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Bought hull 295 in Kingston on December 26th last year (Merry Christmas to me!). I'm a liveaboard in Olympia. I've recently painted her and installed a Norvane. 50w panel is coming in a week or two. I'm just gonna dump a bunch of pictures of her since I've been the steward.
Here's some more
Here's the last of what I'll post. The red hull is the current scheme.
As an aside, if anybody has a gently used Ariel main they'd like to part with...my Catalina main seems to work fine and all, but it'd be nice to have the proper one.
Hey, Jeff
Thanks for posting all of those photos. Nice sailing grounds too. Did you add the wood rub rail? How about any other mods? Can you tell us a little about your findings living aboard an Ariel? I'm left-handed so you can never bore me with photographs!:D
I was trying to figure out what it was that so nicely set off her lines, yes it is the rub rail....
Keep us posted as you use the windvane!
Congrats!
Ahoy! The wood rub rail was on the boat when I got her. There are a couple soft spots, so it's nearing time for a facelift, but the cockpit coamings will have priority there. So far as mods go, I have a 50w solar panel just about ready to install, and in the cabin I've installed an 'Atom Stove,' which is the brainchild of James Baldwin of Triton fame. Otherwise I'm just attending to basic upkeep things. Within the next few months I hope to replace the standing rigging and chainplates. The paint for the decks has been hanging around for a good bit, waiting for the PNW weather and my free time to agree with each other. The nonskid will eventually be beige. I feel a big voyage coming on.
So far as living aboard goes, I'm quite content. Another person aboard full time would likely be cramped. This boat isn't equipped with A/C power, which is just fine by me. She has a bank of two group 27 batteries for a total of about 130 amp hours. I've recharged her only three times in the past year. My power demands are pretty low. She currently has a l/s Yamaha 8hp 2-stroke, though I'd like to downsize to a 3hp-5hp eventually - when the right motor comes around and all.
The windvane works nicely. It's so narrow in Budd Bay that I really don't play with it very often, but it holds the course within 5 degrees or so on most points of sail. Any faults in its operation are almost certainly due to my having to learn to truly balance the sails. I sailed up for the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival (I work for Devlin Boats) and had an opportunity to set her for a couple hours when headed back south. I must admit, it was almost creepy going below and reading a book (for a short period of course, given the shipping traffic there) while the boat and windvane took care of the sailing.
This is a great website and I'm looking forward to sharing information and experiences about our lovely little boats. I've liked Alberg's designs since I was a kid, and my last boat was a Kenner Kittiwake. Alberg, Herreshoff, Alden and Baldwin probably had a huge influence in my choosing yacht design as a profession. Cheers!
I suppose I don't care too much what others think, but it does feel good to know I'm not the only one trying to live on an Ariel. Great photos.
I have a question about the photo where your boat is on her side. Was that an intentional angle or did the camera man take the picture as the wind caught you by surprise? It's interesting to see a Ariel keeled over that far from that angle. I've had mine over that far in waves and it made me feel very exposed as an amateur sailor.
Thanks for the posts, enjoyed those pictures.
Hi there. Yeah, that picture is a little deceiving. In Budd Bay where it was taken it's so narrow that waves don't have much of a chance to build when the wind is from the east or the west. I was headed north and a pretty good gust caught me. It was a steady 20+ that day and I had her sheeted in a bit too much. I was having fun.
way to go! I love the red and black, though I am a bit biased...
Erebus and I sailed from Olympia, Wa to Longbranch and then Gig Harbor. A few pictures from the weekend.