Seagull racing taken to its logical extreme and making fun of sportfishing boats

[DanSkorupka]

You know how they have these silly "sportfishing" boats with say 4 x 250 hp outboards on the back of something under 50 feet long, pretty crazy right.

Had a silly idea: Why not do a parody of that in wood and small antique outboards.

Here is the plan:

Build the Russel R (a 22 foot motor sharpie by Atkin)

build it in conventional ply on frame instead of lapstrake cedar to save time, money, and avoid too much shame.

replace the recessed motor well with a wide splash well and conventional transom with 3 or 4 larger seagulls, say silver centuries or if you are really blessed kingfishers.

take it to a well known seagull race

also use it for non racing purposes to make fun of people in those ridiculous overpowered sportfishers

This is just a thought exercise, I am not going to build anything of the sort, If I had a magic tree that grew money I might well do it though.

If anyone does this don't do it near the DEA in florida, or bermuda, or look like you are trying to avoid them either. The police there apparently hate/love finding multi engine plywood skiffs going at unreasonable speeds.

[Ian McColgin]

There's only so fast a Seagull can drive anything unless you start warping the props. Now that could be fun.

[rbgarr]

My b-i-l (who lived in Middlesex county when he did this) had a Hunt Hi-Liner with two 200 hp Mercuries on it in the pre-embargo 70s. He'd try to run down seagulls with it, which pissed my sister off no end. He cackled all the while. You could watch the gas gauges move, those engines sucked it up so fast.

He doesn't do THAT anymore with gas where it is!

[DanSkorupka]

You could watch the gas gauges move, those engines sucked it up so fast.

My mom says her first car did that if you hit the gas hard enough, a dodge dart with a carbureted naturally aspirated v8 that must have been over 5 or 6 liters disp. Got under 10 mpg but would get off the mark faster than a vette, and was bought for a few hundred bucks.

[S.V. Airlie]

Seagull racing! Pigeons have been replaced? I just couldn't resist this.Interesting thread overall. Just a bit of humor here..

[James McMullen]

I can't even imagine the size of the oilslick. Or the earth-shattering racket. I don't think the joke is funny enough to offset the costs.

[JimConlin]

What's the likelihood of getting all the engines running at once?

[Chris.]

I can't even imagine the size of the oilslick. Or the earth-shattering racket. I don't think the joke is funny enough to offset the costs.

Plus one.
The noise, smoke and slick would very quickly replace any sort of good humour about this idea.

[John Meachen]

I have a feeling that Seagulls have been racing for a while.My recollection is a bit hazy,but I feel sure that I have seen a website mentioning the "sport" and with the sole rule that only a single Seagull is to be used as the source of propulsion.

[TR]

What's the likelihood of getting all the engines running at once?

Let's see.....( +/- 1) + ( +/- 1) + ( +/- 1) + ( +/- 1) = <4 ..........you need a few more engines to get four running at any one time........

[DanSkorupka]

Plus one.
The noise, smoke and slick would very quickly replace any sort of good humour about this idea.

That depends on which motor and the condition it is in, and what mods have been made to it.

I have seen videos of seagulls and have personally seen other crossflow 2 strokes running 16/1 with 4 stroke non detergent oil, running smokeless and having no more odor than a brand new 100/1 mix loop scavenged yamaha of the same size. If the combustion chamber is shaped right and the spark plug is carefully placed and of the right type then 2 stroke oil will burn cleaner and hotter than the gas. To drive home the point one test done in the 70s with a motorcycle made for a 60/1 mix gave more than a whole horsepower extra at the wheel with a 15/1 mix