I guess most of us know, but there might be some members or guests who don't know where to buy their Seagull parts and may succumb to unscrupulous dealers. I myself have been burnt twice. First time was with a local dealer here in Tasmania. I ordered two prop springs and got him to mail them to me as it would be cheaper than driving the seventy mile round trip to get them. It cost $24 and took five days to reach me! The same person tried to sell me a used bronze( ) gearbox thrust washer for $10. I got a new hardend steel one from John for one pound ($2.50). At the same time I ordered a prop spring. The washer and spring took only six days to come half way around the world and the postage was less! The prop spring cost less and was better quality.
The other day I ordered two small stainless items from another UK site and was quoted three pounds inclusive of potage and packing but when it came time to pay the price had gone up to five pounds. A 60% increase overnight!
Support this site and. wherever possible, only deal with John.
Hello Ian, thanks for the kind words! Those that know me will possibly tell you I'm soft in the head! But I really hate those who rip us off and would never want to be known as one! Play fair, it seems to work for me!
There was an ebay listing for a "box of seagull parts" that the seller held at a reserve (minimum price) of $150 USD....well, at least I give him/her credit for being upfront about the reserve.
THe high bid was $26........
Im a bit curious to hear from around the world - is this phenomenon of calling something an 'antique' then expecting it to be valuable universal or is this a virus mostly breeding in the States??
Stephen
Awenke Yacht Club
New Baltimore NY
S/V Catigale
Macgregor 26X
Island 17 Sloop
Yes I love the liberal use of the words 'Antique', 'Vintage', 'Classic' and others. Originally I understood 'Antique' when referring to old furniture to mean more than 100 years old, and of course there were classifications for cars and other things.
I would like to propose that any Seagull from the electronic era is unclassified.
Maybe 'Classic' should apply to magneto driven models,
And 'Vintage' to the 1940's products.
I guess a Marston has to qualify for 'Veteran' !
I do derive a fair amount of enjoyment from eBay's descriptions.
Favourite was a year or so ago, happily bidding on a rather solid looking SD, when I spotted in the small print a comment the the 'old Seagull' I was bidding on was not actually the one in the photograph, but it was similar. It turned out that the item on sale was a crabby forty plus, and the photo had been lifted from the British Seagull web site! Nice one!
And just last week the auction ended on a forty plus descibed in great detail as 'Mint' condition (a phrase that literally means as new, unmarked) but seized!
Anything bronze is sold as being 'war time', with one seller suggesting that this was to avert the possibility of magnetic mines being excited by the component - even if the gears, crank, bolts, driveshaft, and other bits were steel.
The other bit I rather enjoy is seeing something sell for what seems to be vast amount of money on the grounds of its stated rarity, followed a couple of weeks later by numerous examples of the same item, flushed out of cover by the prospect of a useful price....
All this in the same month as a petrol tank went for more than the last three Marstons!
) gearbox thrust washer for $10. I got a new hardend steel one from John for one pound ($2.50). At the same time I ordered a prop spring. The washer and spring took only six days to come half way around the world and the postage was less! The prop spring cost less and was better quality.
