Seeking Opinions on Seagull Outboard

[Duncan Maio]

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37



dmaio@meganet.net

[Brian King]

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37

Duncan....I'm from Canada and don't know about the parts availability where you are. I had a 3 h.p. model 25 years ago for a small boat I had and the seagull was a very powerfull, lightweight engine. Mine had no reverse, so you had to throttle down and shut off engine and coast into slip. It would be good for a dinghy. They are very reliable....they were originally built in England during WW2 to help get troops across the English Channel...I've heard reports that they would find old motors buried in the sand years later and get them going again.

Mine used a high oil to gas ratio...I think it was 1 pint per gallon of gas. They are noisy...no muffler..4 blade prop gives tremendous power for light weight and small engine size.

Service the spark plug regularly and it should start ok. They are a very basic engine with pretty much everything exposed and easy to service.

Good luck,

Brian



bf.king@home.com

[Ken Coit]

Duncan,

They are noisy. They are basic. They are light. Some have exposed flywheels that are good for catching sleeves, ties, etc. I keep mine in the garage.

Here are a couple of places that claim to have parts and service for Seagulls:

sheridan.marine@BTinternet.com
REALLAN1@HOTMAIL.COM

The first is in the UK and the second in Florida.

There was an outboard dealer in Canada that had assembled a brand new Seagull from parts, but I don't seem to be able to find him in a quick surf.

Good luck,

Ken
S/V Parfait CD-36 #84
Raleigh, NC

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Brent Musolf]

Had one when I first got my typhoon, couldn't wait until I got my nissan. one day it just fell off and became a boat anchor. That is the best use I found for it.

Brent



docmusolf@wnol.net

[John Lesage]

I do have a long shaft Seagull. It represents all the good and bad things that are posted here. But I must tell all that you can't make a more simple motor. I believe it would run on salt water. The only time I mount one on the Typhoon is during the boat show in my marina. With all the big monster boats and pristine sailers it's just too ugly not to garner attention. Then I start it during the afternoon when there are lots of tire kickers about. It sounds like a Harley and puts down an oily haze across the docks. The old guys like me get a chuckle.



john.lesage@snet.net

[Ken Coit]

John,

I am sure that goes over well in CT. I recall a conversation I overheard at Mystic between someone from West Hartford and another wooden boater: "The town laws do not allow you to even leave your garage door open while you mow the lawn. You can't even park a boat trailer in the garage unless the door will close completely."

Great story, I hope it is true as I am an old curmudgeon myself. Isn't it great what you can get away with?

Ken

I do have a long shaft Seagull. It represents all the good and bad things that are posted here. But I must tell all that you can't make a more simple motor. I believe it would run on salt water. The only time I mount one on the Typhoon is during the boat show in my marina. With all the big monster boats and pristine sailers it's just too ugly not to garner attention. Then I start it during the afternoon when there are lots of tire kickers about. It sounds like a Harley and puts down an oily haze across the docks. The old guys like me get a chuckle.

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Tom]

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37

We sailed with some people that used a Seagull on their Avon. We called it a "one way" engine. You could go from the boat to shore using the engine, but you couldn't get back. Any little spray or moisture would short out the electric system so every time you went through the surf to get ashore it wouldn't start. The owner rowed back to the boat each time, took it apart, dried everything and it was ready for one more trip one way. It's a good thing they're simple and easy to work on because you will be working on it a lot. It's the choice between buying a Volkswagen and a Nissan. One is quiet, dependable, and you'll seldom have to fuss with it. The other is noisy, smoky, drips fuel, and you will be tinkering with it continuously. People who like old VW beetles also like Seagulls. Just my opinion but that's what you asked for...



TomCambria@mindspring.com

[Yves Feder W1UX]

Had one when I first got my typhoon, couldn't wait until I got my nissan. one day it just fell off and became a boat anchor. That is the best use I found for it.

