The album of Ariel #422

[mbd]

Is it too 'unmanly' to force sitting down when using the head? You could set it up like your dinette, so there's a step up to the business part of the head - throne-like, you might say. Then you could see out the dead light while taking care of business if you were so inclined. You might be able to recoup some of that storage under the head. On second thought, maybe you don't want anything under the head except a holding tank.

That would leave the after area accessible for storage or a hanging locker as well as the area under the deadlight against the hull...

[ebb]

Fore-n-aft or a-thwart-ship is an endless controversy.
Which ever way in an Ariel - you'll have to brace yourself.

Whether you are an inboard or an outboard, hard dinghy
or soft dinghy, aft facing or side facing kind of skipper -
in the Ariel it'll be a real compromise. I believe I can brace
myself better with my arms rather than the back of my head
and my knees. But each to his own.

As has been said about the portopotti: "Truth lies in a well and we
may justly say that logic does supply us with steps,
whereby we may go down to reach the water." Dr. I. Watts

And remember it was Boris Pasternak who observed,
"What is laid down, ordered, factual is never enough to embrace
the whole truth: life always spills over the rim of every cup."

Whatever you do, remember to fillet your corners.

[CapnK]

Mike - I have seen it recommended that to keep head odors down, *everyone* should sit down when using the head aboard a boat, whatever they are doing. Makes sense, because it ensures that all 'materials' wind up where they are supposed to be, with no inadvertent 'spillage'.

I originally had the PP sitting a bit higher, but found that unwieldy - it's too hard to pull pants down/up (or do, erm, anything else...) when you are scrunched over, half-crouched. Headroom in the head is a necessary component.

I think I am establishing the guidelines for "recommended minimum head dimensions".

As you pointed out, there is good storage space both behind the PP, as well as under the sidedecks. I think that this will be a most convenient place for storage of tools and maintenance/cleaning supplies - a good utility room.

Ebb - Aye, everything is indeed a compromise. It'll be snug in my WC, so easy bracing won't be a problem. It might even serve as a good resting spot, for that exact reason.

Yesterday:

I pulled out my v-bunk and remade it approx. 3" lower. The top of the boards (not including the cushion) are 7" above the original vberth height. Before, I had it up at 10", but that was too high. To climb in was a big step up from the sole (I actually put a step on the bulkhead for that reason), and then when in the bunk, there was not enough height for anything other than a scrunched-over turnaround to get into a lying-down position. Dropping the height 3" made a big difference, both in access and comfort. It's funny what a difference a few inches make, here and there...

I mounted two vertical posts to 'frame' in the doorway of the WC, like in the 2nd pic above - a full-size trial version of that setup. Works great, and I tested another idea I'd had, too: Instead of curtains for the small areas at the top of the walls, have pieces of wood there, hinged to fold up/down, one on each wall. Up for privacy when the head is in use, down they'd lie flat, to act as counter space and keep the 'openness' of the cabin. The sizes needed for them to lay flat when down (and not strike against the cabin trunk side) would leave a small 3"-ish gap at the top when up, for ventilation. Don't know if I will wind up using this or not, but it is a possibility...

I'll also be dropping my dinette seat height 4-6". At the present height (same as the original counter height), my shoulder rests against the cabin trunk side, just below the deadlight. Dropping the seat a few inches will make for more shoulder room, more comfort, and I'll still be able to see out the deadlight when seated. Still planning to have it convertible for bunk space, too.

Last, after months of deliberation, I've decided to go with a 2-pole mast support. The poles will sit at the same approximate location as the original oak supports, will be mechanically joined to each other at the top, and will sit in a recess designed into the cross-cabin support beam. I will most likely be using steel as the material, which I don't see as optimal because it can corrode, but I think that if I take the proper steps before mounting it, it will not be an insurmountable problem - I plan to treat them the same way a steel hull is treated. I think that that will be sufficient for the purpose, with enough of an 'overkill' factor to please that part of me which enjoys the thought of something being at least a bit better than it needs to be.

[CapnK]

Got all that done, and then got sick. Tonsillitis and then a lil bout o quinsy - blech. Finally felt well enough this weekend to get back on my feet and give the boat a early spring cleaning. Ready for the warmth to get here, ready to commence the tear down...

[ebb]

Kurt, Hope yer better!
Interim photos would be most instructive.

[CapnK]

I'll take lots o' shots, Ebb, that's for sure. Just received confirmation this AM of dates on a commissioning job w/extras (brand new Catalina 320 headed for Bermuda), that'll start March 16 +/-. It'll involve a solid week of boatwork at the yard, so I'll plan on starting the destruction/reconstruction on Katie to begin just after that, while I am still in the mode, and without having to give all my tools a complete cleansing inbetween...

[CapnK]

Updates and such: Due to extras on the commissioning job, weather, more other boat work, and whatall, I haven't started the serious deconstruction yet. There's a week of canvaswork ahead, then helping a friend deliver his Alberg 30, and after that the cutting starts.

Since I last posted, Frank Durant of "Revival" fame stopped by on his way back to Canada from the Bahamas, and we attempted - almost successfully - to drink all of the rum in this little town that night. Phew! (Note for future reference and edification: It sure is hard to keep up with a Professional, as Canadians seem to be in my experience. The delivery crew for the Catalina were Canadian as well, and they tricked me into a night of revelry that had me feeling the same the day after as when Frank was here. ) Anyway, Frank got to see the interior of "Frankenboat", as I refer to Katie in her current state, and he said that the size of my WC is nearly identical to that of the head in a Flicka. Kewl!

I'll be rewiring the boat, and am planning on building in the infrastructure for that as I de/reconstruct. Since I have also wanted to strengthen the hull/deck join, I am going to do similar to what Robert Lemasters did with his toerail rebuild - use PVC pipe to fill in the corner void there, and the pipe will also serve as nice high-and-dry conduit for the new wiring. Have purchased a new stereo, along with a VHF and command mic for the cockpit, and inherited a GPS chartplotter from a bro-in-law, so I have the electronics items ready to hook up once all that is done, and also to use for planning where to locate said.

Regarding mast support - one day, I looked at Commander interiors, and subsequently slapped myself on the forehead. Check out their open interiors, and look how Carl designed in mast support. I'll be doing what the Master did...

Last, and this sort of thing rarely if ever happens to me: Yesterday, a guy gave me a windvane. !!!!!!!! Better yet, it is currently mounted on a Triton, so I have hopes that the angle of the reverse transoms are similar enough that I can just transfer it over to Katie without having to go through mounting plate fabrication or any of that. Kewlest of all! I don't know what kind it is, it is a servo-pendulum style with lines that lead to the tiller, and is all stainless. The servo blade is not a foiled shape, and is connected to the vane by 3 (IIRC) little pushrods that in turn connect to a slim rod inside of a 2-3" diameter downtube from the vane. Supposedly this Triton is well-traveled, so I am in hopes that the vane works well.

Hope this finds everyone well, and almost ready for sailing season!