Ariel 322 (at last)

[Fox]

Well the Atomic 4 is now out of the boat, and sitting on a cooler in the cockpit! I just have to call around to some local salvage yards and find one that will take the engine. I ended up just making a beam out of 2 2x4's and laying it over the companion way entrance, it seemed plenty strong enough, and I guess it was, because a couple minutes later I had it winched up to the door. I could not get it high enough up to just slide it out, so I had to pick it up and half drag it into the cockpit, but I did it!, now it just a matter of chucking it overboard, and loading it into the truck. The blue tote is over it because Im technically not supposed to be doing any major work on the boat. The marina seems to think I should pay them top dollar to do work that I can do myself for free, yeh right on that one! I just have to be sneaky....

[Fox]

To celebrate getting the engine out of the cabin, I decided to start work on glassing over the propeller shaft aperture. After much scraping I got the old rubber bushing out of the shaft, kinda scary that this thing was supposed to be stoping water from coming into my boat! Anyhow I rammed a cork into the hole and started the fun process of sanding off all the crud. I ended up sanding a much larger section than what is shown in this picture, but after that I started putting glass on it, and didn't want to get it all over my camera, so more pics will have to wait. The plan is to put 9 layers of fibreglass cloth over the hole, stopping every 3 to let it dry and sand out the wrinkles and any small air pockets. After that I am going to fair the whole thing with a couple of layers of fibreglass bondo, and then sand and repaint the whole thing. If I go to re-power her later, Ill just sand off the glass and pull the cork. I ended up just getting a brass cap to put over the old engine water intake, I was going to use a bronze ball valve like what was on there, and put a cap over that, but I could not find a 3/8" valve. I highly doubt that the cap is going to corrode through any time soon, but I have a spare just in case. Ill probably glass over the hole next year anyhow.

[ebb]

post 49
Doesn't exactly look like white poopon,
But you can always blame the POS in your cockpit on the birds.
Nobody will know what's under the blue lid.

About cleaning it off of there....?
On the estate here Pedro removed and put back up a heavy capstone over an outdoor fireplace - maybe 12' off the ground - with a plank and tackle.

[Fox]

Seagull poop.... lol, anyhow I have put 6 layers of glass over the hole were the prop shaft was. 3 more to go, then I am going to use a couple layers of glass bondo to smooth is out a bit. I am going to go talk to the marina tomorrow to set up a splash date, hopefully next week Oh, and I removed the 150lbs of lead in the bow, and am going to move it to the back were the engine was. I guess I will build a box or something to put it in, I don't want pieces of lead flying around in the event of a rollover.

[Fox]

well I talked to the marina, and they are launching her june 3rd. I guess that is good seeing how I still dont have an engine, and they are ripping me off royally to launch her and put up the mast. At least I have a couple weeks to save up. I finished the glass work that I started the other day, and gave it several coats of paint, which Im sure will be growing critters in no time, seeing how I cant afford anti-foul paint and still get all the stuff I need to launch her. Oh well, at least its not a big spot. I cant beleave no one seems to mix there own paint, I searched all over the net and turned up pretty much nothing. Its pretty much just a durable paint with copper added, it cant be that hard to make. Oh well, that can be a project for next year. I took apart the seacock that dumps the wast tank overboard and greased it and put it back together, and it actually works now, and started sanding the woodwork in the cockpit, its actually looks decent, instead of putting clear coat over it, im going to use an oil made for teak and mahogany, I figure when it starts looking bad again, Ill just give it more coats, better than sanding for hours on end. Anyhow Ill post pictures soon.

[Fox]

Well I have come to the conclusion that the 2 batteries I have are dead Tried charging them several times with a charger that has a built in desufate thingy majiggy, and well, no luck. I read that you can empty the acid out, fill them with distilled water and charge them at a low current for some insane amount of time, then drain out the distilled and put in new acid, but that sounds like way to much work.... Anyhow here are some pics for you all. The first is the finished product of my fiberglass work I did to cover the old prop shaft hole.