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Why I Prefer an Outboard Well Over Transom Mount on My Nimble 24

Published December 23, 2025

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit at the town dock in Oriental, North Carolina — My Nimble 24 *Grit* at the Oriental town dock not far from where she almost tangled with an expensive motor boat when I fouled the propeller in the kayak I was towing.

Vince recently wrote me the following:

Good morning. I was wondering how you feel about having the outboard in the cockpit well. It seems like it would be noisy and difficult to remove it for service and cleaning.
Thanks for your time.
Vince S.

Here is my reply.

Nothing Teaches You Like Drifting

Dear Vince,
Nothing teaches you about boat design like the moment you’re drifting toward a $900,000 yacht with a kayak painter wrapped around your sailboat’s propeller. That’s when I discovered just how much I appreciated my Nimble 24 sailboat Grit‘s outboard well.

Yamaha outboard engine in the outboard well of solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit — The Yamaha outboard in *Grit*‘s outboard well. It sits under the tiller and right in front of the mizzen mast.

In this post, I’ll share my experience with both arrangements — outboard engines mounted in a well versus transom-mounted. For those unfamiliar: a well is an opening in the boat’s cockpit or stern where the outboard sits; transom-mounted means the engine hangs off the stern, often on a bracket that lowers it into the water.

I’ve owned and sailed sailboats with both setups over the years — though my solo circumnavigation on my Tom Colvin-designed Sea Bird had neither arrangement. Each has taught me something about what works on the water.

Tom Colvin-designed Saugeen Witch sailboat Sea Bird sailed around the world by solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts, photographed near the Cape of Good Hope — My sailboat *Sea Bird*. She was a Tom Colvin design — the Saugeen Witch model. I found her in Doolie, North Carolina (on Lake Norman) and sailed her around the world from 1998 to 2003. This photo was taken a few miles north of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Gaff-rigged Sam Devlin-designed Winter Wren sailboat Garage Sail built by Bernie Harberts sailing in Bimini circa 1992 — The Sam Devlin design I built in the early 1990s while riding as a steeplechase jockey. I later sailed her down the Hudson River, down the ICW and across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Her name was *Garage Sail* and I sewed her sails in my friend Mel Wyatt’s hay loft. Here, sailing in Bimini circa 1992. Note the outboard motor on the stern bracket. It’s a British Seagull and I still have it.

Russian solo circumnavigator Evgeny Gvozdev's tiny sailboat Said, one of the smallest boats ever to sail around the world, photographed in Darwin Australia — Evgeny Gvozdev’s sailboat *Said*. She was one of the smallest boats ever to sail around the world. I met her and Evgeny in Darwin, Australia. Note the outboard on the transom. It worked fine.

Service and Cleaning

Having the outboard engine on the transom might make it easier to service and clean. Maybe. Having said that, the few times I’ve had to service mine (for example, flushing it after use in salt water) it was just as easy to hook up the hose to the intake and rinse the residue out.
I have a 9.9 hp Yamaha outboard on my Nimble 24 Grit. It is heavy — 92 to 108 pounds according to the manufacturer. I assume the weight difference depends on whether it has the remote tank or the onboard tank. I have the remote tank. This weight issue — and what it means to remove the outboard engine from where it’s mounted — became all too clear to me on a recent trip with Grit.

The Painter Incident

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts sailing Nimble 24 yawl Grit into Oriental town dock past the fishing fleet, North Carolina — Heading into the Oriental town dock with *Grit*. Here, passing in front of the fishing fleet.

I was backing Grit out of the town dock in Oriental, North Carolina. I had a guest aboard, a newbie to sailing, and was proudly showing her how well Grit backed under outboard power. Unseen by me, the painter to my kayak got tangled in the propeller.

The engine died as strangled.

We started drifting toward a blue 44-foot Hinckley Talaria cruiser ($900,000 vs. 1.1% of that for my Nimble 24 armed on both ends with pointy projections — a sharp anchor on the bowsprit, a pointy bumpkin on the stern).
I launched Grit‘s anchor, arrested our drift, and went about untangling the painter from the outboard’s propeller.
The only way I could do that was to lift the outboard out of the well. That’s when I learned that the Yamaha 9.9 outboard weighs almost as much as two 50-pound sacks of mule feed.
I got the engine unbolted, man-lifted it up (I get 50% stronger in an emergency) lowered it across the cockpit seat, and cut through the offending rope.
Sheesh. What a mess. Bottom paint, harbor scum, and dirty water all over the cockpit, with my passenger asking me, “Is this always the way you do it?” and me explaining that, no, it isn’t.
Then I lowered the engine back into the outboard well, secured it in place and fired the engine back up.
Here is where, to circle back to your question, the well really shined. It was just a matter of lowering the outboard into the well. If it had been bolted to the transom on one of those fold-down brackets, it would have been almost impossible because the engine weighed so much.
Sure, this wouldn’t have been a problem on a light outboard, like a 3 hp or an old British Seagull. So in that case, having the outboard in the well really shined.

Ancient British Seagull outboard engine hanging in Bernie Harberts' barn beside the canvas bucket used on his mule voyage from North Carolina to Idaho — My ancient British Seagull outboard engine hanging in my barn. The canvas bucket below it is what I used on my seven-month, 2,700-mile mule voyage from North Carolina to Idaho.

