sea gull

[E120B]

howdy, i just got a british seagul given to me. it runs remarkable good . how much is one of them worth?

 

[Twidget]

Re: sea gull

I have seen a few of them on E Bay, but dont recall the prices.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: sea gull

No idea what they are worth in the US, probably a lot rarer over there than here, the place is littered with them!<br />Crude engines but they last for ever, mine is incredibly reliable and such a simple engine to work on, that's why Seagull called them "the best engine for the world" any workshop anywhere can fix them!<br />Do you know which one you have? Lots of info HERE

 

[Ross J]

Re: sea gull

One of the best and most reliable outboard motors in the world. Built by the British throughout the war and used all around the globe. They will run on two stroke and Kerosene (needs alterations to do so). A lot of overseas bound yachts have them for extended voyages as they handle abuse and can be started after a year in storage without any fuss.<br />Our family have owned just three of them over 40+ years and still have two in our garage. I can't speak highly enough about them.<br />Ross

 

[BillP]

Re: sea gull

It's worth less than a comparable omc, merc, yamaha, etc.<br /><br />My opinion on is totally different from you chaps on the other side of the ocean...maybe user friendly is the relative term. I had a(I think 5hp) seagull on a sailboat back in the 70s. It had a huge gear case and 4 or 5 blade prop. Crude, smokey and always leaked fuel from the tickler on the top of the carb. Everytime I used it there was gas all over me. It started if you kept the plugs changed and the moon was aligned properly with venus. I spent 2 yrs in the 1970s cruising the Bahamas and saw a handfull of seagulls on brittish boats. The common problem was hard starting...or no starting. I think that's why they last so long (big grin). It's the only brand motor I actually saw thrown overboard from user frustration. I replaced mine with a 4hp omc twin and never looked back. If I had a seagull now it would sit on the rack next to my 1940 seaKING as a fun motor to look at. They look the same except for gearcase.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: sea gull

Can't say why you had such problems with yours BillP, but I see dozens of them in daily use here on the River Thames, most owners swear by them as they are so reliable. <br />I forget the last time mine failed to start by at least the second pull, and it's used nearly every other weekend all year round. My father-in-law has two, a Forty Plus like mine, and a 5hp Silver Century and his experience is the same as mine.<br />Of course they require regular maintenance the same as any other motor, and the only duff ones I've ever seen have been very badly neglected examples.

 

[BillP]

Re: sea gull

Mine was used and on the boat when I bought it...it may have been neglected. Maybe all the ones I saw were neglected. I thought the reliability factor was a myth with seagulls. I'd still put your 59 3hp lightwin as a better motor than any seagull unless you need the reduction gear and big prop.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: sea gull

I'd still put your 59 3hp lightwin as a better motor than any seagull unless you need the reduction gear and big prop.

Oh me too, in many ways the Lightwin is a much better motor, not least because it uses a 24:1 fuel mix instead of 10:1 and is therefore cheaper to run!<br />Both motors push my little 9' dinghy at the same speed and get roughly the same mileage, but the Seagull will also push my father-in-laws 24' cabin cruiser quite happily, in contrast it goes nowhere with the Lightwin which soon starts to overheat!<br />I know the Lightwin is not meant for this sort of application, but that at least makes the Seagull a more versatile motor if nothing else.

 

[BillP]

Re: sea gull

That 3 omc shouldn't get hot pushing unless it isn't getting enough water. I once used my 1951 3 omc to push a 5000lb 32' sharpie sailboat up the river approx 5 miles. It's the same boat that the 5hp seagull was on and ended up replacing with a 4 hp omc. The boat did better with the seagull's gear box and big prop. The boat really needed an 8hp ob or better.

 

[ED21]

Re: sea gull

You haven't lived until you go downwind in a light breeze w/ a seagull shaking & smoking on the back of your boat.<br />Can't say I have a lot of experience w/ them, just enough to stay away.<br />I'm sure they make sense in a third world country where getting parts is a problem.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: sea gull

I'm sure they make sense in a third world country...

Ah, perfect for us in England then!

 

[BillP]

Re: sea gull

Hey Petrolhead,<br />I would take a seagull over any TR3 or Triumph motorcyle...had all three and the seagull was best!

 

[AndyL]

Re: sea gull

Its the only motor I have ever owned that has fallen overboard several times whilst attempting to remove it off the transome and yet with new fuel and a carb clean will almost certainly re start. They are bomb proof but as rightly pointed out if trolling with the wind astern the 10:1 oil mix is just no joke. At 10:1 it is almost verging on being a diesel. Surely having an exposed fly wheel spinning around should have health and safety do gooders throwing all their toys out of the pram. I have had one for years and only keep it for sentimental reasons, you just cannot kill them but compared to modern lean burn motors they are dinosaurs and very expensive to run.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: sea gull

That exposed flywheel keeps you on your toes doesn't it? Sometimes I forget and try to lean on the hood like I do with my other small motors! Got a painful burn once too, when I leaned over to remove a bit of rope from the prop and touched the exhaust pipe, they get HOT!!!