Ariel #331

So I pretty much have the rewiring done, placing switch, fuses and controllers under the top step with batteries underneath

I also moved the switches from there original location over my galley to a panel above my chart table with the radio. This area will also have a plug for the GPS

The original switch box has been changed to a housing for the depth sounder and outside 12v outlet on the outside and solenoid switch for the LPG on the inside.

You may notice that in order to run new wires to the original switch box I had to open up the corner of the chase. apparently some of the original wiring had been resined into the chase making pulling new wires very difficult. I did though manage to get them all in there including the transducer pick-up wire.

Good use of the old switch box/panel. I've been wondering how hard it's going to be to pull those wires out. :)

I have not managed to get a whole lot more done on #331 mostly because of the distance between me and the boat and gas prices. :(

But that is about to change:)

This last week i picked up a new trailer from "Quality Trailers out of Bellingham WA. Customized "King" trailer for the Ariel, I sent them the line drawing from the manual and they made one very pretty trailer, don'tcha think?

...and I've got dibs on first place in the "Hey Tim, Can I Borrow..." list. :D

I am in the middle of a very slow refinishing of Mariah and because I have to do an extensive rework of the lazarette including putting a propane locker in and rebuilding the lip for the cover, I am considering opening up the well to the rear in order to acomodate a larger engine in the future. Without getting into a discussion about engine size needed four strokes tend to be larger than the two strokes when the design was made.

I would like to cut back to the transom, adding a structural brace along the bottom.

http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/ima...293/medium.jpg

I am assuming that it would not create a structural problem and compared to Ebb's work it is minor ;)

The thing that is going to get you is the larger cavitation plate that you will find on most new motors. It is not that the motor housing is larger, but instead that the plate is longer and won't fit down the well if the length and width of the well remain the same as in the original design. The Nissan 6 hp four stroke will fit just fine and Honda also makes a "Honda Classic" four stroke, which I think is a 7.5 hp, and that will probably fit if you open up the aft send of the well as you discussed to accommodate the larger top end, but you do not have to cut a hole in the transom to accomplish that. Here is what a prior owner did on my Ariel to accommodate an older version of the Honda 7.5 four stroke. (See photo below). I was told by a dealer that the Honda Classic has the same dimensions. By the way, there is also a lot of weight difference between the Honda 7.5 and the much lighter Nissan 6, but more power in the Honda for sure.

That's an interesting picture, Scott. My Commander came with a 9.9 Evinrude and the PO had a different idea. He raised the mounting plate. I have to drop the motor through the hole diagonally so that becomes more of a problem, as I continue to rack up the minutes (years...or something). I am thinking of making a hoist for raising the mast. I have seen diagrams of such being bolted to the center stay tangs and standing slightly higher than the spreaders. If it would extend over the stern, then that would be a big help in getting the motor up in the boat and dropping it into the well. I haven't put a tape to this yet, so I don't know the length from the tangs to the stern of the boat.

Tim
Viewing your trailer photos I noticed no leaf springs, Are those solid mounted axles or torsion tube axles?
Are you planning on launching from the trailer?
Carl

Hi Carl,
Yes they are torsion tubes, and I do not plan on launching from the trailer, unless I absolutely had to. Getting it off wouldn't be too bad putting her back on would.
Tim

Regarding a hoist for the motor. The Ariel Association Manual has a very useful sketch of Gene Robert's application of the Garhauer Lifting Davit as engineered and installed on Gene's Ariel by Myron Spaulding.

I installed one of these in 2002 and have been using it since to raise and lower my motor, to suspend the motor while I am flushing it, and to get the motor off the boat onto a cart and back again. It's a snap to lower the motor into the well on a diagonal.

This devise uses a six part block, so with the Nissan 6hp motor that I am currently using, only ten pounds of pressure is required to lift the sixty pound motor. I's a one hand operation.

Please see my Ariel website, page: http://www.solopublications.com/sailarip.htm for photos of the Lifting Davit in use with a 7.5 Honda four stroke (the model with the smaller cavitation plates).

Don't forget to ask for Gene Robert's modification, which lengthens the support post, and if you don't already own one, buy a manual from the Association to tell you how to install your new davit in your Ariel. The manual explains in detail how to order and install this lifting davit. This is a real back saver and well worth the investment. I paid less than $300 for mine back in 2002 at a boat show.

Here is a photo to whet your appetite.