A-271 Michalla

[CapnK]

Peter -

Looking at your 1st pic in this thread:

Is it not amazing that you can look one of these vessels sitting strapped and stranded dry on a trailer, mast down and deck littered with rigging, hull covered in a patina of years of mold, mildew, and neglect, and the lines of the thing, the sheer *beauty* in her shape, just make you smile and go "...Uh HUH!!!"?

Congratulations on your new boat. It'll all be worth it.

[hawkinsp]

I contacted one of the previous owners of #271 and he sent me this picture of when he owned her. Thought you might all enjoy this.

[hawkinsp]

Just a question. I have the number plate for 271 but I do not know where it is officially to be affixed. Can someone help me on that?
thanks

[Hull376]

Here's original location on 376 (picture during the rehab in 2003.) Just behind the tiller fitting.

[Bill]

Actually, the plate was usually centered above the ob opening. Previous owners may have moved it out of the way of sail controls or whatever.

[Jack]

Tim,

I am still reading through your original post so forgive me if you already answered this question, but doesn't opening up the bilge like that increase the static head your bilge pump needed to overcome?

[Tim Mertinooke]

Tim, doesn't opening up the bilge like that increase the static head your bilge pump needed to overcome?

I'm sure it does, but again I don't like surprises so cored out it was. To be honest my electrical bilge pump never got hooked up this past summer and I used the manual bilge pump maybe a half dozen times. The bilge stayed bone dry (no kidding) unless it rained and it would fill up just a little. I know for a fact that water can migrate from the bottom of the bilge, which is inaccessible for most Ariels, to the outside and vice versa as the photos in the Ariel 24 gallery show. If one does a good job sealing the rudder strap and shoe with say 5200, it would probably stop the flow of water, but I opted for full access. I also saw where water migrates from the ballast area into the bilge void itself. It is at the back of the cast ballast area where there's one, maybe two layers of laminate that are horribly tabbed in place. I would shop vac the area and then when I turned the vac off I would see water leaking into the bilge from the ballast area.



After allowing to dry out completey I then coated it completely with thickened epoxy. I also put a large amount of unthickend epoxy that would fill any cracks or voids preventing any routes for the water to take.



I often thought about adding a plug, but to the backside of the ballasted area. I was really considering this and recommended it to the new owner. I planned on removing the the laminate that was there originally and removing about two or so inches of lead and then relaminating where the original was. THis would allow the room needed to put the plug in. In the winter, any water that did make it in between the lead and hull would exit through that plug into the bilge. pump the bilge out and leave the plug removed for the winter and walla, no water or surprises and there isn't a plug going through the hull which is another possible leaking place.
Man, just talking about all of this work makes me mourn that I didn't get to finish A-24. I had some real plans for that baby and will certainly miss her.

To get back to your original concern about the pump not being able to suck water up from that depth, I would probably mount the pump higher in the bilge by galssing something to the side of the hull that the pump would mount to and just hand pump the water that the pump could not reach when needed. No biggee.