Here CEILI, 1966 Commander #256, can be seen taken a highway rest on her journey to N.E. North Carolina from Falmouth, ME.
Here CEILI, 1966 Commander #256, can be seen taken a highway rest on her journey to N.E. North Carolina from Falmouth, ME.
Congratulations, Chance! You got your Commander after all! Looking forward to seeing it next season when I travel through your parts.
Stephan
Nice boat - nice trailer too! Was that included in your purchase or did you get it for the haul?
Mike
Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)
Stephan,
Thanks! I too, am most definately looking forward to you passing these parts with your Commander 35 (Alberg 35) next year. Don't forget, I want to crew for you at some point along your voyage. There are many cruisers coming through Elizabeth City, NC. They depart the Chesapeake Bay, heading South and most opt to take the Dismal Swamp canal route into the Albemarle Sound for the southerly route. Elizabeth City has great maritime hospitality and offers 48 hour free tie up at the town's waterfront! Most times you can stay longer if their isn't a demand for space to accomodate travelers. Also, if the tie ups are full, there is also a marina across the way (Pelican Marina) and there is also (preferred) great anchorage in the area for those that want to drop the hood and row ashore for a bite to eat.
Mike,
Thanks. No, the trailer didn't come with her. I had her made for a previous boat we had, a 1973 Cape Dory 25. In order to accomodate the extra draft of the Commander, I cut all six screw jack supports off and welded in new ones with greater height. I used heavier guage pipe (schedule 80) vice what Triad trailers used. I only wish I would have made the new supports a bit less tall. I still have eight inches of upward adjustability but as you can see, am nearly bottomed out as she is currently configured. Which means....when I get to the hull, I won't be able to complete her without her being off the trailer, which means I'll be under the daily fee rate of the local yard.
I plan on making the trailer available for rent next year after I have Ceili back in the water.
Respectfully,
Chance
Chance, I'd be delighted to have you on board. Next season will be an exciting time for me.
I'll keep the board updated while I'm cruising through the lakes etc and hope to rendezvous with some of the old timers here. Commander Pete, I have plans to hang around New York some time then, too. Hope to find you!
Chance
nice trailer... can we talk you into posting a drawing package?
Hello all,
I'll use this thread to maintain progress on the work I'm embarking upon with our Commander. To commence, I have focused my efforts in the stern section and will progressively move forward. For now, this is what I'm doing:
1) Fill over 3 dozen holes (drilled by PO's).
2) Repair / restore fiberglass that was cut out for previous outboard motor tiller.
3) Remove and replace backstay chainplate and knee.
4) Fabricate a gas can shelf on each side of the motor well
5) Incorporate a transom stringer, that will double as the aft shelf support
6) Recore and skin the lazarette locker cover
What I'm missing and in need of your help to locate a source is the following:
1) Rubber gasket for the knife edge seal for the lazarette cover and forward hatch.
2) One (1) clamshell ventilator (aka: extractor). I have only one of the two originals. A PO installed a PERKO, which as you can imagine is a hideous match.
Heres a couple of photos, and more to follow as progress is made
Respectfully,
Chance Smith
Camden, NC
Hello All,
Here's a question I have been pondering for the future winch mounting task I will be tending to:
How are winches mounted to a solid wood island? I have been walking the marinas and have identified some very shapely (tapered both to the top and others tapered to the bottom), but don't understand how you would mount the winches to the wood and then the wood islands (base of the block of shapely wood) to / through the deck. I do remember someone once suggested through bolting with all thread, but I don't think that would work on a tapered base, plus I think you need FH fasteners for the winch.
Would bolts with nuts even be required? Could long wood screws be used to fasten both?
Any body out there have wooded winch bases they have disassembled and reinstalled that could shed some light on this for me?
Thanks,
Chance
Respectfully,
Chance Smith
(Formerly) Sea Sprite 23 #760 (Heritage)
(Formerly) Commander #256 (Ceili)
Chance,
I am about to do away with my aft lazarette, send me a message with your address and I'll send down the clam shell thingys, I'll also try my best to remove the gasket material with out damaging it. It probably won't be enough, but perhaps you can add up some good sections. Too bad you already went through all the work of recoring the lid... I could have just sent you my whole assembly. How are your hinges?
long wood screws(like 2") will work great for your winch towers. Be sure to predrill with the proper size drill bit. If you are laminating the towers from like 1" wood stock, try to get through the first 2 layers. Also be sure to use wood screws, not long sheet metal screws. The thread pitch and depth are different as well as the shaft taper.
Admiral Bill may not have seen this thread.
I believe a gasket set is available at cost from the Association that replicates the original.
And on another thread here a poster shows us another version of the 'knife edge' gasket that has a compressible foam 'rope' on the top. Looks very interesting.
Last edited by ebb; 11-11-2008 at 08:24 AM.
Bill,
Ariel #231, I somehow overlooked your post and didn't want you to think that I was ignoring you. Hmmm.., what specifically were you interested in as for the trailer drawing? I'm thinking you want measurements, but of what specifically? I can take measurements, but of the entire profile might take a bit of time. Plus, I have no idea how to post a sketch. Maybe I could take a closeup digital photo of a sketch depicting specific dimensions? Are you planning on modifying an existing trailer, building one from scratch? How soon till you do either or are you mainly curious?
Respectfully,
Chance
Respectfully,
Chance Smith
(Formerly) Sea Sprite 23 #760 (Heritage)
(Formerly) Commander #256 (Ceili)
Hi Chance, sorry, I had a reply all written out today and must have failed to hit "submit". The winch itself is attached to the wood base by 8 wood screws though the base of the winch. If you remove those and the winch from the wood base, a loooong bronze carriage bolt goes all the way through and into the deck where it is secured with a big washer and a nut. Also, the wood winch base is attached to the coaming by 4 wood screws through the coaming.
Mike
Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)
Bill, See Post # 11 on The Mephisto Cat's thread...
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...ead.php?t=1552
For trailer / Cradle dimensions. This may give you what you need...
chance & rico
i'm mostly curious about the dimensions of the frame members, the ratings on your axle setup and the tongue load of the system when ready to tow... it's getting harder to prep a boat for the season while in the boatyard (DEM talked about treating city water as a hazardous material until some measure of sanity prevailed). Building a trailer may be in my future a season or two down the road. I've already welded up a set of jackstands suitable for trailer installation.
cheers,
bill@ariel231
As a curmudgeon there are certain responsibilities that cannot be ignored.
Take the first photo in this thread.
Imagine Ceilli sitting on a FRAME with jackstands.
Imagine that frame sitting on the trailer.
A duo.
Why couldn't a transport trailer be designed for Ariel/Commanders
- and for that matter any number of 8' wide keeled sailboats -
upon which the boat on a 'standard' frame could be loaded.
How might it be loaded?
The frame would be lifted with bottle jacks - and the trailer carefully, by repositioning the jacks, backed under the frame.
With the boat on its frame - all 6000# of it - lifting and lowering would be equally..... careful.
With some development screwjacks might be permanently attached to the frame, or perhaps brackets provided for rentals to be secured. Other endless possibilities.
Wouldn't it be possible for a bunch of sailors to get together and design something like this?
This is of course only for transport, not self-launching.
Would it give versatility to storing or working on the boat at any location
and moving it to a harbor for strap launching?
If there were a single trailer made specifically for hauling A/C boats with jackstands on a frame, then that trailer might be shared by all who wanted to borrow it.
Of course who licenses it, does the maintenance and researches the codes and so forth
is another kettle.
Just an idea....
Last edited by ebb; 11-12-2008 at 08:52 AM.