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Help us solve the mystery of the unidentified outboards.

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Here's one from New Zealand -
Greg writes:  "They tell me it's a seagull, but I don't know. 
I live in New Zealand, and have had this motor dropped at our Recycle Centre. Do you know what it is, IT still starts but look at the prop, it works like a Jet unit.
 
Any help would be appreciated"

Well Greg, a (British) Seagull it's not, for sure.  Anybody have any ideas?

 

The Verdict is in!

It's a

Lauson!

 

Click to view Tim Chapman has been attempting to find the origins of this motor for some time without success.  Hopefully, one of our viewers will recognize it and shed some light on this mystery motor.  Who knows, maybe it's one of Ollie's long lost relatives!

Thanks for all your messages.  Most everybody ID'd it correctly.

 

What species of Seagull is this?What do we have here?  That's the question posed by Steve (no last name provided).
Here's his email message:

My dad has an old outboard motor someone gave him.  I'm trying to find out more about  it, and possibly where to find parts.

This thing is small, top mounted gas tank. To start it, you wind a rope around the top of the flywheel, which says "Seagull" on it. The story he got when it was given to him was that they were used to land troops during WW1 or 2.. Not sure which.  I'll try to get more info by looking at serial numbers or looking for some kind of tag somewhere on it. This thing is small, old and runs like a champ! It uses pre-mixed gas with a 10:1 gas/oil ratio.
Let me know if you have any idea what it is, or how old it might be. I'm also interested in knowing who might have made it, and possibly where to find replacement parts like those nasty little gaskets that seem to be made out of some kind of fiberboard.
Thanks in advance,
Steve

Update:   WAWRZYNIAK <cadbury@swbell.net> emails "That most definetly IS a British Seagull."
Can someone else also confirm?  Seconded by Scott Smith.
Yet more comments from Mike Cote, from Mactaquac New Brunswick Canada on the Saint John River, who writes:
Your motor looks just like one that was given to me thirty years ago. It's a British Seagull Forty-Minus(or featherweight). I have a shop manual and parts can be obtained from "Sailorman" 1-800-523-0772, they also have a web site. I gather British Seagull is still in business and these motors are quite common in europe.

Engine codes,first letter(s)

SMJ  1955-1967 the Forty-Minus model
F    1967-1976 Forty-Featherweight
GF   1977-1978     "
GFS  1978-1979     "
EFS  1979          "  Model 45     last year listed in my manual

My motor runs great, I use it regularly, I do mix my fuel 1:15 using modern 2 stroke oil, 1:10 is a mixture common for older engines using ordinary motor oil. The lower gear unit will leak water/oil, this is normal according to the manual, use the thickest gear oil available. The water will homogenize with the oil creating a grease like consistency, don't be alarmed this is normal providing there is no play in the shaft.


I actually found your web site using a search for information about old outboards and I did find a site for British Seagull.

http://www.britishseagull.com/

It looks like they are still in business and parts should be available.

These motor were initially designed as disposable motors for British marines. Following the second world war many were being
used and were far from disposable, manufacturing continued and these motors are still available. They are popular on sailboats and displacement hulls.  Their relatively large slow moving propellers are not intended for planing hulls.
"
Another Seagull site courtesy of Tom Mundy:  http://www.sailorman.com/seagull.html
 
An Email from the Seagull Parts Distributor:

Steve:
Yes it's "The best Outboard Motor for the World".  The famous British Seagull.  You received good information about your Seagull from Scott Smith and Mike Cote.  You have in your possession one of the most simple, reliable and interesting little outboard motors around.  Unfortunately they are no longer being produced.  However, most of the parts are still available.  Write me at "seagulls@inreach.com" with your complete serial number (which is stamped into the bottom half of the crank case) and I will let you know what year it was manufactured and more information.
Kind regards,
Tim W. O'Hara    seagulls@inreach.com
U.S. Distributor of British Seagull Spare Parts.

Here's another one:

Click to view
From Bob Peterson...he writes:

This was scanned from an old Popular mechanics Magazine. Any Ideas?

Scott Smith writes (On Ollie's Board):   "...an Evinrude Speeditwin 22 hp (post WWII)." (&) "Incidently the Evinrude looks like a model 6039 (built from 1939 - 1950)."

AND YET ANOTHER...The Paint-Mixer
submitted by Carl Kunkel of Hackettstown, NJ
(This one is REALLY strange - click on the thumbnails to view)

mixer1.jpg (12618 bytes)mixer2.jpg (12670 bytes)mixer3.jpg (13966 bytes)Scott Smith writes:  "Dick,
  It looks suspiciously like a "Ro-Peller".  Peter Hunn's book says they were marketed in the 1930s.  I've seen several different variations of them at meets.   Dick Streater in Washington heads up the people power motor group in the club.   He's listed in the Outboarder..."

and Peter Hunn's message:  "Dick,
That's a genuine RO-PELLER alright.  They were made over a good number of years in a couple locales by a few companies.  The EPA would think they're perfect outboards..."

Guess that settles that!

May be a Gierholtt?A GIERHOLTT?
Glenn from Austin writes:

The picture is of the old outboard motor that belonged to my grandfather.  My father remembers him using it about 1932 and it was very old then. He recalled it had a brass cylined gas tank behind the cylinder head.  It has no magnito and was fired by a battery and coil.  Can someone help me identify this motor.  I would like to get it running again.

LH1RANCH@aol.com

waiotbd.jpg (6481 bytes)Could this be the dinghy motor from Gilligan's Island?

Jim piggy@seacoast.com writes:

I just acquired this motor and know absolutely nothing about it...it seems to be air cooled and the prop is positioned at the bottom of the shaft and not on the side...the only visible marking on it is a half moon shaped plate that is very worn and extremenly hard to read, but it looks like it may be the word "MINNOW" stamped on it...but I'm not sure of that fact either...any help would be appreciated.

Click to viewAustralian mystery
Andy from Christchurch,  New Zealand writes:

I have a motor (see attached photo) and I am unable to find its make.  I bought it in Australia and the only writing on it is in the electrics.  It say "Wilco Pacy Sales Corp Bletchley - Bucks England".  any help on its make and age would be appreciated.

I also have a Gold Cheetah outboard.  It has a single cylinder air cooled motor that I have been told is a "Simplex".  The piston is from a 1920's Bounty motorbike.  I would like to know the age of the motor and what carborator it should have.  Also, I will be resotring them and I am keen to find the correct colour to paint them.  Both motors are probably 3-5 HP.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Andy
huggie@xtra.co.nz

Answer from Australia:

Hi friends,  I have already  emailed to Andy (huggie@xtra.co.nz) some answers but have received no reply.
 The photo shows a vertical twin Riptide Outboard,one of Three models manufactured by WESCOTT HAZEL in REVESBY a suburb of SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.
 They were the Boatman Single Cyl. 2 1/2 hp
 The Fisherman Twin Cyl. 4 hp Horizontal 
 The Fisherman Deluxe Twin Cyl. 4 hp Vertical 
They were sold all around AUSTRALIA from the mid fifties to the late sixties
 
The Gold Cheetah was also sold from around 1954 to 1960 Rated at 3 1/2 hp
Manufactured by BOUNDY Manufacturing Co.Pty.Ltd. SPRINGVALE VICTORIA
  The main problem with this engine was the external bakelite points cover ..
all the best. Barry Gorman Maitland AUSTRALIA
                     oldoutboards@adlink.com.au

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