Shayne17 wrote
I shall look her up with the guy in Ullapool. I think he is in Invergordon now, but not sure if it is the same guy.
I understand the worry. The site still refers to the yard at Ullapool but on the Contacts page he has an address miles away. I remain confident it's the same guy. As you'll see from a search of the forum, his red hulled SeaHawk was sold to a guy in Estonia!
I am not however ruling out putting in an outboard well? I noticed one on your site with one and it looks smart and makes a lot of sense.
I guess "sense" depends a lot on how you use the boat. Before I bought my SeaHawk I was considering a Swift 18. It was designed with a well and even a hinged engine cover (if a previous owner hadn't lost it overboard).
On a SeaHawk, however, you are forced to raise the rudder stock and make compromises with tiller height. I'm not convinced that it makes for comfortable sailing.
Almost the only reason I can see for a engine well is to place the prop immediately in front of the rudder, to make steering under power a little more efficient.
However, being a Broads sailor, where wind is stolen at every moment by trees, and only keeping the engine for use in emergencies (wind dies and I'm hours from home). I want to reduce underwater drag to a minimum and hate the idea of not being able to raise the propeller.
Additionally, just tilting the engine is not good enough, as the prop then catches in the reeds each time I come about on a starboard tack - and that's at least once every 60 seconds when on the upper reaches of the Ant. So I also demand a lifting engine bracket, so the engine can stay vertical and barely overhang the stern at all.
However, I can understand that a coastal sailor, may worry less about sail efficiency and hull drag, and regularly spend hours under engine. I consider it bad luck if I have to use mine for more than a minute - that would be to clear the dyke in which I moor should the wind be in the wrong direction - and often I paddle her out under those conditions!
Locked
