Outboard in a well

[Achillesheel]

I posted a day or two ago about the shortcomings of my Achilles 24, and in particular the hassle of lifting the outboard in and out of its well.

If we left the o/b in its well permanently, what harm would it come to? is it necessary/practicable to antifoul the leg?

Do folk leave their outboards in this way?

 

[Guest]

I used to leave mine in ... my well was one I made myself in aft end of Snapdragon 23 cockpit.

Only matter I was concerned about was thew a/f aspect ... and you have to use special a/f that doesn't react with the ally leg etc. Usually same as used on mobo legs etc.

It is worth every so often blasting out the water intakes ... as little beasties try to cling on there when boats not in use ! But I did that by a dunk in fresh-water run tank every so often - they don't like FW !!

 

[jamesjermain]

Generally speaking not a good idea. There is a lot of aluminium in the leg that requires copper-free antifouling which is not very effective. Also you will have salt water permanently lying in the cooling channels, which is corrosive. The bottom unit is almost certain to weed up with consequent loss of efficiency and power

 

[misterg]

Ours is left in. Has been OK for the last four seasons, and probably many more before that. It's a bit of a pig to get out due to remote controls, etc.

Once or twice a year I have to scrape the barnacles out of the exhaust. or they stop the engine running. The leg wasn't anti-fouled before we got the boat, and was peppered with barnacles. I scraped them off, and antifouled with Trilux. It still came out peppered with barnacles. I've tried 'Prop-O-Dev' this year, so we'll see if that's any better.

The standard anode has easily lasted for a season.

Andy

 

[Blueboatman]

The Achilles sails so well,have you thought of a smaller motor hanging off the back where it will be quiet and odourless?
Think of all that extra storage space when the aperture gets glassed over..

 

[Achillesheel]

In the well it is at least easily accessible for starting, controls etc - and I'm less likely to drop it over the back!

 

[Blueboatman]

Wrong wrong wrong(well thats my prefered location,more accurately!)
Manouevring a boat with an outboard on the very back is simplicity itself,you can spin,back up,nudge it sideways across the wind etc...And put a stout tether on it of course..
In answer to your actual question,I once bought a 5hp that had sat in the well of a grp folkboat,knowing that it would require a thorough stripdown to clean out the waterways in the top end castings...there is also the matter of drag when sailing and since the Achilles sails so well I would be reluctant to compromise that.
Have you had a look at the various block and tackle arrangements used on microtonners to raise the outboard until it is horizontal on the cockpit floor?

 

[aknight]

Mine stays in its well full-time - we only lifted it out for the Round The Island - but is taken off for the winter, when it is also serviced.

I'm quite sure that it creates drag, but against that one has to consider the hassle of lifting out a fairly large and heavy 6HP engine and finding space to stow it, which in my boat means resting it on the cabin sole. Plus, of course, once it's there, it isn't exactly the easiest of things to re-install in a hurry in case of an urgent need to use the engine to get out of trouble (purists of course may argue that all essential manoeuvres could and should be carried out under sail).

I haven't noticed an undue corrosion problem but I do agree with others' comments about (anti) fouling. I regularly have to reach down into the well with a handbrush and scrub off accumulated slime and weed.

If you do remove the outboard, do give some thought to blocking off the well with a plug. The well itself can create drag, but more prosaically, you'd be amazed what items we managed to lose down there during the RTI race - warps, a fender plus very nearly the handheld GPS and on one alarming occasion a crew member's leg!

 

[graham]

I built this stowage position in our boat.

You still have to lift the outboard out of the well but instead of having to manouver it into an awkward locker or into the cabin you just drop it straight into the stowage position and do up a clamp to hold it solid.

Its quick to refit and keeps the outboard vertical which is better for 4 strokes. A canvas cover or binbag keeps the water out and a small hatch lid covers it when not in use.

As others have said ,a fairing plug restores the shape of the hull when sailing and stops water sloshing up the well and car keys falling down it.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Guest]

Normally I bow to your good posts - but this one I must disagree with ...

I had outboard on bracket on transom ... snapdragon 23. Manouverability was apalling as it had no effect on the rudder ... - agreed I could break my back reaching over the a**e-end to steer the engine !
I fitted it in a well at aft end of cockpit .. I used to tether tiller ahead and steer by engine .. when berthing a combination of engine and rudder could berth my 23 in 25ft of space or unberth ... which I could never do with the original Vire it had !! or the later transom bracket.

I could lift engine in / out without fear of falling in or losing engine - a situation near happened many a time !

The well also near cured the engine out of water syndrome when pitching ...

I would be extremely reluctant to return to a transom mount o/board again.

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[tome]

Main thing is to make sure it's well ventilated - see Outboard in Lazarette thread

 

[Niander]

I never had a problem with my yam 10hp twin it was in a well
my hurley 22 used to dry out but spent a lot of time afloat
yes antifoul it.

 

[damo]

You can also see Graham's hand-powered auxillary jet drive pump on the left.