Why I Like Having the Outboard in the Cockpit Well

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts sailing Nimble 24 yawl Grit on the Pamlico River, North Carolina, tiller held amidships with bungee cords — Sailing *Grit* with the tiller held amidships with bungee cords

Here’s why I like having Grit‘s outboard in a well.

1. It’s Right at Hand

This makes it easy to start and operate. If I need to fire it up, I don’t have to lean over the back of the transom, bend over, lower it into the water (if it’s in the upright position), and fire it up. It’s just there, at all times, ready to go.

2. It’s Protected from Sloshing Waves

The prop’s way down in the water because the outboard engine is mounted nice and low in the hull. Also, the transom breaks the waves that might swamp it if mounted on the transom.

3. My Vanity Appreciates It

I never like seeing an outboard hanging off the transom of a sailboat. I know — that doesn’t bother me one bit on a runabout or powerboat. But on a sailboat? Sheesh, it just gets to me. I think maybe it’s that I love the look of a sailboat stern. Transom, sugar scoop, reverse, wineglass or, in the case of my Nimble 24 Grit, double-ended. I just love looking at those lines too much to have them marred by an engine.
How shallow of me. I also take off my sunglasses when photographed and, if I’m riding my mule and wearing my helmet, slip it off and put on my beat-up old sun hat. Vanity. Pure vanity.

Ah, But What About the Noise?

Noise? What noise? The Yamaha 9.9 outboard is quiet and balanced, so noise is a non-issue. Besides, I sail as much as I can, which means I short tack up channels, raise and drop the hook under sail and, if I don’t have a dead line to meet, am as happy as can be ghosting along at half a knot.
Grit came with an engine cover that doubled as a cockpit table. That would have knocked a few decibels off the engine. Too bad I never found out how well it worked. It fell off Grit the first day I launched her and splintered. Now I have a winter project. Welcome to boat ownership.

The One Major Drawback: Drag

Having said why I enjoy having the outboard in a well, here’s the one major drawback I see to the arrangement.
The outboard is a tight fit in the Nimble 24’s outboard well. The downside to that is that there’s not enough room to tilt the lower unit up out of the water. I’ve seen this design on some sailboats. I like it, but it requires making a huge opening in the stern of the boat, sometimes even cutting through the transom, so the outboard’s lower unit can swing up clear of the water.

Outboard motor extending from the bottom of the outboard well of solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit — The outboard engine seen from the bottom of the outboard well on *Grit*

Because the lower unit on a well-mounted outboard is always in the water, that means the propeller and the lower unit drag through the water while I’m under sail.
While this would bug the crap out of a hardcore sailboat racer, it doesn’t bother me. In fact, I once looked down at the prop as I was sailing and noticed that it was happily spinning away, which I assume reduces friction a little. Sort of like a semi-feathering prop.

Well Happiness

So all in all, I’m very happy with the outboard-in-a-well arrangement. Ted Brewer, who designed the Nimble 24 and other sailboats in the Nimble range, deserves most of the credit for the success of Grit‘s well. He always found the middle road in all things boat design, and that middle road is called functionality.
I hope this answers your question, Vince.

Bernie

Get a Taste of Sailing a Nimble 24

Here’s a post I wrote about sailing Grit this fall on the Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Lots of great photos and video of what it’s like to sail a Nimble 24 yawl.

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit anchored off Broad Creek, North Carolina — *Grit* anchored off Broad Creek

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts sailing Nimble 24 yawl Grit downwind on the Pamlico Sound, North Carolina — Heading downwind

Navigation station and paper charts aboard solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit — Welcome below. I enjoy navigating with paper charts.

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts hauling Nimble 24 yawl Grit out of the water in Oriental, North Carolina after shakedown cruise — Hauling *Grit* out of the water in Oriental, NC after our first shakedown cruise — read about it here.

Quick Summary: Outboard Well Pros and Cons

Pros:

Easy to start and operate (no leaning over transom)
Protected from waves
Cleaner aesthetic lines
Easy to service in emergencies (can lift out if needed)

Cons:

Cannot tilt lower unit up while sailing
Creates drag when under sail

Well vs Outboard Thoughts?

Got any opinions about the outboard-in-a-well vs mounted-on-the-transom? Leave your thoughts in the Comment section.

Bernie

Get Another Dose of Gritty Sailing at TravelGrit.com

Visit TravelGrit.com. Start with six-time circumnavigator Webb Chiles — the first American to sail solo around Cape Horn — describing his rounding in hurricane force conditions.

Six-time circumnavigator Webb Chiles on a beach after washing ashore in his dinghy following two weeks adrift after his open sailboat capsized — Webb Chiles moments after he washed ashore in his dinghy after floating adrift for two weeks following his open sailboat capsizing. Listen to Webb’s account on the TravelGrit.com podcast. (Webb Chiles photo)

Get a Copy of Two Mules to Triumph

Check out Two Mules to Triumph, the account of my mule voyage from North Carolina to Idaho. Get your copy here.

Two Mules to Triumph book cover by Bernie Harberts — ***“A beautiful, emotive book that sings with the uniqueness of America” — Rinker Buck, The Oregon Trail***
Shop now at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple Books / Kobo / Kindle

Two Mules to Triumph (306 pages) is the true story of my seven-month-long journey through America with my two imperfect mules. It’s a story of the importance of setting on our dreams before the details are ironed out. It’s confirmation that our nation isn’t broken beyond repair as many believe. Get your copy here.

Read more posts from this voyage: Nimble 24 Sailboat Grit — Shallow Water Cruising.

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