Ways to store an outboard on a Caledonia Yawl

[biglad]

I am building a Caledonia Yawl with the outboard well and decks. Whats the best way to store the outboard?. My motor is the Yam 2.5hp longshaft. The prop will sit around 12" below the hull of the boat. I assume if I left the motor in the well while sailing it will cause unnecessary drag- though I'm not over bothered ( just now ) about squeezing every ounce of performance. I could use the ideas in Iain`s book using rubber or the faired plug round the shaft to ease tthe drag. It may make recovery a bit tricky too. I guess too that if /when I need to use the motor I'll need it in a hurry.

Any suggestions as the the best place to store it? There is room on the aft deck to fit some chocks for it tho the weight would be higher than ideal. On the floorboards? How much trouble do you think would it cause me leaving it in the well- the easiest and tidiest option.

Ben

[kenjamin]

It would be a shame to have to hold your Caledonia Yawl back with the hydro-resistance of a motor shaft and its spinning propeller. While Caledonia Yawls are usually no big pleasure to row, they do respond very positively to some earnest rowing. I would say let your oars be your first "go-to" in emergency situations but make sure the person asked to perform that duty actually knows how to row and has adequate strength for moving the big boat well. A good anchor forward and one aft are also safety items that can come in real handy in emergency situations. Depending on a "dad-bulm" outboard motor for emergency situations is setting yourself up for failure because just when you think you need the outboard motor the most, that's when it will fail. I myself would much rather depend on a good pair of oars to get me out of trouble in an emergency situation – plus I carry an extra oar and a 5' paddle. The paddle can effectively move my CY from the stern like a big fat canoe if necessary. It can also add some extra horsepower to the forward motion when someone else is rowing. My Xena has a very large motorwell midship where I deploy a four horse four-stroke occasionally when the conditions dictate its use – like when the current is going to be against us getting home and the winds are fickle. My motorwell has a large Lexan plug which seals flush with the bottom of the boat for near zero resistance when rowing or sailing. When we use the motor I have to steer using her rudder but it removes me well from the vibration and noise of the motor. Under motor power Xena is stable enough to let me stand in the stern with one hand on the rudder and the other hand free to wave to curious passers-by – like a proper motor launch. I've found this to be great fun.

[Scott de M]

No, I don't think you will be happy leaving the motor in the well all the time and for that reason great care should be taken to make it easy to store and access the motor. Like you, I'm not that concerned about speed and so I thought I wouldn't mind the "little" bit of drag from the motor. But it's annoying, I dunno but the boat just doesn't feel right, like driving with the parking brake on or something. And then there is that annoying sound from the motor as the prop turns the shaft. My Honda has a centrifugal clutch so perhaps motors with a proper neutral do not make this sound, I dunno.

In my open boat, the motor fits best under the rear thwart with the motor head to starboard and the prop to port (in front of the well) but I don't know how this would work with decking. In Oughtred's Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding book there are several pictures of motor storage in decked boats.

Yes! I agree with Kenjamin. One of the unexpected joys of the CY and the norwegian tiller is standing amidships steering with the tiller/rudder like a "proper motor launch". It always turns heads, even from the motorboats. Good Luck!

[James McMullen]

Keep it in the shed and learn how to row.

Think how much money you'll save on petrol.

[Scott de M]

I think an outboard is a good safety item on a CY, if like me you are not up to sailing in all conditions. When it is calm it is no problem to row. But the boat hull catches a lot of wind which makes rowing upwind difficult in a blow. I did an experiment this summer and rowed for a bit solo in 15 gusting to 25 mph wind (as reported by NOAA) with both masts down. I'm a newbie so for me this is too much wind and wave to sail solo comfortably, even reefed. I swim and land paddle alot so my abs, back, and shoulders are in pretty good shape for rowing. Rowing was fun and I was able to crab perpendicular to the wind pretty easily and felt in good control. But to make any headway it was a significant effort, one that I could not keep up for any length of time. If I had needed to make headway for any real purpose I would have had no choice but to either retreat to a lee shore and wait for the wind to subside or fire up the motor. As it was I simply crabbed back to my starting point.