Brent

And one good thing, with the 4 bladed cast wheel, it holds pretty well in eel grass, and not badly on a sandy bottom, either

Yves




lazyjack@tinyradio.com

[Jon :)]

I had one of the nice ones with a five blade prop. I taped sandpaper on each blade and sanded my bottom with it, as that's about all these motors are good for. I heard of someone using one for an anchor once, but the darn thing floated! I buried mine back in the sand where I got it.
Jon

[Jim Stull]

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37

My CD25 came with a Silver Seagull
Smokey and very very LOUD. Starting it reminded me of the old catburgler movies. You know the one, where the master thief sands his fingertips, puts his ear to the tumblers and if he is very good the lock clicks and the door opens. If you have this sort of touch go for it. I found a collector who was willing to pay me $100 for mine and I jumped at it.



jtstull@icubed.com

[J.W. Connors]

I have a 1965 5 hp longshaft (5 blade) Seagull on my Catalina 25. When I bought it, the previous owner said it had not been started since 1974. It cranked on the third pull. I have really enjoyed having it. It produces a lot of power for such a light weight engine (+- 40 Ibs). I 've put many hours on it motoring up & down the Intercoastal Waterway and crossing Mobile Bay. I have never had a mechanical problem. It runs a little over 1 hour on 4 pints of fuel. Other sailors really enjoy it when I pull into port. With respect to the other posts, correct me, but if any motor takes a wave it will not continue to run and I can't say that I have ever jumped on the boat and fired up the seagull wearing my favorite Brooks Brother suit and ruined a sleeve or tie. (survival of the fittest is in effect). It reminds me more of a MG vs. a Volkswagen. Althought it has a neutral gear, it does not have a reverse, so situational awareness is a must. It does not leak fuel if you shut off the fuel value and let it burn up all fuel in the carb. bowl (30 seconds) at the dock. I have used the following parts source in the past. They sell an ops & parts manual also. I believe they have a WEB page.
M O Marine & Co
12815 NE 124th St, Suite R Tel 206-823-8680
Totem Lake Business Park Fax 206-823-6849
Kirkland, WA 98034-8310 Email: BAC146@aol.com
TollFree: 800-9-SEAGULL

John C.
CD25, #446



taywest@gulftel.com

[Ken Coit]

Wow! Doesn't anyone have an opinion about Seagulls? If I ever decide to dump it, I guess I won't bother to advertise my Seagull here. I'm certainly glad I decided to spring for a new 4 stroke, rather than messing up the marina, ICW, bays, bights, and beyond with my Seagull. Maybe it is best used as a museum piece.

What fun!

Does anyone else have a legend they would like torn apart?


Ken

I'm looking for an outboard for my 8' fiberglass dinghy, and a local shop has two Seagulls for sale.

Any experiences with parts availability, service requirements, ease of starting, etc?

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37

My CD25 came with a Silver Seagull
Smokey and very very LOUD. Starting it reminded me of the old catburgler movies. You know the one, where the master thief sands his fingertips, puts his ear to the tumblers and if he is very good the lock clicks and the door opens. If you have this sort of touch go for it. I found a collector who was willing to pay me $100 for mine and I jumped at it.

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Russ Campbell]

Tristan Jones replied when asked what were the best attributes of a motor for a sailboat. He said it should be small enough so that you can get it out of the boat yourself when it stops working yet big enough to make a good anchor.

Russ

Had one when I first got my typhoon, couldn't wait until I got my nissan. one day it just fell off and became a boat anchor. That is the best use I found for it.

Brent

camroll@together.net

[Harvey Wilson]

Hi Duncan...

I use a 3hp Forty Plus on my Montgomery 17. It's one of the later models, but have also used the earlier classics w/ 1-10 or 1-25 oil mix.

It's been a very reliable engine for me..no starting problems..2nd pull most of the time..1st pull sometime<GG>

Try to get one with the Mark II ignition...the Mk I has discreet components that are subject to moisture. The Seagull's cranky reputation comes from this ignition. Mk II and III ignitions are encapsuled and
Many 1-10 oil mix motors can be converted to 1-25 mix. They only require a fuel needle upgrade.

Ron Battiston's website carries motors,parts and lots of Seagull info. He's a great guy to do business with, has a stock of parts, but probably not all parts for all motors..orders from the factory when necessary. I've bought 2 motors from him.

Send me the complete serial numbers of the motors and i can tell you a bit about them.

Regards,

Harvey/Ga
s/v Stargazer



harveywilson@compuserve.com

[Harvey Wilson]

My working Seagull on my M-17 is one of the 50-1 gas/oil mix models, but also have a 25-1 mix (converted from 10-1) that I use on a dink.

Both have the better ingition systems, and are more reliable then my 8hp Evinrude.

I wonder how many of the posters had the old Mk I ignition on their cranky engines?

Also, recently bought an EFNRL-90 from a guy in pristine condition. He said he was never able to get it started...showed me after I bought it. I pushed the fuel flooding button on the carb, and it started on the 2nd pull. <GG>

Harvey/Ga
s/v Stargazer



harveywilson@compuserve.com