Saving Old Seagulls

I've taken a few photos of SJM No 23. This motor is 'as it arrived' in most respects, there is work to do. But I reckon most of it is original.
The most immediately noticeable difference is the brass tiller arm on a pressed and welded steel stub, attached to a very short cast lug on the crankcase. The grip is a 'Dover' component, I've seen a few like it. The throttle lever is the spindly type as found on FV, LS and these earlier SJm and SJP motors.
The cast aluminium filler cap has the shorter 'ears' (Thanks for pointing these out, Art!) but I have no idea if it should have the longer ones. The difference isn't huge.

The magneto baseplate has a half circumference flange around it, earlier ones had no flange at all. The points in the magneto are the conventional Villiers rather than the 'captive bolt' type - again I have no idea if they have been replaced. The photo above gives a good view of the short tiller attachment lug.
Note in this photo the brass oil filler. (This component is the same item as the core plugs of earlier 102 blocks). You can see the round water inlet holes here, and the four leafed clover prop, which I think is very cute.

All in all it's quite a long way from the Featherweights of later years in detail. I don't know when the plastic 'cotton reels' disappeared from the bracket, but the aluminium thrust block half is I'm sure original. The motor has a steel head gasket. It has a plastic fuel pipe, too, but I don't know if that's original. The LS it replaced had a metal one.

This little chap has an 'In the World' cover plate and a flat plated brass top nut. It had no tank, sadly, when it arrived. So I'm not sure if it was the first model to bear the type temporarily fitted or if it had the slightly smaller one fitted to the LS. I need to check out what's on No 1, I suppose.

I hope that helps. Please excuse the very poor photos, not a good day for it...

SJM 218 I have just obtained is exactly the same I also have the same "Dover" grip fitted to my SDP and this SJM.

Perhaps a month or two apart then circa 1955. I do like these 1950s engines

Quite so, Oyster. Before plastic had wormed its way into things, chrome plating of high quality, and a reassuring feel of 'fitness for purpose'.

Does yours have the half-circumference flange around the magneto baseplate? And does it have a tank with plain ends?

Indeed it has, so based on the discussion here I suspect this engine is entirely original

The leg and exhaust are poor, but other than that I suspect that a general clean up and service will get this engine running. The head bolts are countersunk cheese heads However 2 of them have already freed off

However I won't look at this one for a while, other projects to finish first.

Nice on both acquisitions

Oyster can I just confirm that yours had a "Best Outboard Motor in the World" magneto cover?

If so, together with mine, we can start to firm up on the date of change to 'for' rather than 'in'.

Hello Charles, yes it has the "In the world" magneto cover. Number is SJM218.

Excellent. Now if a few more of you out there can let us know if you have a 1955 (or maybe even a bit later) motor with a 'Best Outboard Motor in the World" magneto cover then possibly we can nail it down even more..

Sorry I can't help you on this quest Charles, but I hope everybody understands that you are after the dates or engine numbers of any Seagull with an "in the world" flywheel cover, so that you can establish roughly when the change to "for the world" took place.

Now that I have started thinking about these little chaps, I realise that while I've either got or have handled/photographed most of the early ones, ie F, FV, LS, SJM, SJP I have never come across an LM - the small version of the LS.

Has anyone out there got one?

They certainly weren't made for very long, and I'm sure I could make one up out of LS and FV bits, I would dearly like to see one.

This one looks just like the engines discussed in this thread. Good price too..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/british-seagu ... 2ebc1b976d

Have asked about serial number and flywheel cover...

Have just purchased 40+ (SJP 7593) for £30 on ebay and this has a flat end tank and black painted tiller. (In the same family since 1958 when purchased new and only had occasional use)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280836938957? ... 500wt_1413

This has a flat end tank and black painted tiller. There are no Seagull markings on the block - originally would this have been painted black?... also the engine can turn 360 deg on the mount - is this correct?:-

Hope to start restoring it soon....

Malcolm

It probably a brass tiller if its painted black, its not a 360 deg mount, I have never come across a seagull that can turn 360 deg, on a standard mount, its got something to do with the exhaust.

I picked up thc63445 during the week with an "in the world" top plate

An AC on trademe in NZ with an 'in the world' plate

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-m ... 618273.htm

its No.AC43465