encapsulated ballast

[Theis]

I have found the two extra weights make the Ariel significantly stiffer. This summer I removed the weights for an extended period of time. During this period I was sailing a fully loaded boat (3 people and a bilge full of drinks) In that situation, I didn't notice a decrease in stability. However, when the bilge was emptied at the end of the summer, and while I was sailing solo, the boat was significantly less stable. The weights have been returned to the forward section of the bilge and I have regained stability.

If you are racing, you may not want that "stability" because the Ariel sails fastest with a significant heel (in my opinion). However, for cruising, and with guests, having the rail in the water may not be what makes everyone feel relaxed.

The balance point for the Ariel is about where the locker is. By placing the weights as far forward as possible in the bilge, they do not affect the forward/aft balance, but do help with stability. I use the eyes on the weights for lifting. By placing a line through the eye, they become relatively easy to lift out of the bilge and I don't risk smashing fingers.

[Theis]

I have partially filled the void between the glass keel and the lead. The gap is about 1/2" on both sides.

With the boat lying on its port side, and the keel being almost horizontal (leaning slightly downward), I drilled a 1" hole on the side of the starboard (upper) side of the keel, near the bottom, and filled in the keel well with epoxy resin, up to the hole. I then put a plastic drain plug in the hole.

What I was hoping to accomplish (unencumbered by the thought process) by filling in just one side wa to make the lead more rigid, on one hand, yet by leaving the other side unfilled, a) the keel would not crack the fiberglass because of different coefficients of expansion between the lead and glass, and b) I could drain any water that might accumulate from whatever source, including leakage through the bilge (if I had filled the starboard side as well, there pockets of water might remain trapped.

My recollection is that about two gallons of resin were necessary to fill in one side.

The boat has been sailed two seasons now and everything seems to be fine. When I pull the plug in the keel each season, water does come out. I have no idea where it is coming from (perhaps through the plug itself). Water keeps trickling throughout the winter. However, whatever water is in the keel during the summer, it doesn't hurt anything, as long as it is drained for the winter.