British Seagull restoration project

This engine and another one came in as a job lot of spares, junk in some ways but there are some good parts to be found still.

This motor dates to 1962/63, it still turns and has quite decent compression, it will make a good runner.

With the best will in the world, nut and bolt removal soon became the domain of a mini grinder!

A real mix of old and new parts, all could have some use in future rebuilds.

The long shaft British Seagull is seized solid, it is also a mystery motor as the engine number WHCH 144R8 does not exist on the Seagull register, its a special export motor we think?

Its a larger commercial type motor dated 1968 we think and probably a 5.5 hp unit which will push quite a large work boat.

Either of these motors can be restored to your specification, the work is not a quick fix as many trades are involved. Mechanical, electrical, fitter & tuner, electro plating, spray painting, plus the import of new parts when required.

This was one we did for a customer in Pretoria, it was a wreck when we got it.

Click on the pictures for a larger image.

We also stock the ultra heavy grade gear box oil these motors require.

Information from our parts suppliers in the UK.

The WHCH is an oddity. That code does not appear, however the WHC does. The suffix is an example of the code that Seagull used in special and rare circumstances.

Over the years if you wanted a winter service you could send your Seagull back to Poole and they would refurbish it for small sum. They then stamped the Seagull with an ‘R’ for reconditioned and the year, in this case 1968.

Later they dropped the R, instead the R was used for batches of export orders and these stand out because they are dated say 1968 and would have older parts that were not used on ‘Regular’ Seagulls. In this case I wonder if you motor has a Villiers ignition, if so it was an export code. (later still the R was used on the QB motors that had roller bearings, ….

However that does not explain the second H in the prefix… that we may never be able to figure!

Regards,

John

SOS

Roy

Drying out your yacht in Hout Bay

This was the norm some years back, we even had the permission of the Cape Nature Conservation Department do do so.

back then the sandy beach was far easier to use,it was twice the size too and those trawlers we can see would not berth there as the area mainly dried out.

The reason was that the harbour wall in that area was open right through to the main beach on the otherside, part of a way of bringing clean water into the harbour and allowing circulation.

It was wrongly closed off when the North wall was given a face lift some years back.

Sad news hey.

Roy