CD 26 outboard locker issues

[Ken Textor]

Hi,

The outboard locker in my new-to-me CD 26 seems pretty wide open to following seas. I'm just wondering about the experiences of other CD 26/outboard owners. Do waves sometimes slop upward and inward, dousing the engine and/or temporarily flooding the cockpit? How many valuables have been swallowed up by that big, open hole in the stern? Any others problems/issues? And if any problems, what did you come up with for solutions?

Ken Textor
Arrowsic, ME

[Bibster]

I haven't been in any truly rough seas, but I agree that the outboard lazarette is a major weak point in the CD 26's design. I make it a point to keep the wash boards in place at all times and that helps -- I have never had a significant amount of water splash up into my cockpit. However, I have had situations where it would have done so if the boards hadn't been in place and my outboard has received a good dousing. Fortunately, it has never caused the motor to stall out, but that is a major concern of mine. I corresponded with John Churchill, a former CD 26 owner who sailed his boat to Bermuda several years ago, and I asked him specifically about this issue. He had to endure some very rough seas en route to Bermuda and he reported that he had a lot of water wash into his cockpit during bad weather and heavy seas, so it is definitely an issue. However, he also reported that his Honda outboard never stalled out on him. I'm not sure what more can be done to prevent water from washing into the boat, but I definitely recommend that you ensure the cowling on your outboard is as watertight as you can make it.