Saving Old Seagulls

Those of you that have joined the rest of us at Cholsey over the years will know that my 2 boys have been regulars.
Since the first outing a couple of years ago i've been pestered by the pair of them to build them a motor...

So, having gone through most of the older posts on here i've settled on a featherweight as being quite a good first choice.

Starting out with just a pair of crankcases, i set out to put together something entirely from spare parts, while still trying to remain true to the serial number on the crankcase.
3 years later, it's now finished
Won't win any beauty prizes, but it's tidy enough for what it will get used for.

And this is the end result

enjoy

Well done that man, better to be a usable motor than nothing but a pile of spares

beautiful. wish i had your skillset. great job.

Not bad from a pile of bits is it!
Patience and a bit of research won through in the end with this little fella.
Most of the bits i already had sat in boxes. The cylinder i ended up using one from a low hours 40+ (still has the crosshatch marks in the bore too)
Bit of a shame about the drive leg starting to lose quite a lot of its chrome now, but overall i'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.

Runs really nice now i've got to grips with the Bing carb (a bit of a new one on me, i'm more used to a villiers or amal)

The bigger problem is what i'm going to fit this motor onto!
I am keeping a close eye on something at the moment that might fit the bill nicely.....

Glad you like it because my boys love it to bits. Nice and easy to start as well which is a bonus

Jon

would be great to see the boys faces!! lovely job Jon.

Chosley next year... I should be passing just 11 miles down stream at the end of June next year on my canal trip so thought that as it is only a slight detour we could organise to meet that weekend. will need a bit of coordinating don't have a calendar yet but it could the first weekend of July. next year (2016) the boys could have their own boat and motor!!

AJ

hopefully not too much "grounding' B

AJ

I'm always a GOOD DAD Bruce!
Yep, i thought it would be the ideal little motor to use and understand, as you say a good grounding in the basics of boat handling.

Now for a boat of some kind..... something inflatable perhaps so i havn't got the hassle of taking up loads of room on the drive as with the other one!

Stay tuned as something might be happening quite soon (fingers crossed)

Jon

Things are progressing well now.
The little featherweight now has a boat to push.

A rather tired looking zodiac inflatable about 10 feet long which should go alright.
I didn't see any point rushing out and buying something new as i'm sure the boat will get a few more scrapes and bangs on it by the time the boys have outgrown it (or heaven forbid got bored with it )

Pics to follow when it's here


happy happy


Jon

So, to bring things up to date the featherweight now has something to attach to.
A Zodiac Mk1 GT inflatable dinghy (according to the plate on the transom) manufactured in Feb 1969. An oldie but a goodie.
It came out of the bag in awful condition, filthy all over and smelly!!!
A couple of hours with a bucket of warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush got rid of the worst of it. Still a bit grubby and stained here and there but it should get the desired result when it hits the water.

The dinghy had been "nibbled" by what looks like rats, so as a result it had a few holes in it. Now all patched up and holding air.

Secretly i think my youngest son is really chuffed with this.
According to him it's HIS BOAT and nobody else's.... (except maybe his dad who's actually done all the work on this )
All in all another "quick project" (are they ever THAT quick) that has gone well. Now then, what was i doing before this......

A few pics for you

They are great boats will give hours of fun should run at 4.5 to 5 knots. Callahan won't need to bail this!!! When you patched did you get the approved Zodiac repair system. Done correctly the patches will never leek.
AJ

Not strictly the correct patches from Zodiac,it's the same material that the boat's made from but from an approved inflatable outlet.
RIB STORE i think is the name, thankfully the boat came with all the required patches and 2 part adhesive along with a pump into the bargain.
It was an absolute steal, so i had to have it.
Yes, it should do the boys nicely for a few years until they grow bored with it (heaven forbid ) although young master Callum is now pestering me to take him fishing again for pike on the reservoir.(To be honest i can't wait myself. First week in november is when i'm planning)

I'm just wondering if there is anything out there that will get rid of some of the stains on the boat as it's still a bit grubby!
Warm soapy water got rid of most of the nasty goo on it, but some of the stains are well ground in. Job for another day i think.
Temporary floor still needs to be painted yet before it gets put into the water again. Just another job to add to the many already on my growing list


Jon

good fun ahead for all of you me thinks?

Good luck with the pike fishing, mine starts 1st october and lets hope you catch a monster so your son can utter that famous line from the film Jaws.
" were gunna need a bigger boat "

I'm sort of thinking the same thing DF, although the bigger boat is perhaps better suited for this kind of thing.
Still, should be good whichever boat we end up using.
Must try and up my PB this year.

Jon

nice inflatable for your gull.
i used industrial thinners on a rag with lots of elbow grease, it concerned me at first as it seemed to take a very very thin film off the pvc.
however it brought it up like new and 2 years on is fine. dinghy was on back of boat for 4 years, uvl from sun turned the grey to brown
and i am sure the salt water played a part too.