I Want to Buy an Ariel

[philpott]

I'm looking for an Ariel in the San Francisco Bay area. Thank you for helping me find one!

[Rico]

Hi Jackie,

Welcome to the board!

('Mephisto Cat's skipper here...)

- I'm glad you decided on one of these wonderful boats! I'm sure the right one will pop-up shortly!

[ebb]

Know of one longshot languishing at the St Francis in S.F.
Our Bill will know.

[philpott]

Well, our Bill? Is that Brad Buss' ariel, or another one? This is fun. I can tell this is a knowledgable and communicative crowd.

[Bill]

Lady J, the Ariel at the St Francis has a new owner, Rob of Palo Alto. He will be checking in soon.

[philpott]

They are slipping through my fingers...

[philpott]

Well, I drove down to Oyster Cove Marina in order to look at (an inferior) boat, and what was floating right next to it but a lovely Ariel Hull #75. No CF number on its hull. Does anyone know who owns it and whether or not it might be available to me?

[Bill]

Patric Bryant of Sunnyvale owns her. Not sure he would be interested in selling, since he's not owned her for that long.

[philpott]

Thanks so much. I located him from an earlier post on this site and have emailed him privately about his boat. A girl can dream.

[philpott]

Rats! Patrick Bryant loves his boat. I feel like I'm in a difficult adoption process.

[Bill]

A Bay Area skipper contact list is being forwarded to you. No guarantees on current accuracy . . . but maybe you'll get lucky.

[carl291]

Bill, I salute you, that is a very generous gesture on your part, taking the time to put that together.

[bikenewport]

Hello, I am thinking of selling my Ariel she is a 1965 hull # 367 , she is in Newport Oregon right now but she came from the SF fleet I dont know how much it is to ship a boat I here its less than you might think . I love this boat, buut it just might be time to sell,, Kiwanda is her name now I think her name was Peko when she was in SF , You are welcome to call me at 541-270-6141, Elliott

[Crazer]

If you're still looking for a bay-area Ariel, you're in luck. Please buy her, I don't trust the kinds of people who pay $1K for a charity boat. They think they're getting a cheap boat when of course there's no such thing. Lot of good boats have come to bad ends that way.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-Pearson-Ariel-26ft-Sailboat-Stk-213814-NO-RESERVE-/140717779121?pt=Sailboats&hash=item20c36ee8b1

[philpott]

This boat is Hull #A366 - Zoe. It is near me, so I'll go by and look at it from the outside. I called boats4causes about examining it, and the woman said they don't let people do that, but if I just happen to find the boat and it's open ... that would be okay with her. She was very nice: said marinas tend to get irritable about large numbers of people coming by to gawk at charity boats. I don't have a garage or tools or any of the stuff you all seem to have in order to address a project boat. I live in an urban area - Oakland - where we need to pay the city for a sticker in order to park on the street outside our home. So, no boat fixin' gonna happen out there. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, anyway. Somebody @ some time loved this boat, I'm sure (even if he/she did paint the combings!!!). I'll report back. If anyone knows anything about its history I'd love to hear. The owners don't have an email and I don't feel comfortable calling them.

[Crazer]

Look to Ben and Ariel 109 as a model for how to balance boat repair with sailing on minimal resources. Even if she is a bit of project, she's all there so unless there's something really wrong with her you can sail her while you do whatever needs to be done or work towards a full refit.

And please, please, please, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT be put off by her cosmetic condition. If you find her, get aboard and jump on the decks. If they're solid, put in a bid. I made the mistake (twice) of judging a boat by it's cosmetic condition and have regretted it ever since.

[philpott]

Well, you see, that's the issue. The wind has finally come back up here on the SF Bay, and when it comes it's wonderful - 25+ knots regularly in the afternoon. That requires strong standing rigging. That, for me, is the crunch question for this Ariel: will she require new rigging before I can even sail her? As far as cosmetics goes - the first time I sailed into the Berkeley marina 4 years ago on my darling Cal 20 (28 knots inside the marina on that fateful afternoon) we smacked straight on into a vicious dock that reached out and grabbed us. After fiberglassing her poor nose I pasted hello kitty bandaids on it. And replace them regularly. Don't care about cosmetics.

[Ed Ekers]

Hello, my name Is Ed Ekers and I have a little experience with the boat you are looking at and a lot of experience with Ariels. I sailed (raced) Zoe back in the early 80’s. Myself and a partner charted her for one race season to see if the was a class of boat that we wanted to get involved with. We had a great time that year and that led us to buy #77 Pathfinder.

