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Best method to plug outboard well

1623 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Ulladh, Apr 4, 2015

juggleandhope

Discussion Starter · Apr 3, 2015

hi -

finally decided to just close the outboard well on my international folkboat and put the engine on a garelick transom mount. apparently this solution is the one most international folkboats with a well end up with, because of the unhappiness of dragging an engine in the well while sailing, the wash coming up into the cockpit when heeled over, etc.

i suppose i could just epoxy a piece of plywood of the right shape - but i'm guessing there'd be a better way to go about this? what material should i use? worth it to make it more easily reversible? elegant ideas for attaching the plug into the hole?

the hole is about the size of a rounded off legal sized piece of paper.

thanks for any ideas.

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Ulladh

· #4 · Apr 4, 2015

Does the cockpit drain through the outboard well, if so add a way to drain the cockpit as part of the infill.

Look around the yard and dumpsters for a piece of scrap marine plywood, old bulkhead, bits of cabinets,... to fill hole from inside with plywood patch and fiberglass. Then fill and fair exterior.

Make sure to reinforce the transom area for the outboard bracket. Adding a cable remote for outboard control would also be a good idea.

Filling the hole and lifting the outboard prop out of the water may give you with less drag an extra knot under sail.