CD 25 question regarding outboard - underway and moored

[matthewwhill]

Hello

For those of you that sail a CD 25:

Do you leave the motor in the well while sailing? (I had a kent ranger 24 with a motor well and I would pull it and put a plug in, but it was a hassle. Was faster tho).

Also, for salt water CD 25 sailors, do you leave the motor in the well while moored? I never did as I wanted to avoid corrosion.

Interested in any solutions or modifications of the well etc...

Thanks
Matt
Seattle

[sampson57]

I always left mine in, Matt. I had a 6 HP Tohatsu Sailpro motor in the well of my CD 25, and I can't imagine lifting it in and out all the time. And where would you put it once out? I painted the bottom half with anti-fouling paint every spring, but it still got fairly covered with marine growth. One year I barely made it to the dock when I was hauling her out because there was so much growth on the prop. One friend suggested that I pull her out once a month to let the growth die off, but I never managed to do even that. I now have a CD 22 and even though I don't appreciate having a motor hanging off the stern from an aesthetic point of view, I am glad my motor isn't sitting in the water all season.

A friend of mine just bought a Bristol Corinthian that has a motor well. He has a Suzuki 2.5 motor for it. His strategy is to keep the motor on a bracket in the cabin, and to only bring it out in an emergency or if he becomes becalmed. He sails on and off his mooring without a motor. But his motor only weighs 30 pounds, so this is a feasible solution for him.

Good luck.

Chris

[Megunticook]

My TySenior has a motor well.

First year I pulled the outboard out on the mooring and kept it down below but the next year decided that wasn't worth the hassle, so have let the motor sit in the water at the mooring.

I pull it out once or twice a season and scrub the growth off.

I'm sure it adds drag while sailing but wonder how much your speed would really improve with it out.

Definitely reduces outboard life leaving it in the water but I've decided to just accept that until I figure out a better solution.

[Scott B.]

Matt, I have wrestled with this situation for many years. My used CD25 came with a massive Mercury 2-stroke 15 hp motor. Great power, but stinky and very heavy to pull out and put in. Just barely fit in the motor well. At first I left it in the motor well. But at first I was moored in a secluded small bay in Narragansett Bay with very little water flow. One weekend I started it and tried to motor out of the bay. I found I had little power and no control. Barely made it past some rocks before some compassionate power boater saw my plight and came to my rescue to get me back to the mooring. I pulled the motor and after only 3 weeks of sitting in the water, the prop was completely covered with barnacles and slime. Barely a prop blade exposed to provide propulsion.

I have moved the boat to Maine since that time and have moored it in Middle Bay which provides plenty of tidal flow to limit bio growth. I leave my small 2-hp, 4-stroke motor in the water when I am at our camp for a week or so but then pull it when we leave until the next sailing trip in a week or so. It is very light and easy to pull and install (I park it on a temp. transom on the stern rails. I really only use it to pull up to my mooring when I am sailing solo as I need that extra control. When I have crew with me, we sail up to the mooring. When I move the boat to the marina where it will be hauled (5 mile trip coming up soon), I exchange the 2-hp for another motor (5-hp, 4-stroke also) that has more power to to get me down the bay and thru any strong currents. Yes, 2 motors seems excessive, but the 5-hp is also heavy and somewhat large to fit in the motor well. I don't want to leave the 5-hp in the motor well for the above reasons.

I personally think the CD25 motor well design in the '70s was a nice idea for fresh water applications. I don't think CD thought it thru enough when applied to salt water applications. Also, the motor well effectively gives you only 22 ft of effectively useable boat length. I would stick with the design to hang it off the stern. A lot of boat designers and owners have run with this system now.

[bgephart]

I bought my used CD25 in 1984 and I have always left the outboard motor in the well year round - this is in tidal salt water in Savannah. In the 40 years I have gone through 4 or 5 outboards, mostly 2 stroke but now 4 stroke Tohatsu Sailpro 6 HP extra long shaft ( since 2016). I usually pull it twice a year and really slop on a heavy coat of Trilux 33 - the more the better. I also attach a large teardrop anode to the lower fin to stop corrosion. I am satisfied with results.

[nbush01]

I leave my Tohatsu 6HP outboard in the well of my CD25 year round (moored in salt water on the coast of Maine). I did notice a bit of growth on it about a week ago right before I planned to go sailing and in the off chance that I needed to rely on the motor I pulled it from the well and used a paint scraper to gently scrap away as much goop as possible. I do leave it in the well when sailing as I’m not racing and generally not hoping to break any speed records.

I know the previous owner of my boat used to pull the outboard each time and lay it on a stand he built that could lay on the floor of the cockpit, but that just seems like such a pain to do every time.

Best of luck, let us know what you decide or what solution you come up with!
Nate