You a glutton for punishment? The only practical use I have found for a Tecumseh powered o/b is tying a rope to the leg and throwing it overboard. Those old 670 series engines were noisy and cranky.

Aww, i have a 3 hp engine Tec here, so i thought i'd experiment with it! The engine will run, just need the other section.
i've had good experiences with Tec engines, most experiences were better than with B&S!
Thanks: RJ

Further off: couple years ago I saw an outboard made from a gas powered weed eater. It was pushing a boat so I didn't see any details.

>>A bit off topic, here. I'm looking for either a British Seagull outboard engine, running condition,Why - to be reminded why the British no longer rule the world? :-) Check eBay, there are always a number of them for sale. Some purport to run.

You can buy a brand new Tohatsu 2.5 or 3.5 two stroke for around $700, used less. Mercury and Nissan brands are also made by Tohatsu. And it will run forever.....

Seagull's are probably the most reliable outboards ever made. Easily the simplest. But unless you're powering a large hull, like a sailboat, they don't make a lot of sense. They're also quite smokey, dribble gas when primed, and need special oil. And parts COST A BLOODY FORTUNE!

>>Seagull's are probably the most reliable outboards ever madeI'm speechless.....

>>Seagull's are probably the most reliable outboards ever madeI'm speechless.....
That almost cost me a new keyboard LOL

OK, so how are they not? Seems like everyone I've talked to who doesn't like them has never actually used one. Or didn't know how to maintain it. No lower seals to wear out, water pump doesn't wear out, no reeds, no plastic, brass gas tank, bronze mounting, iron cylinder, no recoil starter, uses an oil mix so rich it can't seize, no moving rubber parts in the carb, etc.

They're also incredibly easy to work on. Much simpler than a modern-style outboard. Believe me, I've worked on a bunch. It's basically a 1920's design. The first one I got started on the first pull, with old gas in it.

Only downsides might be the Whitworth fasteners, some ferrous steel parts, and the slightly fiddly operation.

But like I said, they have a pretty narrow use now. Only for folks who want to push something big at slow speed.

To John in MA:
Yes, thats what my friend said about them! She has friends in England that can get parts and ship them--s'posed to be all parts available yet!
I'm not sure how big her boat is going to be, but as she said, those engines run forever! And, being an attorney, i don't think she'll have any problem paying for them!
Rustyj

Sure, if you want to believe that Seagulls are more reliable than Evinrude, Honda, Suzuki, Tohatsu, or Yamaha, go to it. I owned a Triumph Spitfire for a while, so the last five outboards I've bought were Tohatus or Yamahas. I subscribe to the "Large ocean, small boat" theory. But I have many friends who used to have Seagulls, maybe still have them in their sheds.

"Original" Seagulls ceased production in 1996. You can get manuals and some parts at http://www.britishseagull.co.uk

Briggs and Stratton now makes a 5hp air cooled four stroke. It's not rated for salt water use.

{{gwi:297920}}

Is a seagull the same thing as a seaking? and whats the application they are used for? looks like a johnboat engine to me? wdik :(

Sea King was a brand name sold by Montgomery Ward, made by several different manufacturers.

Sears sold a Sea Horse, don't know who made those. They looked like Mercurys to me.

Mxyplyx: I think, if you figured out how to invert the cutter head, and install a outboard propeller, it would work alright. Those people in the South Pacific have made long boats, with inboard car engines, a long jack-shaft over the transom, a gimbal mounting device, and a front control handle! I have seem them in a James Bond movie, and my nephew sent me some pictures of them!
Rustyj

OT.

Holy smokes! I thought you couldn't download a pic to the tool shed forum. At least thats what the tool shed legend indicates. First pic I can recall seeing. I might be wrong because when you get over 50 you get brain cramps sometimes.

It's hard to compare a Seagull (just for reference, I'm talking about the smaller ones like the 40 Plus. I've never used a Silver or the other biggies) to an English bike or car. They never seemed to really work out the details of large vehicles.

