The term bullgine was derisive shipboard slang for an engine. Sailors didn't like them ... "So clear away the track and let the bullgine run!"
I'm not convinced that "bullgine" is derisive slang; it is certainly slang.
And although most sailors were conservative when it came to adapting to new technology or to new practices, they were also pragmatic and if something like a small steam engine made their work of hauling up yards or sails or anchor easier I doubt if there would have been much objection. The "donkey engines" (another slang term for the same thing) became even more important as the size of the crew to manage a ship was cut down by ship owners toward the end of the 19th century.