OP on Ebay

[Charles uk]

Thank you Gentlemen for your calls & emails pointing out this OP on Ebay, if I answer all your questions here, it will save me having to say the same thing several times over.

Yes it looks like a sound basis for restoration, it has an intact water pump housing with the rudder pintle, a working coolie hat ignition that looks fairly clean, with a JM number that looks right, the cylinder is correct & looks sound but remember there isn't a lot of fresh water where it's located, but it could have moved a lot in the last 75 years, it's got a good long shaft transom bracket, the carb looks good & complete but without it's number I can't say if it's right, & the fuel tap looks good.

It will require the correct fuel tank & fuel cap, & as it's well into the British Seagull ownership era all the fastenings are chrome plated steel & most will need replating as will the tiller arm & drive shaft tube, the gearbox has a slight whine & the main casting looks like it could have been replaced with the SD version, but as long as it retains the OP components the drive shaft would not have required modification.

I won't comment on the price as most of you are aware of my views.

[Oyster 49]

Wondered how long it would be before that engine came up for sale. Too expensive for me to consider, as I have a lathe to buy and too far away. Good project for a full strip down and rebuild though.

Where would that one have been made, Sunbeamland, or had production moved away from Wolverhampton by then?

[charlesp]

Yes, Wolverhampton, but not at the Sunbeam factory.

Charles is quite right, its serial is too late for a Marston product.

I would have liked a better look at the gearbox.

[Oyster 49]

So what was the sequence of moves for seagull production? I assume sunbeamland was the initial point, but they were then made in other John Marston sites, before moving to Poole? Was the Bristol office purely sales in the early days of the transition to British Seagull?

I would love to proof read that folder you have when you get around to it I like to understand some of the history of these things.

[charlesp]

Folder?

[Oyster 49]

Should say manuscript. Some time ago you said it was in a folder

[charlesp]

No, a ring binder.

But that's another story.

Any chance of a photo of the gearbox and prop from the rear Niander? And can you tell us if it has the square section driveshaft or the round one?

[Niander101]

Any chance of a photo of the gearbox and prop from the rear Niander? And can you tell us if it has the square section driveshaft or the round one?

sure hopefully its easy to upload to this site
about the drive shaft i havent had it apart so i dont know

[Niander101]

[charlesp]

It was more the rear I was hoping for, rather than the front...

[skyetoyman]

I think we need some sort of standard for front/rear. RH side - LH side.
Do we go as you do on a car . the bow of the boat is the front , the seagull engine on the back. that would mean the prop is on the rear of the engine and the transom bracket is on the front.

[charlesp]

That's it, prop to the rear. Transom bracket in front.

[Niander101]

[Horsley-Anarak]

This is an OP with the same style prop.

Looks like a non spring SD prop with no rubber cush hub.

I like the cush hub version myself.



H-A

[woodbutchergraham]

Nice but out of my price range