Advice needed on Achilles 24

[jamesdestin]

Hello. I'm contemplating buying an Achilles 24 as my first boat. The one I've looked at is a bit tired internally but seems OK otherwise. I think I'm going to have to have a survey anyway to get the insurance necessary for my intended berth.

One of the things I've realised is that there has been some modification to the outboard well area. A bulkhead has been glassed in across the cockpit, just in front of the well and the outboard is clamped on to it. It looks like it would work ok - the boat is out of the water - but I'd appreciate some comment and a description of what it would have looked like originally.

The "bulkhead" is about a foot or so high and really intrudes into the cockpit space. Is there any reason I couldn't mount the outboard on the existing bracket bolted on the stern instead?

Any other opinion would also be welcome as I don't have a lot of experience.

thanks JD

 

[Talbot]

I have seen outboard wells like that on other yachts. The reduction in stowage area is a bit of a problem, and you have to be carefull to allow enough air into the well to allow engine to work, and to avoid the fumes stinking the boat, but on the other hand it is a far better position for the engine, and especially when trying to go to windward over a bumpy sea. The position on the stern can be totally useless in this type of sea.

 

[AndCur]

Hi

I sail an Achilles 24 The outboard in the well is a great job. The prop
is always in deep water and the controls are within easy reach which would not be the case if mounted on the stern. Also when in the well the prop is just in front of the rudder which gives you a good kick when turning in tight spaces. The standard set up was a fibreglass plug that the engine clamped to which slid into the well.

PM me if you need any more info.

Andrew

 

[cruisingsam]

Hi,
Also sail an Achilles 24 but we have the Stuart Turner inboard but if you have a look at Achilles 24 you may find an answer
Cheers

 

[Achillesheel]

I too sail an Achilles (Blue). The outboard well as standard is about a foot square at the back of the cockpit floor. There is a box which lives in the hole until you want to put the engine in place, when you replace the box with a kind of frame which the outboard clamps to. We have an 8hp Evinrude which weighs a ton, and has to be lifted out from under the cockpit floor and installed before we set off. It is IMHO the only drawback of the Achilles, which is a great first yacht, sails like a dinghy, cheap to buy and run, and many are still racing at Falmouth, where ours is moored.

Headroom is limited.

As others have said, the outboard is in exactly the right place in terms of being in front of the rudder and always in deep water. It does get in the way when sailing as it intrudes in the large (for size of boat) cockpit, but its too much hassle to shift it once we are sailing. I am not yet confident enough to sail off the mooring!

 

[primitiveman]

I owned one of these beasties for 4 seasons and as a a first boat you could hardly do better in my opinion. Easy to learn to manouver because of their size, faster than a 24' boat has any right to be, easy to singlehand and very seaworthy. The bulkhead you describe must have seemed like a good idea to someone at the time, but the original arrangement worked fine for me. Yes, lifting the engine in and out of the well can be a nuisance, depending on what size engine you have. I started out with a 9hp job which was back breaking, but then switched to a 4hp Mercury Sail power, which was lighter to lug about and powerful enough to push an Achilles into wind and wave in F5 (never tried in anything stronger!). Don't recommend mounting engine on stern for same reasons as mentioned above. Taking the engine out of the well and putting in the plug makes a significant improvement to speed and handling, and is worth the effort.
Yes, the interior is tiny, and you may tire of that eventually, as I did, but you'll not find another boat at that price which is nearly as much fun /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Achillesheel]

Interested to hear you say that 4hp is enough; what do others think?

 

[Joe_Cole]

I agree with what others have said, but would add that another advantage of a well is improved security. If you mount it on the stern the thiefs can see it and they are more likely to walk off with it. Sad, but true.

It's also usually a bit easier to operate if it's in a well; but this depends on the configuration.

 

[jamesdestin]

thanks guys, waiting to hear if offer for boat accepted.