Greetings from the great white north

[Marv Irwin]

This is my first post. I decided to "join" after spending several hours pouring over the wonderful information that is available from others. I was lucky to become the second owner of an early 1970's Day Sailer three weeks ago and with the help of a couple of friends who are seriously experienced, I have been out several times now. I live in northern Ontario (Canada) on the water. My lake is about 8 Km long and 1 Km at the widest. It is a typical narrow Cambrian Shield lake that is oriented east/west, and the wind regularly blows from west to east. My boat is the second sailboat on the lake and (thankfully) we only have two PWC's and a couple of party barges to contend with. The other sailboat is owned by a very helpful retired gentleman who has a 15 ft. Sirocco. He has mentored me on my outings and I have learned by attempting to duplicate his actions.....he leads in his Sirocco and I try to keep up in the Day Sailer. Below are a couple of newbie questions.....any feedback will be much appreciatied...
1. Like many others, I have a slow leak from the gasket. This boat was stored covered, but outdoors, for many years. Is there any chance that this leak will stop (or reduce) over time now that the hull is in the water and the keel is being raised and lowered? Or should I just get on with it and replace the gasket?
2. Living in northern Ontario does have its disadvantages......October will come too soon and I will need to store this treasure safely. It was an herculian task to get her launched so she will have to be stored at the shoreline. One of my summer projects must be to plan for this shoreline storage. Are there any members who have successfully developed a strategy for safe winter storage at the water's edge in a frosty northern setting? (With aplogies for mentioning winter in June!)

Thanks for any advice,
Marv

[rnlivingston]

I assume from you post, you do not have a trailer. Years ago, living on a salt water river, we would float our boat onto a cradle and then drag the cradle up the beach. We would lay down planks so the cradle would not sink down in the sand and we would use a block and tackle to haul it up the beach.

It is important to properly support a Day Sailer on dry land. If not supported properly, you can distort the shape of the hull and develop soft spots. If you build a cradle, make sure it is high enough off the ground to protect the hull from ice damage. Cover the entire hull with tarps tied down tightly and you are good.

One other hint...I throw a box of moth balls in the hull to keep critters from nesting in there. I put some in my sail bag to keep mice out.

Roger L.

[sunapeesailor]

Hi there-

The slow leak from your centerboard trunk might be solved by removing the three screws that hold the plate over the washer, applying a layer of silicone grease (dielectric grease from the auto parts store works great) or petroleum jelly. Replace plate and tighten screws with a large slotted screwdriver.

Otherwise, D&R Marine has the washers availabe...the hard part for you is that your boat does not go up on a trailer...you could place a couple of long 1x4's under boat and tie-off to hold up centerboard while you remove handle to replace washer.

[Marv Irwin]

Thanks Roger and Bob......
Weather permitting, I'll try the grease this weekend. Roger, I shared your advice with a buddy who is dealing with the same northern Ontario storage challenge for his new motorboat. Because he has access to commercial aluminum tubing, he has suggested that we try and construct our own "marine railway". Essentially we'll adapt your method for our rocky shoreline.................So..........two more questions:
1. Does anyone have experience with a marine railway for the DaySailer?
2. Since supporting the hull during storage is key (to avoid those "soft spots"), is there a preferable (recommended) design for the supports? Carpet covered 2 X 6's? Custom cut marine plywood? Are rollers definetely a no-no?

Marv