 outboard well | Previous owner of my mk 1 glassed over the well and used a transom bracket, after reading all the posts on this site i am going to use the well for its obviouse advantages and would like to use the trolling motor from my fishing boat jhonno 8 2s but its a longshaft,thinking if i increase the hight of the outboard bulkhead so the powerhead sits above the pushpit deck and put a u bend in the tiller to clear every thing would this work? or create other problems?
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| Re: outboard well | Likewise we intend to relocate the motor from transom to well and are interested in any info relating to that exercise. Same concern with a long shaft on the transom which we would like to keep.
Does anyone have any drawings of the original well installation ?
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| Re: outboard well | Be brave.
Ditch the long shaft or get a short leg from an outboard wrecker.
Unless of course you might consider the odd race. In which case, leave the motor where it is.
Cheers
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| Re: outboard well | Is having a well slow? Surely a plug for the well would make the hull just as smooth (almost) and the weight of the motor would be further forward for better trim. I'm considering reopening my well too but I'd hate to make a quick boat slower.
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| Re: outboard well | My yacht is a Mk4 which had the engine on the stern.
Shifting the engine to the well was the best thing I have done, it is so much safer that I would never consider going back to the stern.
RL24s or any yacht for that matter are sensitive to weight at both ends, the motor over the stern becomes a disadvantage once racing in any conditions with reasonable wave action. The narrow stern lacks buoyancy so at hull speed burying the stern in waves is not a good idea.
I agree that the well opening does have limitations when racing but I have regularly cruised at 8 - 10 knots running under mainsail and jib so the open well is not worrying me.
With the spinnaker up and 10 -12 knots on the log the turbulence in the well tends to kick the outboard up and drop it down so I do need to keep my knee on it to stop it bouncing down. What a wonderful problem for a skipper at better than 10 knots. Maybe one day I will close the well, maybe not LOL.
A good set of sails is more important than whether you have a well. Keeping the weight minimal or position it near the keel is more important than whether you have a well.
If you are putting the engine in the well do it properly and put a lighter short shaft of about 5-6hp to drop the weight.
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| Re: outboard well | I've been fighting with Dad on this for years and I'm proud to report that it's one that I've finally won!!
Motor in well is safer and, believe it or not, faster. Sure the plug creates some drag but, with the motor effectively 1 metre further forward, that drag is made up by the more ease with which the transom is kept out of the water. If racing skipper should be around mid cockpit which will mean the plug isn't in the water anyway.
Long shaft v short shaft, just suck it up and change for a short shaft. I believe that motors are a necessary evil and their operation should just be easy. I can't think of a way to make alterations such that a long shaft in a well would be better than a transom mounted motor. Just trade it in if you can.
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| Re: outboard well | Thanks for the advice James, Greg, and Mike,it does make sense to use the right motor in the well so looks like i will be shopping for a short shaft and to quote some one else there is nothing half as much worth doing as throwing money at a boat
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| Re: outboard well | Reading the discussion about outboard in well we have a system fitted that allows the outboard ( 8 HP YAMAHA) to be raised to bring the Skeg level with the bottom of the hull when under sail.This works very well and is simple to work. We are working on a "Plug " for the cutout to seal the cutout as well as we can to avoid 90% of drag and wash in this area.The sliding system allows the motor to be positioned in 4 positions.If you are interested we will "post" some photos of details.
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| Re: outboard well | Hi Alan, yes i would appreciate a diagram or photos of your tilt system if possible, Thanks
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| Re: outboard well | Alan. it is great to see owners still able to make improvements to their 24s. you made a good workmanlike job of it.
P.S. If you make up a plug for the well dont forget to attach a cord and tie it off to the well, as I lost mine first day out on the origonal 24 when we went over a big wave and it lifted out and dropped back sideways thru the opening.
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| Re: outboard well | I lost my engine well plug many years ago and have since made some home made versions - without great success - hence our name for it - the "butt plug". The are quite a few angles involved and the perfect fit is the original bit cut out from the mold with a sealing rim. Has anyone had any success with a home made version for a Mark I?
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| Re: outboard well | Having an RL28, putting the plug in the well so far down makes for a challenging exercise especially when trying to lock it off with 4 barrel bolts. Being no gorilla, my arms just reach when lying down on the port cot pit seat. The plug is nice to have even for cruising to cut down on noise and get that extra ½ a knot. Who wants to sail with the sound of turbulence? I have fitted a stick on a swivel (old tiller extension) as well as some (brass)guides at the back so that I can more easily manoeuvre it into position and then the stick end is forced under a timber ledge screwed on the inner transom jamming the plug down. I then have to stretch down to force one barrel bolt in for safety. If the wind is up then we slow the boat for this as it is impossible with the stern rising and falling. I have lost the plug through the bottom once and as it was tied on it did not go far but jammed across the rudder completely destroying steering until I could retrieve it. This did take some effort as we were doing over 6 knots at the time.
I have played with the idea of cutting out the back of the transom so that the water flowed freely through to reduce turbulence both whilst sailing but also when motoring as I do like to go places even when there is no wind. For the time being I have decided that this is more trouble and expense than the benefit to be gained.
I guess on an RL24 the well is significantly shallower so this exercise is much easier.
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| Re: outboard well | Hi Russell,
I'm not sure if this is normal or not, but my RL28 has hinged bombay doors that open up into the engine well. When sailing the outboard shaft sits on the doors to keep them shut. To use the motor I tilt the leg off the doors, put my foot on the outboard tiller (probably not recommended but my tough old Yamaha doesn’t mind) to free up my hands so I can pull two ropes that cleat-off holding the door's open.
It's a bit fiddley at first but after a bit of practice works well.
If you would like some pic's of the set-up let me know.
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| Re: outboard well | Hi Jason,
I have seen the bomb bay doors in pictures in the Tips and Modifications section. It is something I have considered and may look at again. It is a good idea when sailing but does not fix the drag problem when motoring. Not sure if my 15hp Honda would sit well to hold the doors closed. It does not tilt normally but has to have the transom hinged to pull the outboard forward when raising. I think I would need to tie it back to stop it from coming forward when partially up.
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