1978 CD25 engine locker holes

[Astronomertoo]

I relocated this question to make it separate:

Regarding my friend's OBD engine locker, with the hinge lazarette cover, this one covers a nice (large) 8 hp Mercury 2 stroke, so the lid has been raised 3" with a custom made support enclosure. My question is about several 4" OD holes previously cut into the rear side of the lazarete molding, apparently for new wiring access below, which I would think could allow engine and gasoline vapors to enter the bilge, since the holes are open to the inside face of the transom, thus to the cabin area. Does anyone know if this is this something we should be concerned about? Should those holes be covered? There is no foamed insulation between the inner liner and the boat hull itself like in my own 1975.
If you have suggestions or comments this please advise.
Thanks
BobC

[jbenagh]

Does anyone know if this is this something we should be concerned about? Should those holes be covered?

I would be worried about these; in a following sea you can get a lot of water in the well. You could put in access plates to maintain access to the chainplate for inspection. My CD25 had that.
Jeff

[Astronomertoo]

Does anyone know if this is this something we should be concerned about? Should those holes be covered?

I would be worried about these; in a following sea you can get a lot of water in the well. You could put in access plates to maintain access to the chainplate for inspection. My CD25 had that.
Jeff

Hmm
Thanks Jeff. Good catch. I had not thought of that reason, and we will look at making something removeable to cover them. I have already bought the 1" and 1.5" vented loops to install in line for my own manual and electric bilge pump connections which also flow to the engine well area. But I did not think of those large holes as a hazard.
Thanks
BobC

[tartansailor]

Yes, plug up all the holes. Why? Because if you have a 2 stroke smoker,
the cabin will become unbearable. This is from sad experience.
richard

[Astronomertoo]

Thanks Richard, and I agree.
Rick has a 2 stroke Mercury in his newer 25 and we will discuss the air pathway. He does have the air inlet and outlet scoops on top of the lazarette cover for fresh air and ventilation. But it was a surprise to consider both possible smoke in the cabin, and the possibility of a following sea welling up in the rear lazaretter high enough to dump into the rear bilge thru those holes. My own 1975 (3 yrs older than Rick's 1978) has a Yamaha 4 stroke which has factory installed (?) foam between the crude cutout which had been cut out apparently with a sawzall, at the rear of my engine locker and the inside of the transom to make room for the larger engine. So I am lucky there, but I am still trying to figure out how to straighten out the gouging in that cutout and make it less ugly. His 25 will be going into the water way before mine so his is the priority.
BobC

[Carl Thunberg]

That's a lot of horses for a CD25. Any chance of selling the 8 and getting something smaller? Hull speed is hull speed. More horses won't make the boat go any faster, and space is a premium inside the engine locker.

[Astronomertoo]

Sir Newton,
ha ha, (sorry, I could not pass that up),
If either of us had the funds we would rather have the smaller, lighter, more popular Japanese 6 hp 4 stroke. But since they are not cheap, and we both bought our boats with the larger engines, they will have to do for the near future. BTW, I have been thru this reasoning before, about not needing much more than 4-6 hp to get hull speed. Its all true, on a normal day. Rick's 6 hp Merc is a 2 stroke with a 7.5 inch prop pitch, so he is truly heavy and large for the amount of thrust he will get into the water, as the Merc is meant for a light weight, higher speed power boat.
My own Yamaha 4 stroke 9.9 is also too large for this engne locker, and weighs over a 100 pounds with the electric starter, but it is a Hi Thrust model with larger diameter shallow pitch prop, which really puts a lot of power in the water, both forward and in reverse. Plus sometimes it is nice to push the start button, and charge the batteries on a cloudy day.
I have had friends with large sharpies (Reuel Parker designs) who used one or 2 of the Yamaha 4 stroke 9.9 Hi Thust models like this one for their sole engine propulsion all over the Bahamas and Florida. So yes, it is too heavy, and too large for this little 25, but it came with the boat. And if I go back to running inlets down here with fast tidal waters, and steep standing waves, this boat will still hold hull speed easier, against a strong headwind, and I can promise you that will make a tired, scared, sailor really happy on a bad day, sometimes. Been there, done that.
But it is all fun, yes?
Bob C

[tartansailor]

Sailing Specialties,Hollywood, MD makes a Cargo Storage Box No. 47605800
that covers the engine compartment cut out allowing bigger motors.
Works great for a Honda 8.
Richard