I've just read John's comments on the site about scarcity of 'F' engine codes. I've just turned up another one (photo - 400K) on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, that had belonged to my father. The engine code on the block looks like this:
According to the engine-number tables, an 'F' would be a Forty Featherweight, but this one doesn't quite look like the site's picture of the 45 (i.e., this engine has a propeller with 4 rectangular blades, vs 3 round blades in the site photo, exposed flywheel with starter cord notches instead of the apparently enclosed flywheel in the site photo). The date code doesn't seem match any of the date descriptions, either.
I'd appreciate any insights into it's description or manufacture date.
Thanks, @rie. The date would fit. But I can't see enough difference between the first and last characters to read one as an 'I' and the other as a '1'. I wonder of anyone else has seen engine numbers with confusing 'I's, or '1's, or '5's and 'S'es, for that matter?
British Seagull frequently sent out motors where - as you suggest - an 'I' appears instead of a '1' or an 'O' for a '0'. They were just a bit slapdash about these things.
The prop is entirely correct for a forty featherweight (I don't know which photo you're referring to) - the three blade rounded one was from an earlier incarnation. The starter pulley arrangement is right, too.
On the example in your picture the gearbox end cap is affixed upside-down, everything else appears to be quite normal.
The mystery over the 'F' code refers to the very first batch of 'Little Model Forty' motors. This one - from 1949 - was similar in dimensions and capacity, but differs from yours in all the details which are too numerous to describe here. These are fairly scarce, and it's only this last couple of weeks that one with an 'F' designation has turned up in Australia. Generally they have an 'FV' code.
Featherweights are generally rather sought after. They're light and dinky and fetch a better price than their larger and uglier brethren.
Everything, including its age, the fact that my father used it on his dinghy, and is light enough lift to the stern rail for passage, seem to point to that model. Oh, and I'll have that gearbox cap seen to right away! Thank you both for your help.
Thank you both for your help.
