A-398

[Tony G]

Mike

She is looking good.  One of the best aspects of this forum is seeing how others have fitted out their boat to suit them.  There are a lot of really good ideas floating around out there on Ariels and Commanders.  Bill's question flys from here too.  That seems like an ideal spot for a holding tank.  What is your expected volume?  A one-off job wold maximize the use of space in that area.  You have the right idea.  Although, isn't stainless contraindicated for holding tank use?  I thought I read somewhere that the acidic contents wreaked havoc on the welds...:confused:  Maybe I dreamt the whole thing up.  Regardless, more photos please.

[carl291]

Tony,
Yeah, you dreamt the whole thing up. If that were a reality, trucks hauling acids and the like would be breaking apart going down the road. All welds have what's called a heat effecting zone, which makes the area along the weld more brittle than the original metal, Stainless is the best material for this, IMO. Don't ask how I know this..... I may have just dreamt it:D:D

[mikeroth]

The volume is about 8 gallons. It was the same dims as the old holding tank. The old one cracked at the top last year, I did glue it back but I didn't trust it any more. I'm sure the welds will be fine, I'm not worried about corrosion. I also smeared 5 minute epoxy over the welds just for an extra safety.

[mikeroth]

A picture of me sailing on the Tennessee River today.

[Westgate]

What a great picture!  Thanks for a vicarious thrill for those of us still stuck on the hard.

Sailing days soon.........

[mbowman]

Looks like a great day Mike. We went out today to Sail (also in Alabama) When I pulled the start rope the motor started right up, BUT, reverse didn't move the boat.... Forward didn't move the boat either. I pulled up the motor from the well and YES the prop was not there. The last time I took it out (a month ago) there was a lot of debris floating in the water as they were raising the water level on the lake.... I must have hit something and sheered the pin. The underwater current must have loosened the prop enough to remove it from the shaft. I don't know what happened except that I couldn't go sailing today... And wow what a great wind today! Oh well... Maybe Thursday! I'm going to be pulling mine out of the water next month, so i'll miss most of this season.

[mikeroth]

I just picked up a used bimini with a stainless frame from the harbor this weekend. It was left over from a used boat, and it had been sitting around for years. I got it for free. I spent some time making a new top from some sunbrella I had left over from an ebay purchase.

[Tony G]

How about a measurment chart?  We could use it as good starting point for bending one up.  Think of it as an 'online catalog of Ariel/Commander facts', or something to that effect.

[mikeroth]

Here's a few pics from this week. I've had the boat out since last Saturday sanding and painting. I also named the boat "schnell". German word for fast.
The boat looks great from 20 feet. It's not bad for an outside paint job.

[mbd]

Looks fantastic!  Keep it up and you're going to run out of things to do on your boat!  

[John]

Mike,

Very pretty .  Schnell eh...not mach schnell.

Did you roll it out or brush it and whose paint?  I am facing that job in the near furture.

[mikeroth]

I used Interlux Brightside Polyurethane, it was rolled on with a foam roller. I painted 3 coats of dark blue and only used just under 2 quarts.

[John]

Mike,

Thanks for the info.  Brightside was the one I had at the top of my list.  It looks like wonderful job.  

John

[mikeroth]

I'm getting this engine this weekend.  It's a Yanmar horizonal single cylinder, 7hp engine with gearbox. From my measurements it looks like it would fit in my boat.

[mikeroth]

I took some more measuremenst and decided to not get the Yanmar, I think the horz. engine might be too tight on inside walls. I'll keep looking for another engine.