A-389?

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum, having found it in the course of tracking down a pitiful looking derelict hull. I congratulate you all on the community you have here and I must say the Ariel seems to be a fine boat in all respects.

Anyway, I was visiting Daufuskie Island (off of Hilton Head, SC) last weekend and came across the hull pictured below. Sorry about the image quality - my camera ran out of battery and all I had left was my cell phone.

The only identifying mark was a bronze medallion that said "Pearson, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA" and the serial number 389 in the center. Also, it was last registered in Georgia in 1993, registration number: GA 6001 ZA. After doing some research I think I have identified it as a Pearson Ariel.

Can anyone back me up on this? Does anyone have a record of this hull number? Finally, and most important, is this worth trying to resurrect?

Looking forward to any replies.

Regards,

Bill Johnson
Kennesaw, GA

well...

if she is on the beach (it isn't clear from the photo):
it would depend on what it would take to drag her back to the water. she may be free or for the cost of getting her off the beach.

if she is ashore where a boat hauler can get her:
much cheaper and easier, now it's just a question of money and time. (it's real easy if she is abandoned in a boat yard... they may write a bill of sale for you)

Technical issues:
if the hull is sound (ie. no big holes) and the deck is mostly there you have a boat that can be fixed. There are other boats that may cost less to put in service, but the story of saving a lost boat is captivating. for what it is worth, she looks a lot better than A-231 did when i bought her.

Legal:
your biggest issue will likely be getting clear title, having the registration number is a good start in finding the prior owner. If he writes you a bill of sale "as-is" "where-is", the legal aspects of a recovery would get easy. it's worth talking to a lawyer familiar with salvage rights and mechanics liens as well (any thoughts Cmdr Pete??). one other path that worked for a friend in RI. was to purchase a bond to free the state from liability in issuing him a title for his 1966 ensign.

Parts:
if you get that far, issues like a missing rig and other parts can be addressed thru the forum. A alternate rig that is a pretty good match; is plentiful and cheap is the later Pearson 26 rig. A lot of these show up on ebay and other sites.

Yes, she's an Ariel, but unfortunately, we have nothing in our registry on the boat.

As for restoration . . . it looks like a challenge, but these boats are worth the effort if you have the skills. Of course, that assumes no major structural damage to the hull.

Hello Bill - It certainly looks like an Ariel - and it looks like it is mostly all there!

I bet that if it had a bit of water underneath her there would be many more interested parties and it would not be sitting there sadly as it is. - I'd say it is very well worth exprloring a restoration.

Any idea on how it got there?

There are a few spares available free on this board currently, but I bet that it would not take much to get her most of the way there...

You can look at many of the boats here and many have been brought back to life nicely. Alberg designed a stout little boat...

People on this board can certainly provide insight and encouragement in addition to some available parts and ideas...

Thanks for the responses! Here's some additional information:

Ownership I was able to get the name associated with the registration number, but the state can't release contact information. Forunately it's not an extremely common name and I have some leads to track down.

Physical Disposition She is not on the beach, but on the grounds of a marina on Daufuskie. The marina has dry storage and haul-out services so I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to place her on stands or lift her back down to the water.

Condition From what I could tell the hull looked intact. No obvious damage to the port side or of what I could see of the starboard side. The interior is full of about a foot of rainwater so that may be an issue. The deck is in obvious need of recoring. It is soft to the touch and there is a small hole in the starboard side of the foredeck.

History No clue how it got there. I sent an email to the marina manager asking for some information on the boat. Hopefully I'll get a timely reply. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Regards,

Bill J.

Bill
You may be in luck then. The marina probably placed her there when the bills stopped being paid. there is an easy path to ownership teaming with the marina owner (he can claim the boat and write you a bill of sale).


The interior structure is mostly 3/4 inch exterior ply. Cheap to replace.

Good luck
bill@ariel231 :)

over on http://plasticclassicforum.com someone has a mast and boom listed for a triton.

They're both longer than required for an ariel, but at least the boom is the identical extrusion (going by a side by side comparison of my triton and ariel booms) Don't recall exactly where they are though.


Ken.

Edit, wasn't there a couple of Ariels listed as destroyed in the "how tough is an Ariel" thread?
Also, just checked the listing for the triton mast/boom, they're in socal, so likely too far away.

Ken.

Terrible shame to see an Ariel like that!
She should be saved. MUST be saved.


I've always thought there are 3 kinds of boat people. At the TOP in descending order are builders and restorers - then there are the sailors - then fishermen whose boats are often but a means to an end.

It's a sliding scale - where are you on it?

Restoring that Ariel will take extraordinary dedication, work and lots of money.
(It's hard to imagine the hull getting wracked by being on its side for a long time but some effort should be made to find out. Check the hull to deck joint and the condition of the deck. Sight the keel for some clue of condition of the encapsulated lead ballast. Inside bulkheads, stringers and furniture should all still be tabbed to the hull.)
The reward is extraordinary, in my opinion, if you love this boat.

