Congratulations, Fox! You say a couple of weeks until you can get to work on her...what do you have planned? Do you have a hull number yet? Are you planning on sailing her home or voyaging the asphalt ocean? Well, you know the concensus here, just take lots of photos to start with and everybody will kind of 'jump in'.
She is hull #322. As this is my first sailboat, I will be having her shipped to me via the good old road. As far as working on her goes, the first thing I need to do is, either fix or remove the original atomic 4 engine. The previous owners put an outboard mount on her and just left the inboard as is. I am not really sure what is wrong with it, but clearly it is just taking up space as is. I also want to re-bed all of the deck hardware. The deck seems in good shape, though there is a nasty spot were it looks like some one nearly ripped one of the life line posts off the deck. All of the teak is in rough shape, and will need a good refinishing. I was thinking that the old engine bay would make a good place to put a battery bank and possibly another water tank. I ultimately plan on making her in to a long range coastal cruiser to make an anualy trip down to Fla and the islands every fall, so the more storage on board the better. Also in her near future is a new mainsail, a new outboard engine, and a 55+ watt solar panel. I don't plan on focusing to much on making this boat pretty, just strong and functional. I know that the outboard mount on the back of the boat is not ideal, so I may eventually re-power her with a diesel or figure out some way to retrofit her with an outboard well.
*Edit* I will start a gallery thread as soon as I have a pic.
Last edited by Fox; 03-17-2009 at 10:29 AM.
Fox congrats on the second happiest day in a boat owners life.
IMHO.... I would spend a few bucks having the A4 looked at before you drop a big chunk of change on an outboard. Having inboard power is vastly superior and the cost of a new OB will get you pretty far along towards a complete rebuild of the A4. I find that often A4s that have been given up as worthless still have good compression and just need a carb rebuild and a clean fuel supply. Again, my humble opinion.
p.s. Its a very basic motor and not a bad first time "do it yourself" rebuild project. Marysville Marine is a great source for parts and also know how.
Last edited by Commander227; 03-18-2009 at 07:01 AM.
Your first sailboat? have you done much sailing before?
I have never sailed before, I know some people who have though, and I will enlist their help on getting me started. As far as the atomic 4 goes, It probably could be rehabilitated, though I am a bit leery of having a gas inboard.
As one first timer to another I strongly advise you to invest as little as possible in time and money right now. Do just enough to get the boat out on the water safely and sail it as much as you can. My perspective on what my boat needed changed drastically as I discovered what I enjoyed most about sailing. The boat will sail just fine with dull paint and no varnish. Old sails will get you out there. Rebuilding an Atomic 4 is a great winter project but for now borrow an outboard or buy a used one that you can resell later. I've sold a lot of things used on E-Bay I never should have bought new at West Marine. Give it a real good scrub inside and out, get a PFD, flares, a sleeping bag, some throwable cushions, a chart book, a radio and GO SAILING!
I like the way you think SkipperJer, I really intend on doing just that. There are a few projects that I really do want to at least get under way though. The deck hardware re-bedding for instance. I purposefully picked the Ariel as my first boat because all I have read about it has been positive. My original fist choice was the Triton, but they seem to be harder to come by, and honestly the extra 2 feet isnt really going to make much of a difference to me. I cant wait to get her to NH and in the water, the fish and the whales are a callin lol. There is just something about the sea that seems to draw me in, I guess it may have something to do with practically growing up in a canoe. Some of the best times of my life have been just poking around in a boat.
YES YES YES! I bought 282 (Panacea) for next to nothing last fall. Since, I got the safety gear and painted 3/4 of the bottom - and that's about it! Don't be shy about sailing her! It's the only way to learn and the BEST way to enjoy your boat. From one new sailor to another - FAIR WINDS!Originally Posted by SkipperJer
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