Introducing Ariel #187 "Eight Bells"

[ggarratt]

Hello!

Having lurked for about 4 months I've finally gone out and taken some pictures and am now ready to introduce my "new" boat, hull #187 "Eight Bells".

She was donated in 2003 to the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School for use as a staff boat. I began instructing there in 2005 and she was the first "modern" boat I'd ever sailed on. Interesting enough I was the last person to sail her during the summer of 2007 before she was hauled out. Since then she's been sitting on the hard.

This past summer, due to budget cuts, the school was forced to put her up for sale and began a staff-only auction. In the meantime I'd gotten a "grown-up job" at a non-profit and was living about five miles away from the Outward Bound base. In August I ran into the OB boathouse manager who, having not received any bids, encouraged me to make him an offer. After sending in an embarrassingly low number I found myself the owner!

So, I now unexpectedly own a boat and, having looked over the posts here, have the feeling that I have no idea what I've gotten myself into. I can promise you though that I'm very excited and have a great deal of sentimental attachment to her, so I'm going to try my best to do her justice.

There are a few things that I know were not working properly when I last sailed her:
1) Roller furling was twisting the jib halyard and cutting through it. I guess that means I need to figure out how to fix the roller furling and then run a new halyard.
2) Port side winch doesn't work under a load although it sounds normal when you rotate it without.
3) The outboard, a 2000 Honda 4-stroke, doesn't seem to get enough air when it's running in it's well. When you open the cover it runs just fine but the cover gets in the way but I'm not sure this is an issue worth fixing.

Some other projects I think I need/want to take on before putting her in the water this spring:
1) Bottom paint
2) Bright work
3) Painting the v-berth
4) New cushion covers (I think mine are still the originals... gross!)

I've been searching through posts on all of these subjects and want to thank all of you already for the wealth of knowledge on this website. Any additional advice as I go through the process will be greatly appreciated. My first question is, do you think this is a reasonable amount of work for someone with no experience to tackle by themselves in their first spring of boat-ownership? I tried to choose things that seemed necessary but do-able but the list seems to have gotten very long especially since my bill of sale requires that I get her in the water by the end of April.

I've included some pictures below. The first is of me the last time I was on her in 2007. The others are from this past fall after I bought her. Interior photos will have to come later.

[carl291]

Hi , Let me be the first to say very nice boat and welcome. You started out with a very well cared for vessell judging from the photos , and posted nice pictures, that's a real crowd pleaser!
You may want to add to your list of necessary work an engine inspection ,tune up and maybe carburator cleaning especially if fuel was left in the engine and tank. Also having sea trials prior to purchase must be very nice, I'll work a few seasons before my Ariel will even float!
The first priority I would think is to purchase the manual from this organization. Good Luck! Carl

[Tim D.]

Great Looking boat! I like the colors, and looks to be in good shape. This place has so much information I have been digging around for a year and still am finding new stuff.

Have Fun

[ebb]

She must love you
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A-338

[SkipperJer]

Congratulations! These are great boats particularly for those of us who like being self-sufficient. Some comments from my limited, rookie experience.

Many of us with outboards find that running with the lid up is a necessity. Outboards suck up a lot of air and the exhaust can be drawn back up into the well. With the lid down there simply isn't enough fresh air. I rigged a small wooden pole to keep mine partially up to give it enough air without looking like I'd forgotten to close something. Don't worry about it too much. Concentrate on sailing more.

If the headsail has been damaged or is old consider getting rid of the roller furling gear and searching for a selection of used headsails in various sizes that can be hanked on. Roller furling headsails tend to be at their best fully deployed and increasingly less optimal as you roll them in during heavier blows. Going out on the deck to change a headsail is not exactly fun but teaches making decisions before it is too late and provides for much better sail shape and control for any given sail size and any given breeze. These boats will tolerate being over-canvased when it is blowing but they really do sail much better with less laundry on the lines when the wind is up. Hanked on sails mean less maintenance on the gear too. And it teaches more sailing skills. My guess is hanked on sails are more in the Outward Bound tradition.

