The album of Ariel #422

[CapnK]

Thanks Mike -

I remember the Triton site from a long time ago, but had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder - I'll be going there next.

The fridge mod is cool! I thought about trying that, I figured it could be done, now I know it can. Thanks again.

It's such a neat hack that it begs some idle speculation: Carry one of those super quiet 4-stroke mini-gensets, you'd have a neat, low budget reefer. Maybe put an Ocean Spray or similar square plastic bottle full of brine in the icemaker portion to act as a cold sink. Freeze it up solid, refreeze after 2 days or so? I love it.

Well, my progress won't be near as professional-looking as other examples you see around here, that's for sure! So long as it looks pretty good, and works well, that'll get it by the finish inspector.

OK, I'm off to go find out about that non-wooden toerail...

[mbd]

Jim Moore talks a little about his refrigeration in "Swan: The Second Voyage". I'm rereading it now - good read. I like his style and sense of humor, and the way he mixes in practical pointers. I haven't read his first one "Way of the Wind", but it's definitely on my list.

Also, for those long drawers, what about a couple of plastic containers? When you need something from the back one, you simply pull the forward one out and access the one in the rear. It'd keep things dryer too...

[CapnK]

Haven't read those! Thx for the titles, I have to go do library returns today anyway, might be able to find it.

Right now I am using plastic bins, and from experience I know that having bins will make stuff "self sort", with the less frequently used items going into the harder to reach bins. I haven't ruled that out, but it will come down to bin sizes as to whether I use them in the quest to maximize space usage. Another thing I like about bins is, if they have tight fitting lids, they'd serve for a little while at least as flotation in the event of catastrophe. They could also be thrown out of the boat if it was sinking, and it seems that the more stuff you can carry with you in a raft, the better the chances of having something that could make a difference in survival. Not that I'm planning on that of course, but better safe than sorry.

I've figured out that my icebox will project above the current 14" counter height, and probably even above a 20" counter height. Why? Insulation. 3" of it all around a 20" high box would leave 14" of height on the interior. A 2 liter bottle is 12", for scale. However, I want at least 4" of insulation, so am thinking that the box might be 22" or 24" in height above the current berth level. I did a quick drawing (on my site) of that to see what a stepped countertop would look like, & it seems OK looking. 24" height would put the icebox top about 5" below where it used to be. Just now I thought this: I should cut down thru the berth level and use the area below. That makes a lot of sense, & uses an otherwise hard-to-reach area. Hmmmm... Food for todays thoughts.

[CapnK]

Updated my "drawing" with more a accurate representation of what the measurements and real-world testing are revealing.

22" above berth height is 36" above sole height, and that seems to be perfect for the top of the counter. Right at my belt, I'm 5'9". It allows for 10" high cabinets at the back of the counter against the hull, where the shelf is now.

Mike - I found that I had some plastic bins in my storage unit that are almost perfect - 24.5" long x 11" tall x 14" wide, lengthwise they nearly span the width of the berth area, 2 high will fit under the counter, and 3 can fit in the space between the hanging locker and the forward edge of the aft bulkhead countertop. I lugged them to the boat last night, and they are working for me right now. The one drawback I can see to using them all the time is lack of air circulation for the bin contents. A drill and some strategic holes would fix that. It would save weight and time, not having to build in drawers and the structure necessary to make them useable. It won't look as nice, but there is room to use my slatted wood shelving idea on the cabinet front to "hide" them while providing lots of air flow. The advantages are real; I am not ruling them out as a solution. It might be easy to affix some cleats for them to sit/slide on, and they'd be drawers, in effect.

[Bill]

Have you looked at the Brave Heart modifications beginning at post #4? http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...read.php?t=531 Might provide a feel for "real world" space utilization.

[CapnK]

Bill -

I hadn't looked at that thread in quite some time, and you are right, I think it shows to a great extent similarities to what I've been thinking - even the sink is in the right spot. Good call, and thanks!

No doubt my earlier viewings affected to some degree what I've been thinking to date. Wish I could go aboard her and crawl around. I'm going to have to put some thought into a convertible settee...

I promise to be very wary of lee shores!

[CapnK]

If I push the berth foot back 3' into the cockpit locker, that leaves 1' of berth extending beyond the edge of the current, original countertop. Then, notch the counter there a bit for a bit more leaning-back space. That would leave 3' of ex-berth area to put to use as a tabletop and a functional (if not super comfortable) seat on the other side of the table.

Alternative #1: Have no seat at the forward end, and a wider table coming off of the current, OEM drawer storage (this sounds better).

Alternative #2: Have a seat only at the forward side of the table, the table becoming an extension of the current countertop when it is raised/in place.

Alternative #2A: Get some of the hull shelf out of the way, and there could actually be a mini-L shaped seat around the table (table would need be small, and not extend to the hull, person sitting there would have their back to the hull).

Have to think on all these, and go measure the size and arrangement of the dinette on a Cal 25 at the other end of my dock. I want the table to be able to drop down and restore the berth normal function, in order to be able to use it as a berth in hot weather (for max air circulation over my sleeping body).