Ariel in Hudson, WI

[Dennis Rioux]

There's an 1963 Ariel on the Minneapolis Craigslist that is physically located in Hudson, WI. Wish I were closer to take a look. Judging from the photos and description it's in need of some help.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/boa/1140979734.html

Dennis

[carl291]

If I remember correctly, this boat was given away with the purchase of the trailer in I think AR. Before that the boat sold for about??? $200 on Ebay, was in IN at that time. At least it's being saved and not scraped.

[Dennis Rioux]

Thanks for the background. I thought the $1500 asking price seemed high -- like the guy was just trying to get the money he paid for the trailer back out of the deal.

Dennis

[mbd]

Dennis, have you seen this one?

http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...ead.php?t=1955

A forum member has a nic eCommander for sale too:
http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...ead.php?t=1865

[Dennis Rioux]

Mike,

Yes, I certainly have, and they are both quite tempting. There's also the one just up the road from me in Sister Bay, WI listed on Yachtworld.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1967.../United-States

I'm "there" as far as getting into sailing a bigger boat, but I'd like to get certain somebodies (a.k.a. my family) on board with the idea. I don't want to invest time, money, and energy (all limited quantities) and have it sit on a mooring all the time and never get taken out. Our summer lives are so dang busy the way it is. Thanks for pointing the listings out to me again, though.

Dennis

[Tony G]

Dennis
The price tags on these boats are still way below what you could get a newer comparable boat for. The thousands of dollars difference between the Hudson offering and the others is probably the cost of what it would take to even the playing field. If you want to sail this season buy one water ready. Having said that, I'm still a sucker for the fixer-uppers, but I do seriously miss being on the water sailing.

[Bill]

There's also the one just up the road from me in Sister Bay, WI listed on Yachtworld.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1967.../United-States

A-354 Nordlyset, was owned by a long time association member - ex newspaperman - who kept her in really great shape. His surviving significant other evidently has decided to sell. Appears the boat has been in covered dry storage for at least two years. A reasonable offer would likely get you a great Ariel.

[Dennis Rioux]

Tony and Bill,

Oh yes, I know used boats are a much more cost effective way of getting into sailing than new. I have moonlighted (moonlit?) for a friend who runs a boat building and repair company and one of his favorite jokes is "Q: How do you make a million bucks in boats? A: Start with two." Heck, I spent almost $3000 and 675 hours building and outfitting this thing:



So I have no real problem with the $7000-ish for a nicely kept Ariel or Commander because there is excellent value there. I just want to make sure the ongoing costs (storage, mooring, etc) are justified by how much we use it. Judging by how quickly the summer calendar is being filled with frivolous non boat-related activities, I think the answer is becoming evident. So, can I single-hand an Ariel or Commander with sufficient experience?

Dennis

[Bill]

So, can I single-hand an Ariel or Commander with sufficient experience? Dennis

Yes you can. They are very easily single-handed, but you should have crew along for awhile until you feel confident in your ability. As a safety measure, it helps to have the sail handling hardware organized for cockpit control to limit the need to go forward. Check out Scott Galloway's posts. He single hand's Augustine. One of his threads:

http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...read.php?t=399

There are other posts searching "single handing" . . .