Outboard Well Baffle

While we are on the subject of the well:

I would like to make a flexible baffle to go around the shaft at the top of the well to keep water from splashing into the compartment when heeled in seas. I want it to be flexible enough that I can still turn the engine for maneuvering in close quarters (that's reason enough to have an outboard in lieu of an inboard in my opinion.) I can turn on a dime at slow speeds in harbour by turning the outboard.

The boat came with a baffle made from hardboard (masonite) but it has turned into a dusty, deteriorating felt board in the moisture ridden environment of the boat. I'll use it for a pattern. Now that I think of it, there may be a plan for one of these in the Manual.

Its never occurred to me to try and stop the water coming into the lazzarette. It certainly
does ship alot of water on a breeze in a sea way. The upside is that the compartment stays
pretty clean. The downside obviously that everything in it is immersed or splashed. I keep
two 6 gallon gas tanks and a 15 HP Merc in there so it hasn't been a problem. I can't turn
my engine at all as it just fits. I even locked up the steering and rely solely on the tiller for steering.
What size engine do you have?
Now about the Baffle, does it stop all the water from entering the Lazarette? Beacause if it does
it probably would stop or slow water from exiting also. Regarding this I would be careful. The cockpit
drains on the Commander are pretty slow in emptying the cockpit. The flat angle of the glassed-
channels makes the water slow down as well as go through 2- 90 degree turns before it exits.I say this because I was once pooped, Had the storm boards in and breifly had a cockpit full of water. I say briefly
because I was lucky to have the the engine hatch off from previous motoring. The big, green
body of water that boarded sloshed towards the main hatch, sort of rebounded of the stormboards
and then headed to the stern. I felt the boat squat and then noticed that the water was pouring into the lazzarette. The water exited out of the engine cut out .Before the boat rose to another swell there was but a few inches of water harmlessly
finding its way to the floor drains. I was pretty shaken up but it was over in a few seconds
because of the essentially open transoms of our boats. I have not seen conditions like that
since but if I do I'll open that hatch and put in the stormboards again. Having experienced
this , whatever baffle I would consider ,I'd make it removable for rough conditions.
Cheers, B.
Commander #215

Brendan, thanks for the reply and sea story. It's hard to imagine being pooped in the Sound. Where were you?

First of all, the manual does have, on page 75, a design by Larry Snyder for an "outboard motor well gasket" to prevent water from entering. It consist of a well cover, a layer of compressible foam, and a lower insert to raise up with cables to compress the foam around the outboard shaft. It is a good idea. I was thinking of a two piece, overlaping flexible plastic top cover (plastic trash can material, for example) to prevent _most_ of the water which comes up the sides of the well from entering. I'm afraid compressible foam (open cell foam) will become a smelly mess in salt water. Maybe Larry Snyder can comment more on his design.

I have not used the old baffle that came with #92, so I don't know its effectiveness. I intend it to be removable, and from someone on this board I have heard of the benefit you speak to having it open for large quantities of water to be able to unship itself. The concern is especially great on #92, as the early Commanders' companionways extend to within about 4 inches of the cockpit sole. Makes going below and coming up nice, but the design was modified to prevent shipping seas. I intend a couple of C-clamps to hold the lower two hatch boards in place when in heavy seas.

My engine is an Evinrud 6/8 hp sail model. This is according to the manual that the PO had. He had and identical one that died and then he got this one from his next door neighbor. I don't know if the manual was from #1 or #2, and I have not checked the serial no. to determine the exact HP. I have the steering friction set tight enough to stay in position, but I grab the rear of the housing and tug on it to turn. There is room in the well for the shaft to rotate about 45 degrees. The throttle stick stays pointed up, or aft when the top hatch goes down (not through the forward hatch.)

Brendan, didn't we meet early this fall in the Sand Hole? (Me, wife, talkative 3 year old son and baby girl) Good to see you logged on.

Bogle, how are you ?
I remember meeting you at the Sand Hole with your 6week old. Pretty ballsey, I thought.
Sorry about my attempt at a sea tale, it was actually Jessups Neck in the tide rip on Little Peconic That can get
pretty wicked . I've been past there 25 times at least, and I never have seen anything like it,
before or since. Also, word of caution I sailed right into these holes in the water that
I didn't see at all until I was in them, hobby horseing to a stand still.
I guess I kind of got under a standing kind of wave or sea that boarded so technically I wasn't pooped
I just said it as the water came from the stern quarter. At any rate that water ran out of there like
magic. I would not block that exit.
But if I had to I might try, with a contour finder, the 360 degree profile of your motor at the level
it bisects the top of the lip of the engine hole. That would cut down on some water but then perhaps
you could relieve the out line say 1/2' and perhaps Spar-Tite the engine. Then you would
have a removable saildrive -like set up. The intricacies of the profile would make The mold kind of
tricky and I'm not sure what the vibration of the motor would do.

Checkout the 10 HP Bukh diesel with the saildrive at crinanmarine.com. I think you could
just glass the thing into the lazzarette. I dream of this set up. The downside is that the main
waterway, for water in the cockpit to escape, would get blocked in keeping that sweet little diesel dry.
Anyway... Lets hook up for a sail next season, I'm going to try Newport in June. Think about it.
Cheers, B.
Commander #215