There are often used winches on e-bay and many can be found on derelict boats in boatyards. You'll come up with a replacement sooner than you think. The fix could be easy but so could the search for a replacement.

Everybody worries about the brightwork but the mahogany used on these boats was pretty durable. Go sailing first, varnish later. Varnish does not improve sail shape or hull speed.

You didn't mention anything about the condition of the decks. Anywhere there is a hole through the deck there is the chance that the core has been soaked and will rot or water can get below and rot structural members. It's one of the most common problems on these old boats. Chainplate openings are where I would start since water in there can go down to the plywood knees to which the rig is attached. Soft foredecks are dangerous for sail changes and cleats that will pull out. Search this forum and get Don Casey's "This Old Boat" for the drill on finding and fixing these problems.

It's easy to get fixated on perfecting the technical condition of the boat and forget to go sailing. Make sure you've identified the issues that involve risk from appearances. Lower the risks first. Your appearance will be its best under sail no matter the condition of the paint and varnish.

It sounds to me like you could be sailing by untangling the roller furling, finding a replacement winch, propping up the motor well lid and confirming that you don't have any deck rot.

Go sailing!

[commanderpete]

Congratulations and Welcome. Nice looking boat!

It's going to be difficult to get much work done during the Winter in Maine.

You might be experiencing "halyard wrap" on the roller furler that should be sorted out. If you can identify the furling unit, the product manual may be available online with troubleshooting tips.

It would probably be best to hoist the sail up on a nice calm day and see what's going on up there with a pair of binoculars. You might have to install a halyard retainer (difficult with the mast up). Or else the jib halyard block may not be in the right location. It's also possible the sail is a few inches too short and a pennant on the bottom of the sail could solve the problem.

Painting the V berth is an awful job. Once you start sanding, more and more paint comes off. It seems endless.

Boat cushions are terribly expensive---a new set will probably cost more than the boat itself. I was looking at this company for some cushions for the house (but haven't ordered from them). Prices seemed more reasonable. They can do custom cushions with sunbrella (although I'm not sure what kind of foam they use)

http://www.cushionsource.com/

My vote is to fix the furler, service the winches, paint the bottom, brightwork as weather permits, splash the boat and go sailing.

There is always next year.

[ebb]

Cushion Source says they use opencell foam for inside cushions
and polyfill material for outdoor which drains and dries quicker than foam.
(They don't seem to have a phone number....)

A mattress cushion might be made with foam with a polyfill layer on top. Don't believe a mattress can be made with just polyfill.

They make a play for marine cushions. I would ask them what they can do.

There is an antimold product that looks like plastic horsehair (Hypervent) that you place under the mattress to allow air to circulate. A 3/4" thick alternative to lifting up your bed and finding spawning anerobic communities.
If you are not a particularly wet boat adding that might work.

Sunbrella is used for covering chaise pads but it is not waterproof. It is however imco the only choice though because it breathes. I would never use vinyl.

Expensive closedcell foam can be gotten from Defender. It would be my choice. It's usually pretty firm so a layer of polyfill might be introduced under the mattress cover. If you use it a lot, airing it out becomes important. An opencell foam cushion might be a loosing battle.

Closedcell foam floats and could double as a life preserver.

Mattresses and cushions on boats should be sewn with Gortex thread. There's a surcharge for that too. Cotton and/or polyester thread won't last as long as the Sunbrella fabric.

[josh#74]

The boat does look to be well taken care of. Do you have any interior pics? I really like the green hull. I might paint mine the same color if I can't get the yellow gelcoat up to snuff. enjoy! If you get discouraged by how long your list is, I'm sure a look at my list or a couple of other guys on this website should make you feel better. I'm jealous that you will be sailing in april. And I will be mixing epoxy, and varnishing. cheers

[ggarratt]

"You didn't mention anything about the condition of the decks."

