It’s been a couple years since I’ve posted to my blog, but the continued thought of being out on the water in a dory hasn’t left my mind. You would think I’d be able to realize that dream, since I built the dory Elizabeth Lynn a few years ago, but to my dismay, I haven’t used it much. As my kids have grown up, I’ve only been busier and busier with their activities, along with my work schedule. As I attend more sporting events or spend time with them elsewhere, I continue to not get out on the water. I’d love to say that is the only excuse I have – but it’s not.
I’ll be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy being out on my yellow dory.
Why not, you might ask?
It’s the motor well.
Before I cut a huge hole in the bottom of my perfectly sound hull, I researched as many online resources as I could about installing a motor well in a small boat. I read countless pros and cons about it, and ultimately decided to put one in. Running an outboard seemed easier and less maintenance that an inboard, plus I didn’t think my dory was big enough for the smallest diesel I could conceivably install – like a Yanmar 1GM. So I built a motor well and installed a small outboard. It’s easy to start, easy to steer, and I don’t deal with the exhaust fumes like so many had pointed out as a reason not to install a motor well. My dory can top 5 knots with this set up, but there’s a catch.
Literally. A catch.
The motor well acts like a big scoop, and then more speed I try to attain underway, the more the motor well sinks in the water and scoops it into the boat. Moreover, somewhere between 2.5 and 3 knots, the motion of the boat through the water hits the perfect spot that creates a resonance inside the well, and the waves within it build and spill over into the hull. The boat oscilates back and forth at this sweet spot, and I find myself spending more time bailing water out of the hull than enjoying myself on the water.
So it’s time to change. No more motor well. I’m going to cut it off, rebuild the hull, and find a new way to propel my little dory. I’ll update my progress here as I go.
So for all those considering a motor well for your small boat, heed my advice from my personal experience. A motor well may negatively effect the hydrodynamics of your beautifully built hull by creating a large opening in the bottom of it. It did for me, and now it has to go.