Outboard Well Conversion

[doug748]

A good overview of the pro / con debate here.

Unless you get very negative feedback from owners, as Tranona says, you should try it.
You can knock out the grp pretty easily, I should think and put it back if it does not suit.

I favour the well option. Fumes are only really a bad problem in a following breeze and good choice of engine can help. An engine on the back is a bit of a dog's breakfast and may come out of the water in a chop or take a green un in a following sea.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Fantasie 19]

The edge where the outboard mounts is still there, a piece of board has been screwed onto this to blank the hole from the cockpit. I would have the outboard fixed. Another thing that puts me off having the outboard on the transom is that the outboard is too exposed to theives. Although the outboard i have is currently locked and bolted on and doesn't look the nicest motor, hopefully i am safe, maybe.

...that's an additional benefit with the well - easier to dismount the engine completely at the end of the sail to store it somewhere safer - either down below or ashore....

 

[Fantasie 19]

And this may be the clincher; some people reckon wells with the plug in make good wine / beer coolers ( though I'd be keen to wash the tops of bottles or cans with fresh water ).

+1

When on the mooring they're also a good place to hang your fishing hand line (once the engine has come out)... it's also a good place to empty the, ahem, "bucket" when it's been used......

Slightly more seriously - people have mentioned blanking plugs - a friend of mine who owns the same kind of boat has constructed a blanking plate that he can fit while using the engine in the well - it has a minimal cut out at the bottom to fit round the bottom of the shaft - he advises me that speed is slightly improved (not so much water slosh in the well), it encourages exhaust smoke to exit under water from behind the boat, and better still no indications of overheating - the tell tale water just flows out the small cutout...