British Seagull

British Seagull outboards were first sold under the name Marston Seagull. They were developed at John Marston Ltd's "Sunbeamland" factory in Wolverhampton by development engineers John Way-Hope and Bill Pinninger. This pair later bought the manufacturing rights in 1937 and marketed outboards as Bristol Seagull, later moving to Poole and settling for the name British Seagull.

At first, the company's main competitor was the British Anzani. During WWII both British Seagull and British Anzani outboards were used by the Royal Engineers and Royal Navy to propel folding boats and inflatables.

Originally marketed as "The Best Outboard in the World", the slogan later became more modest as "The Best Outboard Motor for the World".

The model range for which Seagull is most famous is the "Classic" range. These "square block models" comprised the 64 cc Featherweight (aka Forty Minus) and Forty Plus, and the 102 cc Century and Century Plus. The Forty Minus and Plus used identical power units, but the Plus had a larger gearbox and propeller. The Century and Century Plus used even larger gearboxes and propellers. The Century models were available either as short-shaft or long shaft. The Silver Century Plus model could propel a displacement hull of up to 26 feet in length.

Classic model engines were produced from the late 1950s until the mid-1990s, and many examples are still in everyday use. 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 spare parts. An early engine of the company was the Model 102, developed from the Marston models of the 1930s. The Model 102 engines are fairly large and featured an integral engine cylinder block and head, with a water-injected exhaust. Some Model 102 outboards had a 13-inch-diameter (330 mm) propeller, gaining the moniker of "The Barge Pusher".

In the early 1980s the factory produced a new series of British Seagull outboards, the QB series. The power units were developed by Queen's University, Belfast (hence QB) whose Mechanical Engineering Department specialised in modernising two-stroke design. Painted black and sometimes known as the Irish Seagull, they featured quieter, more efficient engines, with a water-cooled exhaust and modified cylinder porting.

In the late 1980s British Seagull introduced two further models to their range, the Model 170 and the Model 125. Fitted with a cowling to enclose the engine, they featured upgraded carburettors and cylinder blocks. Both new models suffered from poorly designed crankshaft bushings, resulting in warranty claims against the company. 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.