I did forget to mention that the decks were re-cored right before the boat was donated to OB. So I have no worries there!

The headsail is also less than 5 years old so I think I'm going to see what I can do about the roller furling before looking for hanked on sails. Since I didn't actually mean to buy this boat I'm trying to work with the smallest budget possible. Commanderpete, thanks for giving my roller furling issue a name. Its always easier to talk to people who can help you when you know the name of your problem.

Also, because of the budget, I think I'm going to tackle the cushions myself since, at times, I can be pretty handy with a sewing machine. Speaking of which, I forgot to ask if anyone knows how many yards of fabric it takes to cover the standard Ariel cushions. Would 16 yards of 54' fabric do it? I'm looking at some sunbrella furniture fabric on ebay that comes in 8yd sections and really don't want to have to buy 24yds. I figure this will be a good project that I can take on during the rest of the winter in my cozy warm house. I don't think it will be warm enough here to go out and work on the boat until the end of March at the earliest. And thanks Ebb for the tip about the Gortex thread. I hadn't even thought about what thread to use.

I'm also glad that my OB engine sputtering when the cover is closed isn't necessarily a problem with the engine. I'll just rig something to hold it open like you suggested SkipperJer. Check that one off the list! I think I'll still try to get the engine serviced since it's been sitting through two Maine winters without running, but I'm having some trouble figuring how to get it out of the boat while she's on the hard. Its a little too heavy for me to pick up and pass off. Maybe the best option is just to find two strong guys and try to look helpless? Haha. Otherwise I might have to wait until she's in the water and then get the OB off onto a dock which seems easier than handing it down.

And don't worry. I'll definitely go sailing. She has to be in the water in April and so I'll just do whatever I can before then. I don't have a dock to access her by, only a mooring, so it will be hard to work on her once she's floating. I just want to make sure I have my priorities right while she's accessible and that I'm not taking on anything that I can't finish.

[ggarratt]

The boat does look to be well taken care of. Do you have any interior pics? I really like the green hull. I might paint mine the same color if I can't get the yellow gelcoat up to snuff. enjoy! If you get discouraged by how long your list is, I'm sure a look at my list or a couple of other guys on this website should make you feel better. I'm jealous that you will be sailing in april. And I will be mixing epoxy, and varnishing. cheers

I still need to take interior pics but I'll get them up ASAP. I believe very little has been done to the interior so it needs a little love to make it feel homey. I'm hoping to do a two week cruise up to Canada on her in July so I want to make sure everything is moderately comfortable below-decks by then.

I think I had read somewhere on this forum about green boats being bad luck. I'd never heard that before but should I be worried?

[Tony G]

GG, you are a lucky man! It may be that you and that boat were meant to be together with all of the events and circumstance that took place.

Halyard wrap can be taken care of as CPete pointed out.

I have not heard of a 4-stroke suffocating in one of our closed lazzarettes as they tend to be leaky yet not leaky enough for a 2-stroke.

Single speed winches are not that difficult to work on. BUT the springs and retainers can fly far and fast so disassemble them in a small, clean, well lit room the first go around. Someone once suggested a deep, roomy box helps contain things as well for the disassembly, you can more comfortably work on a bench until you get ready to 'respring' and reassemble, then practice the containment proceedure again.

Pete is right about the sanding. Watch out! My project started with a little punky wood at the base of the mainbulkhead. Of course if things get out of hand, do like I did and blame it all on Tim Lackey. When he chronicled the restoration of Triton 381 he made it look so easy that everyone thought they should do it.

Never tried bottom paint but Tim sure makes it look easy

It seems sewing is one of those skills that once you learn the 'secret code' it becomes much, much easier. But to learn the code you have to sew a few pieces and tear up a few seams.

