inside overhead handholds

338 is having new companionway hatch slide rails installed. Thru bolts will be used.
Very often thru fastenings from the outside can be used to bolt on hand holds in the cabin. (Plan to use long bolts that will cinch up under the cabin top thru the liner. Then a spacer corresponding to the dead space between the liner and the top. The protruding threaded ends can then be used to bolt on interior pieces.)

Hand holds would be about 25/26" apart down the center under the new companionway slide rails. Seems to me they might be head bangers, something I want to avoid for awhile.

Traditional varnished hand rails on the cabin top are set in about 6" from the edge. A matching set can be placed inside right underneath - sharing the fastenings.

Question is this:
Where is the ideal overhead handhold located inside the cabin? Outboard steadies are maybe too far out for comfortable use as you may have to lean at an angle.

More center located the holds could be used together. You could get from the companionway to the V-berth by 'walking' your way forward in good control. Outboard mounted rails you'd probably have to face the rail to steady youself with both hands, and crab your way.

What do you skippers consider ideal, down the middlw or down the sides. Or is the cabin small enough not to need any? Have a feeling that the further out handholds sre the only compromise because the smooth overhead is more important. Feed back anybody?

As you know, Maika'i has inside hand rails matched to the ones on the coach roof. Works especially great when beating as the high (windward) side is up and where you want to hang on. On runs, I often use one hand on each rail as I proceed through the cabin.

Ebb,

My inside hand rails are also bolted through the cabin liner to the outside ones, just like Bill's. When really heeled, it tends to be easiest to just lean uphill and grab the hand rail in front of you. If bouncy chop, but not heeling, there is really no difficulty in grabbing both hand rails and moving forward. Aesthetics might be a consideration, which means you have to get input from the Ariel Forum gallery to decide if a "mod" or "hack" moving the hand rails toward the center would unduly disfigure Carl's interior design (I've been silently enjoying the thread on "What would Carl say", BTW, the "Pirate Ship" Ariel might look great in the Dry Tortugas--- ).

Boat today. Could easy see that interior hand holds out at the sides would walk better than anythjing in the center. So them's out.

338 like everyone elses, I guess, has a balsa core cabin top. (The vertical sides where the windows are are hollow.) Bolted on the new hatch rails by boring straight thru, then clearing out the balsa using the holes as a guide with a 3/4" holesaw inside. Using 1/4" bronze carriage bolts. Room enough for a couple washers and nut, cinched against the upper skin of the cabin. This is the major thickness of the composite. The liner in 338 in places is only 1/16" thick. And the balsa core is 1/2', probably shaped to fit everywhere.

When handrails are put on on the outside I'll take the opportunity to put rails inside too. Like Bill's. Alberg or not. I like the solid wider base with the varnished rounded bar for the rail....think I saw dat on da Cape Dory.... a 'cuse the expression butt ugly alberg, yet many good features, gud features aplenty....wudyouexpext?

The cabin liner overhead is not really attached to the sandwich. Tho for the most part it seems to sit very close upon it - not glued together, maybe it was an attempted cold joint...? From the holesaw cores there seems to be another very thin skin on the balsa, as you'd expect for a composite. But I think some important layers were left off.
338 has minimal laminations on the cabin top. The new hatch rail moldings will add alot of strength to the top.

Reinforcing cabin tops is recommended by know-it-alls when upgrading for offshore. There is benefit in hefty hatch rails that will also become the seahood, or hatch garage as some call it. :cool:

Observed also that the balsa wood core was in good condition, BUT VERY FRIABLE.
The core is showing its age I think.

Any fittings like winches, quads. cleats have to have the oversize hole/filled with epoxy gel number. I think the core will take considerable squeezing still with proper backup blocks - but it might be a good idea to oversize the backups to spread the loads more, imco. :)