 

[Blueboatman]

Hi Nigel,
Well (!) it sounds as though you did a fine job in designing the well in that you allowed for useful rotation of the motorhead at comfortable arms length..
As you say,by jockeying the rudder and the motor the boat can be pursuaded to go almost anywhere...I have 'walked' a boat across muddy shallows by judicious use of the throttle and steering arc and always found it remarkably easy to get off the putty by shoving the motor at 90 degrees on full power and jumping up and down on the bow or boom,even on quite largish (ok28ft)boats...
My worst ever ever ever engine was in a Corribee armed with a seagull inboard-it dripped petrol and water,it stank it vibrated,you had to pull a string to start it,it dragged a 4 blade paddle through the water,it guzzled fuel and was reluctant to find reverse..and all in all when I removed it and its rusting exhaust,tank,seacocks etc weighed about twice as much as its outboard replacement.
I think everyone should own one really unreliable inboard at one time just to appreciate how reliable the tide and wind are by comparison !

 

[Guest]

When I designed the well - I had one thing in mind .... to save my aching back !

The Snap 23 is quite high on the transom and reaching over to that engine used to be a nightmare.
My cockpit was also not self-draining - ignore what Snapdragon siad about them - early ones never were. So I decided to combine a few advantages in the well.

The hole I cut was in a the shape of a rounded V ... narrow at front ... wide at rear. To allow the engine to turn at least 60+ degrees either side.
A double thick marine ply bulkhead was then glassed in across the cockpit with an outboard pad from an old Narwhal inflatable fixed at top for outboard mounts. I spent ages measuring the height / depth and still managed to have to cut a few cms of the top to set engine down enough !
Anyway - bulkhead was glassed in ... wood beading glued in as well either side of joints ... and wood dowels set through cockpit bench sides into edge of bulkhead to provide massive shear strength. Finally all painted up in the Snapdragon pale blue ...

The old cockpit floor was cut to suit - the aft section trimmed to fit into the well to provide a closure ... the GRP section cut out had a couple of small beams glued / screwed across it to form a hull closure that could be dropped in place.
Forward section of cockpit was raised by bolting a wooden beam ... about 3 x 2 all round the original cockpit lip ... and sitting floor on that.

The well forward bulkhead had plumbing fittings fitted through each corner at base with screw on caps ... to provide self-drain capability ...

I sold the boat before I completed it all ... and the new owner carried on with that arrangement for some time ... and I later heard that he returned the boat to original Snap spec when he fitted an inboard ... ( I had left all the mounts and shaft fittings in place when I took out the old Vire 6 - I just blanked the outside of the shaft exit in hull ).

People thought I was nuts to cut a good boat like that ... but once they saw what was done ... and the ease of moving that boat / engine ...

 

[Achillesheel]

I don't think I have ever generated a thread this long!

Some further explanation may be required:-

There is a well at the back of the cockpit on an Achilles, with a faired plug to use when the outboard is out. The well is too small to have the o'b anything other than straight ahead.

The problem is the difficulty of getting the o'b in and out of the well. We normally leave the engine in while sailing, because its too much hassle to shift it other than when the boat is on the mooring.

When we have hove to and taken the o'b out, the boat undoubtedly sails better, and faster by about half a knot or more.

Behind the Achilles cockpit is a lazarette locker and a small aft deck. If the o'b was on the transom one would have to clamber over the mainsheet horse, across the lazarette and reach down over the pushpit to adjust throttle etc, not a good idea when mooring etc. Its to far to just reach back from the tiller position.

When the o'b is not in its well it stores down below, under the cockpit sole.

The options are to get a smaller o'b, say 5hp, which can be lifted in and out more easily, or leave the present 8hp in the well. Or risk a hernia every time we sail......

 

[geoffatstanpit]

At risk of sending this thread off at right-angles and opening old wounds! If you leave the motor in the well, sail with it in neutral, prop spinning. With a Merc 5hp 4stroke with "sailing" prop (mickey mouse ear blades) at 4.6k the difference is 4.7kg drag spinning and 11.7kg locked (in reverse).

 

[Gordonmc]

I used to leave the 9hp Suzi in its lazarette well when I had a Hurley 22 with no dire consequenses. However, in retrospect I would do what the boat's new owner has done... put the engine on a transom bracket.
In the well the motor would labour with the hatch down because of exhaust build-up. With the lid up it was noisy. The prop was behind the rudder and on a long keel yacht going astern meant interesting times.
The only down-side to a transom mount would be the prop coming out of the water in a swell, but most outboard use was in the marina anyway.

 

[Guest]

Is it possible to have a tackle to raise the engine ?

Mate of mine with his Snap21 ... they have a silly box behind the rudder central and engine is useless astern .. He altered it to have a sliding board for the engine to mount on ... then a rope and tackle to lift the engine up on the board .. enough to reduce drag significantly ...

Pity you can't steer the engine ! But I know the achilles and understand your question.
A smaller engine will do the job ... but will lack thrust in the swells and tides ..