I don't think there is anything on your list that can't be managed just fine. The golden rule is double the amount of time and money you think any job will consume and then you wont feel so bad about having to spend a little more than said amount!

Welcome aboard!

[ggarratt]

GG, you are a lucky man! It may be that you and that boat were meant to be together with all of the events and circumstance that took place.

Thanks Tony, but I'm actually a lucky woman!

It sounds like I might want to avoid the painting of the v-berth since it's not totally necessary and could turn into more of a project than I want it to be. Maybe the new cushions and a quick scrub with some bleach will do the trick for the time being.

[ebb]

It's bad luck to have women on board unless naked.
Redheads, crosseyed and flatfooted people bring bad luck.
Overturning a bucket on the way to the boat or loosing one at sea is bad.

Renaming a boat or naming a boat with a word that ends in 'A' brings bad luck.
If the champagne bottle doesn't break when launching the boat's a goner.

Beginning a voyage on Friday or any disastrous day in history is bad.
Saying the word 'drown' or whistling at sea can bring on a bad storm.
Better crush your eggshells so the harpies can't use them to get to your boat.

Anybody wearing black brings bad luck, black bags, or even a suitcase brought on board.
Never pass a flag through the rungs of a ladder or board your boat with your left foot first.
And of course you do know never have bananas on board....
ALL BAD LUCK
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There have been many green hulled boats, none probably any unluckier than white ones.
But I wonder if the unlucky green stems from the turn of the century big boat America's Cup series? The Sir Thomas Lipton Shamrocks were green hulled, were they not? Maybe not all , but the last one in 1930 was Emerald Green like 8Bells. It lost to Herreshoff's Resolute. The final loss for the "worlds best loser" 80 year old Lipton, who died the next year.
Little doubt that Lipton's boats by different designers all surcomed to the invincible Nathanael GREENE Herreshoff. Not a mysterious color curse. But maybe superstitions spin off this way???

[Lucky Dawg]

3) The outboard, a 2000 Honda 4-stroke, doesn't seem to get enough air when it's running in it's well. When you open the cover it runs just fine but the cover gets in the way but I'm not sure this is an issue worth fixing.

I have the same problem and need my lazarette open to run the motor. I have a short - 6" or so - piece of 3/16 line attached to a snap-shackle that is attached from the inside to center of the forward edge of the lazarette cover. I can open the laz and clip the shackle to the backstay. Being a short piece of line, it doesn't get tangled in any of the outboard works when the hatch is closed. Rather than a stick holding it open (no offense) this line secures the laz open in wind or seas that might dislodge your stick and slam it shut - possibly on your knuckles... or worse.

Congrats and Welcome! It is great when a boat finds her owner!

(SkipperJer, I appreciated your refocus on addressing risk vs. appearance - the priority list can easily get reversed)


p.s. my folks live/sail 38 miles NE of you in Sedgwick, ME

[Rico]

Welcome to the board GGarrat!
It is great to have new members working to improve these great little boats. I do not think that the project you have in mind are too daunting. For me, the fabricating of the cushions would be the most challenging project! I envy your sewing skills as I have procured the materials for sewing-up a boat cover, but I hesitate to even start!

I agree with Tony G's comments regarding the motor AND also his comments about the winches. (in post #11 above)...

What size engine do you have? It does look big in the picture. I have a 6hp 4-stroke and have no problems closing the lid which is newly gasketed and therefore pretty well sealed. I do have a pair of scuppers which seem to be the same as the one's on your lid... Lots of air comes in through the well opening and get pulled through the little vents pointing aft. Could it be something else?

As Tony G mentions, the winches are pretty easy to work on. It may simply be a issue of old hardened lubricant which would be easily solved by a cleaning. It would be worth a look before buying a new one. There are posts on this board that describe how these come apart. As I mentioned, they are quite simple...

I look forward to seeing how you progress. There are many folks on this board who are happy to help!

Once again - Congratulations Skipper! You have been adopted by a great looking little boat.