Its a matter of survival but then i guess you also have a bob or 2
so if the economics aren't hurting you its easy to say isn't it mate
but you know in the real world
HA,
Well said.
Asking silly prices for parts is what will kill this hobby. The worst thing about a hobby's like this is people are all ways trying to make money out of it. If you look at the majority of owners you will see that the majority of collectors are over 60, they hoard heaps of parts etc, wont part with them, and are not interested in encouraging younger people into their hobby. This mind set seems to afflict a lot of heritage type hobbies. What happens when all the old collectors die. Scrap metal dealers do a great trade???
I hope the Seagull hobby does not fall in this trap. We need to help each other, to save some of our older engines swapping and giving away parts is a good way to encourage others to becoming involved. Selling engines for a reasonable price or even giving away the ones you are given so others can join in. Putting the engines on a transom and using them, to show others that these little gems do go and are a little fun.
Other members have sent me stuff just for the cost of postage . I am only returning the favour.
Tinker and HA are spot on. Never you mind what I have in the bank. It's not a lot.
LLS c 1961 on a crescent 42 boat c 1980 + wspcl c 1976 + 102 SD8561 c 1944 + 102 ACR 1948
The majority of collectors are over 60, they hoard heaps of parts etc, won't part with them, and are not interested in encouraging younger people into their hobby.
That's par for the course with most hobbies that have engines involved, you either get the young first timers that want parts for free and expect it, or "I need parts for my three month old daughter's engine"!
Luckily I'm not in the over 60 bracket but I do know of some hoarders that will not part with anything, that's why from time to time I had to pay £15 for a brass tiller handle; I used to part with stuff for free, but if I have to pay full price for parts with no-one to help me out, then so should everyone else.
I do agree Keith, there are ones out there that take the piss, but I have come across a lot more genuine people that I have helped out and have received help in return. I think if we want this hobby to grow we need to actively encourage as many people as possible to engage in our hobby. It is cheap, interesting, sometimes frustrating most of all fun. Why not share.
I don't mind people making money out of parts, thats the way the world works, maybe there is a space for a swaps page on this forum, put down what you have and don't need, and swap it !
My 14 year old son loves the seagull engines, and has been messing around with them since he was 10. We are doing the SD project together which has fueled his interest in marine engineering, and now he is doing an engineering module at his sea cadets. All because of an old greasy engine, Great!
Well the thing is i found all my spares under a mulberry bush.
Also people just turn up at my door and drop a pile of them at my feet like magic..
yeh right they cost me good money...and i hunt for them and use fuel to get them in fact i paid some chap up Oban £200 for a load of them
and im supposed to give them away
but then i couldn't buy anymore and pass them on to fellow seagull lovers
and help keep this hobby going
so lets get in the real world
I have bought from Niander101 in the past and no doubt will do so in the future - People have got to make a living. His postage rates are brilliant.
And he does produce some really nice engines. I did miss out on a 5hp crescent though.
LLS c 1961 on a crescent 42 boat c 1980 + wspcl c 1976 + 102 SD8561 c 1944 + 102 ACR 1948
I think there is already a decent swap/trade scene around here. I've swapped or bought at fair prices loads of stuff, helicoiled carbs and the like to help people out. I gather the Marston owners do likewise.
As for ebay, you soon wise up to the who the dodgy dealers are. Most of us would know who they are. Remember the FV at the inflated price with the driveshaft clamp missing
