Saving Old Seagulls

Nice work so far. :P I like what you're doing with it. Seeing as this is a bitsa and it doesn't have to conform to any strict rules you can do you're own thing with it. As for a tell tale you can make it as big as you like. It's a bitsa after all.....no rules. How will you mount a fuel tank onto thi...

Charles,I can well imagine that these plus sized boxes more than likely were made from the same materials found in other sd and Sdp motors of the time. Not ignoring anything, but pictures can only tell so much of the story. Until I manage to get of hold of one of these then unfortunately pictures is...

That's the one we all saw on ebay this year. It's an SD (or what's left of it) with a barge pusher box fitted to it. Too far gone to do it any justice, more a source of parts than anything worthy of restoration. Everything above the pump housing looks very SD as you'd expect. Not sure about the igni...

6 holed water inlets normally on these plus sized 102 boxes, 2 nipples in the gear case the same as any sd/p with 2 oil nipples. Pumphousings same as sd/p with an oil nipple. As for props the jury is out on this one. I suspect there might have been a3 bladed prop specifically for the wartime motors,...

Hi Jeremy I've just had a quick look at my 3 LS's and FV.They are as follows LS18849 plain brass 3 3/4 non flattened end (non plated transom bracket) This entire motor was very incomplete when i first bought it though. LS35744 plain brass 3 1/4 non flattened end (fully plated transom bracket) This m...

Let me see if i've got this right so far. The very first mention of Bristol having (for want of a better word) a "Dealership" otherwise known as Merlyn Motors is 1932 and their address is in Whiteladies Road. http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/history/images/scan0010.jpg It would seem th...

To be able to obtain a boat AND a motor for £0 these days is bloody good going. Well done that man. Just to clarify what i was saying earlier with props, my boat is HEAVY. Yours by comparison is light-weight and probably will glide along much easier than mine. A hydro-fan prop on your little tinny w...

That's better, i can see it now. A different address but definitely Merlyn motors. Was there more than 1 address for Merlyn Motors? So far we've got 1 location in Alma Road, 2 different locations in Whiteladies Road which makes 3 so far! I'm confused... https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6176/6177556022...

Staying on topic i thought i'd try to show what Alma Road looks like today seeing as it's where i live and work. Completely changed from the 1930's, but somewhere along this rank of shops is where it all happened for Merlyn Motors. Not very inspiring but a lot has changed in Bristol over the last 50...

Do you need one?

This reply is directed at Nudge as he asked the question, but join in if you like :P It's good to share info For my particular heavy(ish) 17 foot GRP day cruiser (semi planing V hull) with a wspc gull on the back and a hydrofan prop fitted, with this set up the boat was dreadfully slow. I could prob...

Water return pipe: Seeing as you've got a 102 cylinder mounted onto a set of silver century crankcases, why not do as the 102's did and have some of that water run inside the exhaust tube. You could drill one of the 2 holes already in the century exhaust tube a bit larger (i think the lower of the t...

Right, got it now. Ching chong copy of a dellorto, (from memory) 19mm id bore where the carb fits onto the stub, a bit smaller at the filter side. As you see it in this way you might find it difficult to start, although as it's a bitsa it's fueling requirements aren't going to be quite as essential ...

I sold a steel fuel tank i had at the time to A-J a couple of years ago. That was painted grey but not sure what was underneath the grey paint! It's now painted black and is sitting on one of his SD's if my memory serves me well. I know of 4 SD's that have the remnants of green paint on them. One of...

Nice to know i still have some friends left on here, but i wouldn't call myself an expert. Never have, i just take an interest in 1 particular line of the seagull family tree (102's old and not so old) and see where it takes me.

You're welcome Jeremy , any time.


Jon