British Seagull

Originally based in Wolverhampton, the company moved to Poole, Dorset, a centre for boating and yachting.

Ultimately, the Seagull product could not match more modern outboards such as Yamaha, Evinrude and Tohatsu, which were more efficient (with fewer emissions), more attractive, and more user-friendly.

Atop the unshrouded engine was a magneto, and on its port side a simple carburetter with no air filter.

(Even a rudimentary rubber "storm cowl" was an optional extra, and induction noise when running was pronounced).

Connecting the motor to the gearbox and propeller were two downtubes, the forward one containing the drive shaft, and the aft tube serving as the exhaust-cum-silencer (which vented underwater).

This arrangement meant that the engine could not be rotated 360 degrees to give reverse thrust, as can more modern small outboards.

Production of complete engines stopped in 1996, where John Freeman (Sales) Ltd, trading as Sheridan Marine, bought the company and rights to the brand in 1999, and they continue to manufacture and supply of spare parts.

The power units were developed by Queen's University, Belfast (hence QB) whose Mechanical Engineering Department specialised in modernising two-stroke design.

[8][9] Painted black and sometimes known as the Irish Seagull, they featured quieter, more efficient engines, with a water-cooled exhaust and modified cylinder porting.

Until that time the "Best Outboard Motor for the World" (as the marketing slogan ran) had an envious reputation for reliability, but these new models were never popular and they dented the company's image.