Ariel sighting... A-250 "Fluent"

[ebb]

Ed.  That HAS to count as a sighting. Right?



bill,
Viz #11,  
Moderator Bill's forehatch has a neat anti-fouling fitting in the form of an off the shelf S.S. grab bar installed just in front of the hatch lid.  Fits perfect.  You might usually find a pair of these on the inside of a companionway.  Works perfect and it's another sturdy handhold and tie point.

bill,
Also #8 and #14...
Unusual use for any seahood.  Have to wonder about the forces on that shell.  The shell looks very precise, maybe it is aluminum - but it's probably a frp composit lamination.  Aren't any ribs across to stiffen it so it still will be bendy to stand on even at 3/8 or 1/2"- if it's laminate.     Anyway it sure is intriging from the construction standpoint.  Forces from bar-taut halyards to that nice squat winch would be in the TONS, wouldn't you think???  And all that concentrated load in the middle of the shell!   Fascinatin.

[bill@ariel231]

both are certainly less radical than tossing the forward hatch completely like your A-338 and my A-231

[ebb]

bill,
Duno what 338 will have.  I've got two Bomar deck hatches up there that'll catch line just as easy as the original!

It's a good idea probably for an offshore boat to have exterior 'coaming' around three sides of a hatch like the Bomar's which are merely gasket pressure sealed - to direct green water over the lid.

I've seen  stainless coaming around  mega yacht hatches.   I can imagine a line and water diverter as a sort of molded deck extension in fiberglass closely surrounding the hatch.  With glass it could be made a softer shape and less of a toe or knee killer than metal.

Something in vinyl might be even better, if they made it.  It could be installed relatively close to the hatch so that the hatch would provide stiffning.  It could have soft corners and be renewable.

(As a emergency flood barrier inside a barn here on the ranch -  which has pool heaters, water pumps, and water treatment utiliies with miles of pvc pipe - the containment CURB on the floor is ensolite foam covered with a tough vinyl fabric.  The triangular section curb is glued to the concrete with polysulfide and fabric corners are made by gluing over-lapping flaps of vinyl to itself.  A forklift could roll  over this stuff and it would pop back to its former self.  Something like this but much smaller would be a good addition to the deck on 338.  A soft and tidy barrier protecting a projecting hatch  that you GLUE on I'd be very interested in!):cool:
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FOAM COAMING
OK, we'd have straight sections that would be cut to length.
The profile would be 90degrees to the base on the inside - with a slope from the wider base to a more narrow top on the outside.  
There would be radius corners that would match the straight sections but would have an added flap of cover that is glued onto the straight stuff, making a very nice seam.  
Straight sections would have finished ends so that they could be left open without corners if desired.

The forehatch on the Ariel would have to have custom 'cleat' platforms made for the foam coaming to sit on.  Radical coachroof curves there.  Could be done!
The foam coaming wouldn't be more than 1 1/4" wide at the base and maybe 1 1/2" tall or less?  Comes in three sizes for most hatches.  Available in cloud white or almond beige........

[bill@ariel231]

Ebb

I agree, i'd love to get some details on the seahood construction. it's subject to some big loads for the halyards. I know the boat and her skipper have done a lot of inshore and offshore racing in the past. Don't know if the sea hood was part of the boat at the time.

Bill