If we be fools then you'll have lots of good company and expertise and cheering on this Forum!:cool:

Really hope you go for it!
'Spray' was derelict in a field until Joshua Slocum came along.

What kind of animal would leave a boat like that? Something is not right with this marina if they cant spare a few boatstands

I would check with your home state to see what they require to get title/registration in your name.

A noble project, but it absolutely make no economic sense. The more parts you can find laying around, the less crazy it is.

This kind of thing happens sometimes in Maryland because the state laws have created a process to obtain clear title to a derelict boat that is very costly. It can cost a marina owner $2,000-$3000 to obtain clear title on an abandoned boat. This just adds to what they have already lost in slip/storage revenue. In the case of a larger, more valuable boat they may break even on the sale of a neglected but restoreable boat. That's not likely on a neglected 26 foot fiberglass sailboat of any make. The responsibility lies with the owner who walked away from an obligation to dispose of the boat properly through a sale or donation.

Check your local laws carefully before you do anything. Make sure you're on solid legal ground before you commit to the major effort this one will take.

Perhaps I was a bit harsh. I know some boatyards that wont take wooden boats for that very reason.

Pretty much every marina has a row of derelicts, out back next to the fence. I call them "The Lost Fleet." I just never saw one dumped so unceremoniously

There was nice old Bristol in my marina for years. I used to climb on board to clear the scuppers and hose her down every once in a while, The owner had died and the daughter had a mental block against selling the boat. A few times she made an appointment with a prospective buyer and never showed up.

Never did find out what happened to that one

I wasn't being critical, just pointing out that in MD the state puts onerous requirements on re-titling derelicts which can lead to situations like this.

I have a friend who bought a nice 27' O'Day by shopping the boatyards and asking managers which boats were not being sailed. When he found something he was interested he gave his name and number to the manager asking him to contact the owner about selling. He struck out a few times but eventually got a boat that had been sitting for a number of years that still had all its parts and needed some work but was not in need of total renovation.

it may just be a matter of working the phones...

Before Alyce and I bought the hulk that became Periwinkle, we seriously considered a 1963 Pearson Triton with the same title issues.. The Boatyard owner was willing to sell it to us with a title if we covered his costs (a thousand or so at the time).

As things worked out, we ended up with A-231 since she was more complete although in far worse shape. We thought the title would be a chip-shot with the bill of sale. Still, it took almost 18 months to get the title sorted out as we bought the boat from a family member who had inherited the boat. Ultimately it was the seller's responsibility to get a clear title, it just took some proding over the phone and a couple letters from a friendly attorney. While that seemingly never ending series of phone calls was going on, i plugged away at the restoration at the risk of restoring a boat that i might not be able to register.

I mention this only because this may not take big money to get a title cleared up. just the time for a lot of phone calls. It's in the interest of the prior owner (or his estate) to get this boat with a lien against it off his back. it's in the interest of the marina owner to make some money off this hull by seeing it back on jack stands and relaunched (he'll never recover the cost of years storage, but 3 months in the yard and part of a refit may whet his appetite). There is even the possibility that more of this boat may come out of the woodwork if it moves toward refit (i bet at least the mast shows up somewhere in the yard).

cheers,
bill@ariel231 :)

PS #1: As for the boat sitting on it's side, A-231 showed the scars of being on a rocky beach on both the port and starboard sides. aside from a split at the hull/deck seam on stbd and deep scar on the port side the damage was cosmetic. These boats can take some abuse and hold their shape. I've seen a pearson triton rebuilt from a hull with a 6x4foot hole in the side.

PS #2: any idea how long it's been out of the water? ('duh i missed it.. ca. 1993)

May sound 'unlawful' but many states are very lenient on lost titles and only require a bill of sale, If you know someone in one of those states it shouldn't be too hard to just get a bill of sale and have it retitled.

Also, there are many title services on line that will title a vehicle in your name for a fee.

My Triton, Ariel, four of my bikes, and one of my trucks was were purchased sans titles. A simple trip to the SoS (DMV for those who live in states with more realistic naming habits!) along with the bill of sale produces a title.
They've recently changed requirements so you have a form that both buyer and seller have to fill out, still no hassle.

(not offering, have far too many vehicles in my name now!)

Ken.

A title is not required in GA on a motor vechicle built prior to 1987. This may apply to a boat also. Of the two times I chased a boat down to last registered owner They both claimed they had sold the boat years before and didn't "remember" the buyers name. If you know any law enforcement people: Police ,game warden etc. they can get the last registered owner info for you. If your daring you could snoop around inside and find the registration card. I would also just drill a hole in the hull while you're in there and drain the boat.:D

Bill,
I wouldn't worry too much about finding missing parts if you should take this on, they have a way of turning up. For instance, Mike @ 281 347 4043 (TX) has a boom and all the rigging and about 8 sails for this boat,sorry, can't remember the price , but it's cheap, he had the mast, but he sawed it into pieces so he could haul it to the scrape metal yard. Of course that was after he sawed the hull up and hauled it to the landfill.:(
I agree the missing parts may very well be at the marina. GOOD LUCK!!