Having found a minute of free time, my thoughts turned back to the Hearts of Oak and, more specifically, how to fit the auxiliary motor and prop into the available space.
This is the real boat. The diesel engine is housed under the box in the middle of the cockpit and the prop shaft exits the hull to the right hand side as we're looking at it. I.e. it doesn't go through the keel.
The red card shows the position of the motor on the model.
And the red tube is the approximate size of the geared 500 I was thinking about using. The problem is obvious, I think. I'm going to end up with a very short propshaft at a rather extreme angle.
So, how else could I do this? Could I use a belt between the motor and the prop shaft so that the shaft itself could be lower in the hull?
How about some sort of flexible shaft? That'd let me put the motor somewhere further away....like the cabin, and run the drive shaft under the decking and out at a mroe reasonable angle.
Suggestions on metaphorical postcards please.