Commander #65 "Lucky Dawg"

[bill@ariel231]

Your unidentified bilge fitting in post #25 looks like a thru hull for a old datamarine speed sensor. If it unthreads from the inside to expose a cylindrical plug sealed by o-rings, there's a good chance that's what it was....(better to check before you launch rather than after)

good luck on the launch hope all goes well.

[Lucky Dawg]

Thanks Bill. There is, in fact, a sensor on the outside of the hull in close proximity to this bilge fitting - I hadn't connected the two in my brain. It appears sealed up and the PO didn't ever have a speed sensor running. It had several coats of VC17 covering the window/transducer. I checked the DMI website and making it again operational looks pretty pricey. http://www.dmimarine.com/parts/index.html. My GPS will do the speed sensing for now.
On another speed note, my 8hp Yamaha cranked on the second pull. Whew.
I've been very pleased with Torresen's Marine. As you might imagine from my posts, I have LOTS of questions. They have been super friendly and happy to take a gander at anything I have asked. I am a sucker for good customer service and they've been a pleasure.
First family sail on Friday. Have a lasso, er, teather... and life jacket for my daughter. Getting a 3 year old to wear it without squallerin' is the challenge. (Not getting her to so much as listening to the protestations should she begrudge it!)

[Lucky Dawg]

Issues to deal with this summer. cracking in the paint (I presume only the paint layer.) Is isolated to where water has stood at the toe rails.

[Lucky Dawg]

one more... spit-shined and ready to splash.

[mbd]

Wow! That is one sweet paint job!

[bill@ariel231]

bravo great looking paint.

dang, this mean's I'll need to repaint A-231 next year to keep up with you, Mike D. and the3rdman......

[Lucky Dawg]

Thanks Y'all. Again, I get no credit - only the benefit of Matt and Mary's (POs) hard work. The amazing thing is that the paint job is 5+ years old - she spent a good bit of that time in a pole barn. Still, the buffer does wonders.
Launch went well. Motor fired right up and I found her slip without crashing into anyone else... Having never piloted such a boat under power, that is saying something. That Alberg class really stands out along the dock.
Promised my crew that I would wait for them till Friday afternoon to sail, but it was tempting this afternoon. Supposed to be beautiful Friday with 16-18kt winds.

[Lucky Dawg]

Maiden Voyage this evening. A glorious sail. a) The luckiest Dawg at the helm. b) I did the de-naming. Amy did the christening. I am piecing together a spreader halyard, but in the mean time... c) flying my A/C and UGA burgees.

(Side note: OK, backing up - and backward navigating - with a tiller and outboard is a challenge! You know the trick with backing up a trailer where you hold the bottom of the steering wheel and the trailer backs more logically? Any tips for backing up more efficiently? Between positioning the outboard and the tiller and avoiding smiting any other boats... Cripes! Some guy came an offered assistance to get me out of the freaking docks. I was clearly exhibiting my mastery...)

[Lucky Dawg]

oops, didn't attach the pix...

[Lucky Dawg]

Got these from the people on Ebay parting out that Commander (They had a Commander main for sale a month or so ago.) Contacted them to see if the boat had coaming logos and here they are. A little repair work and rechroming and I think they'll look sharp (again)

Nice sail this morning with my daughter. She's a natural at the helm, eh?

[Lucky Dawg]

Another beautiful sail today. The reason I can live in Michigan (I'm from Atlanta) is the beautiful summers. Did 6 kts with my "reacher" (as the bag is marked) very light weight genoa.

Nice wing on wing before the wind came up.

[Lucky Dawg]

12-15kts blowing and we defied her theoretical hull speed. (know it's been done before by all of you, but not yet by me)

Our return to port is dictated by nap time, so after a couple of hours, we were done. That's what all old salty captains over the ages have done, no? Children's dramamine kept my daughter from barfing this time at least. That is a nice improvement on the sailing experience for all.

Inclinometer doesn't work, but she heels nonetheless. (Ritchie said that it would be about $50 bucks and a couple weeks to put the gimball back on its pivot point.)

Anyone know what (if any) is her optimum heel for greatest hull speed? I know that 0* is the optimum heel in my lovely wife's opinion.

[bill@ariel231]

Kyle

I haven't spent a lot of time measuring the optimal angle of heel for the Ariel but A-231 is pretty happy at 15-20 degrees...

I have a similar compass (mine's a danforth saturn). I've not seen this failure mode with my current model, but you might be able to shake the lubber lines back on the pivot if you take it out of the bulkhead... It worked for me with a previous compass.

Good luck,
Bill

p.s. ritchie has the service manual on-line for your compass if you feel like taking it apart!

http://www.ritchienavigation.com/doc.../Navigator.pdf

[Lucky Dawg]

Thanks Bill. Will give shaking the compass a little a whirl before I send it to be serviced.
I was wondering on the heel because I know (though I can't remember what it was) that my MC Scow and my old Laser had optimal angles to get the right wetted surface in the water, and too much heel was counterproductive for speed. Yesterday we were heeling like crazy at 6.1 kts. Tonight on our pizza and cocktail cruise in about 7-10kts of wind we were doing 5.5 with almost none... Just learning the moods of this beautiful boat. A nice pursuit, I'd say.

[commanderpete]

Agree with Bill--15-20 degrees gives you a longer waterline

If shaking the compass doesn't work, you can buy a seperate inclinometer. A cheap plastic one or something more fancy

http://www.brasscompass.com/inclinometer.htm