can lift the tiller up as a more acurate throttle!

I think it works, just because as the cable bends, the tension either way just pulls on the carb. end, thus lifting the throttle valve piston up.

For painting, I use hammerite hammered paint. On ebay for quite cheap. For the block, I sometimes use the black heat resistant (barbecue) paint but I find the hammered black gives a better look. I am currently painting a 102 blue! Just to see what it looks like and then giving it to a freind as a present.