[biglad]

I have every intention of rowing the boat ( as conditions dictate) I quite enjoy rowing... However I do want to be able to take the motor with me. I want to be able to take my kids out and think it would be a good idea to take the motor- especially as I have it already. The boat will be kept where its tidal and I have only 5hrs of water a day. It will fit on the deck but would be higher than ideal. I could move it forward in between the mast and centreboard case but it would be easier to get at if it was closer to the well. I think it would get in the way if i put it in front of the bulkhead but maybe thats the best place for it.

[Scott de M]

There are some photos of a topnotch decked CY going together on the Caledonia Yawl forum here:

http://boats.duncan.com/cyforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1005

It looks like he has a motor well and storage

[kenjamin]

I have every intention of rowing the boat ( as conditions dictate) I quite enjoy rowing... However I do want to be able to take the motor with me. I want to be able to take my kids out and think it would be a good idea to take the motor- especially as I have it already. The boat will be kept where its tidal and I have only 5hrs of water a day. It will fit on the deck but would be higher than ideal. I could move it forward in between the mast and centreboard case but it would be easier to get at if it was closer to the well. I think it would get in the way if i put it in front of the bulkhead but maybe thats the best place for it.

There's nothing wrong with taking the motor with you but I'd still recommend storing it where it's most out of the way. Since you're in the building stage you can make provision for it. Be aware that if its a four stroke there are limits to the angle it can be stored so that engine oil doesn't get up into the valves and such. I'm able to store my motor across the beam between the mast and one of the central bulkheads but Xena's interior is so much different than the plans that that information won't do you much good. Still feel that oars are much faster to deploy than an outboard so you should probably count on them first to get you out of trouble in a real emergency situation.

[cybuilder]

There are some photos of a topnotch decked CY going together on the Caledonia Yawl forum here:

http://boats.duncan.com/cyforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1005

It looks like he has a motor well and storage
I designed that well and storage hatch specifically for a folding Torqeedo (someday), but now they stopped making the folding model. Have yet to check to see if the new version will fit below deck. Oars only for a while.

Steve

[Irv Mac Dowell]

In his Caledonia building blog,Tom Regan at Grapeview Point Boatworks shows a motorwell for a Torqueedo. He's currently building a boat with fully enclosed stern compartment and partial bow one. Good pictures show the motorwell very clearly.

Best regards,

Irv

[Full Tilt]

If it was a Torqeedo you would lift it out of the well with one hand ,fold it up and put it in its bag and stash it anywhere!

[keyhavenpotterer]

Here's the outboard well in my Tirrik, at 16'10" it's a fair bit smaller than the Caledonia Yawl. The well has a box liner which slides inside the well. The cut out planks of the hull form the bottom of the well so there is no disturbance to the water flow at all when sailing with the outboard stored away. The well is by Ed's knee.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZoR4IkCofTE/TeZPcLTOfoI/AAAAAAAAAzY/eIltLtCqyoI/s640/DSCN0513.JPG

The outboard stores in a locker on the other side of the rear deck inside the buoyancy chamber. It's designed for a 2hp two stroke Yamaha. You can see the lid behind Ed's
elbow.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h6H_tYzdqhg/TeZPl7MtoZI/AAAAAAAAAz4/Dm1lHGIFty0/s512/DSCN0520.JPG

There is also a rubber collar which goes around the outboard shaft and closes off the well to keep water flowing past. There is a top close off as well at deck level and this needs a breather pipe so the engine can breath and run ok.

It's a very neat solution. I will probably never use an engine on the boat but it's a very good safety solution with families or a need to get back home against a tide.

The Caledonia Yawl we saw at the Lyme Regis Boat Building School looked huge in the building shed, still pretty big outside but she rowed fine with a single rower.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TfOm9pfxr7A/TuOI_IoH3TI/AAAAAAAABfU/cOqw2Mmm010/s640/DSCN0964.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YFypyy57dcY/TuS9V_MGoOI/AAAAAAAABgE/rWlMMrAKYvo/s640/DSCN1010.JPG

Brian