Looking at the photos I would say that she has good bones to work with. A number of upgrades have been made including all lines lead to the cockpit. The one thing that I would pay attention to would be the need for a strong back under the mast. A job that could be done with the boat in the water at the slip. You can find a lot of info on this on this board and through the association. The second issue I would suggest is the rudder shaft. Again this is addressed on the board and through the association.

I mention both of these because of where we sail and the summer conditions that you will experience. The rest of the stuff in my opinion has little to do with being able to sail and more to do with pride of ownership. She is a great little boat and will handle the central bay with no problem. Hope this helps you a little bit…….ed

[philpott]

Thanks, Ed, for your input. I walked the docks and found Zoe. The lines led aft looked good, as you say. Unfortunately, because she is being sold on Ebay as a charity boat I was unable to get inside to examine her strongback or the sink drain. I am also unable to sail her before purchase. As a serious buyer, this is unfortunate. I understand why a seller would want to avoid having to meet with prospective buyers - it is time consuming and probably depressing to watch other people pass negative judgement on a boat you might once have loved. However, I can't reasonably buy a boat under these conditions. It will be interesting to see who eventually buys Zoe. I may possibly have the chance to look at another Association Ariel next week. I'll let you know what happens. Didn't you all used to sail places together? I've seen the Potter Yachters over in the Estuary. ONce I have my Ariel it would be fun to do that.

[philpott]

Found an Ariel in San Luis Obispo, floating in the water, looks nice from the photo; it's a 4 hour drive from Berkeley (yes, I drive slowly); got a quote to haul it 300 miles: $1700.

Would anyone else care to share re: recent hauling experiences?

[Bill]

What's the URL address of the site listing the boat?

[philpott]

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/boa/2951617773.html

[philpott]

I await your opinion, o sensei

[Bill]

Emailed the seller asking for the hull number to see if she's in our db.

[philpott]

Most recent bid for hauling the Ariel 273 miles from San Luis Obispo to Berkeley: 2800

[Rico]

Sail her up Jackie!
It is a beautiful stretch of coast!

[philpott]

Antonio, we missed you at the Stand Down Marathon on Saturday! I kept saying, "wait! he'll come! just you wait and see!" but alas. There was no beautiful gun metal gray commander in the fleet. Matthew on his Wilderness 21 took third. Hey, there's a boat I'm considering in the Vallejo marina. Not the yacht club marina. Do you know anyone who lives aboard there who might let me inside the gates? The owner isn't available until Saturday and I'd like to gawk beforehand.

[Ed Ekers]

Ariel for sale http://monterey.craigslist.org/boa/3013922148.html ..........ed

[philpott]

Thanks, Ed. Most recent bid for hauling the Ariel 273 miles from San Luis Obispo to Berkeley: 2800

[mbd]

Buy C-155 (Mephisto Cat) if Rico is crazy enough to really sell her! All the work is DONE - and done WELL!! I'm forever wishing I had a larger cockpit...

[philpott]

Mike, what a delicious idea! You buy Mephisto Cat and I'll buy Sea Glass.

[C38]

Thanks, Ed. Most recent bid for hauling the Ariel 273 miles from San Luis Obispo to Berkeley: 2800

2800, really!? I guess hauling must be more expensive on the west coast. I'd keep looking around for other haulers... I am sending my commander from NY (long Island) to Maine this summer (All told around 420 miles) And I received quotes ranging from 1500, to 2800 and the distance is about 150miles further...

[mbd]

Mike, what a delicious idea! You buy Mephisto Cat and I'll buy Sea Glass.
I admit to being a bit partial to the Ariel, although if the opportunity presented itself, Mephisto Cat would be very very tempting!

[paulsproesser]

I admit to being a bit partial to the Ariel, although if the opportunity presented itself, Mephisto Cat would be very very tempting!
I just ran across ariel 397 for sale in D.C. area on craigslist

[philpott]

Wait a minute! Is that my Ariel you're hauling to Maine? I thought we had a deal! Mephisto Cat is on the dock next to mine here in Berkeley. She's a beauty! And such a big cockpit! Antonio glassed the sides so there is never going to be ANY leakage into that boat. After seeing what he has done, those little aluminum and rubber rubrails look like such lame defenses against moisture into the cabin. Seamless. I can talk to him for you.

[paulsproesser]

We have to band together so rico can keep his boat.

[Bill]

I just received this Email from Jackie,

"I bought a Cal 2-27 from a fellow who kept it @ the other side of the Berkeley
Marina. Thank you for your patience. I will never enjoy the comradery that you Ariel
owners have with each other. nor do Cal 2-27 owners take such exquisite care of their
boats. It's been a pleasure."