I really don't think you're getting my point. I'm not saying Seagulls are better than newer brands. I rarely use mine because they're so old-fashioned. But they are not unreliable like so many clueless people like to parrot. You need fuel, spark, and compression to run. Seagulls have incredibly simple carbs, a four part engine with an iron cylinder, and a simple ignition. The latter is the only thing that can really cause problems--being English and electric. But they don't usually fail.

They will _not_ last as long as a modern OB in flat-out running (due to old materies and design). The issue is that in normal use almost nothing can go wrong. I've replaced enough water pumps, shaft seals, thermostats, carb kits, control cables, and other assorted parts of modern outboards to appreciate one that's dead simple and without all that stuff.

I've had two Seagulls, two Mercurys, a Johnson, and Evinrude, a Force, a Homelite Bearcat (huge old 55HP 4-stroke), and two "toy" outboars (Cruise 'n Carry and Aqua Bug). My regular small boat outboard is a 1968 Johnson 6HP twin. Sweetest engine I've ever run. But it's complicated and I curse every time I have to tear into it to replace something. No difference with brand new ones. A few years from now and all the consumable parts will need replacing.

I'm surprised you have not looked at Tohatsu if simplicity is your desire. The 5hp Tohatsu 2 stroke is a single. Almost all the bolts are the same size so you need two wrenches for the whole powerhead. Fuel filter is easy to get at and there's a drain in the carb in case you have water in the fuel.

One example of unique Seagull engineering was that they were sensitive to exhaust backpressure. If you mounted the engine too low, they wouldn't run.

There are 1,800 boats on moorings in Marblehead and you'd have to look pretty hard to find anyone using one. Not many lobster boats use Model A Ford engines anymore either, another incredibly simple design. Even the old Atomic Fours are being upgraded with new carbs and electronic ignition to run more reliably.

Those small Evinrude twins are lovely engines, but complex. My old Tohatsu 3.5 was a buzz bomb by comparison, but was lighter, simpler, cheaper, and has now run since 1991 without repair. Honda and Yamaha both make small, light 4 strokes that have become very popular.

A friend of mine has a bumper sticker that says, "The parts falling off this car are of the finest British hand crafted quality." Irony of ironies that the best thing that ever happened to Jaquar and Aston Martin was to be acquired by Ford.

When I was younger I remember seeing more Seagulls in Marblehead harbor. Nowdays only on some daysailers and the odd dinghy. But I also know several folks in the town who are hot after the old girls and still use them in all their smokey glory. Actually one of them is also into BSAs, so no accounting for taste. I'm usually pretty careful about correct mounting with any engine so I've never experienced the exhaust issue.

Are the 5HP Hondas still the same design? I sold a longshaft 4-stroke for a friend a while ago. It was a great runner, but talk about a complex machine. To make matters worse the exhuast manifold blew out. Probably 15+ years old. They replaced it with a new one about three years ago and it's the same engine.

I've heard only good things about Tohatsu. I'm all set for outboards now, otherwsie I'd look into one. But I don't think I could live with a single any more. Complex though they they may be I'm a huge fan of the old OMC 6HP twin. Not so much the 4-5s, since they lack the great vibration isolation.

I'll tell you the worse real outboard I ever owned was the Force 5HP, and it was even from after the Mercury buyout. Looked like it used a lot of spare Tecumseh parts. I spent a ton getting it running only to find out what a POS it was.

Hey, just noticed your name. You have good taste. Not too many folks are into those around here.

>>Not too many folks are into those around here.Off-topic but despite being a Communist state, there are more firearm competitions in MA than the other five NE states combined. Including John C. Garand Matches, which you can find at least once a month.

Braintree Rifle & Pistol alone has nearly 3,000 members.

I think the high club memberships stem more from less unorganized or private shooting than anything else. At least in the suburban areas. Or maybe I'm just not getting out enough.

Now that I think of it, I did know someone in town who's into Garands. You didn't get an M1A a while ago, did you?

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