DS1 Hull Construction

[andy]

I think I have decided on a DS1 for my first sailboat. It will mostly be sailed among the northern islands of Lake Champlain w/ wife and kids and stored on trailer. My question is in regard to hull construction. I understand that the Spindrift has a balsawood core, but the Oday models do not. Does the balsawood core get wet, soggy, and rotten? Is this a lesser quality boat requiring more haul maintenance with age? When was the last year that Oday made the boat? Is there a particular haul that stands above the rest for durability, weight, etc.?

[Roger]

I have not heard of any hulls that were balsa cored. Having said that however, the transoms are all cored, on all models.

Balsa coring is also typically used in decks on other sailboats, not hulls, again, this is the first I have heard of this and you would want to have it confirmed by a number of others. If moisture does intrude into the balsa, then there is risk of deterioration, delamination and other bad stuff.

One thing that I do know for sure is that O'Day stopped production of the DS series in 1990. Other companies continued after that, and today it is built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding.

[jpclowes]

This is the first I have heard of the balsa coring too. That doesn't mean it isn't true, I just haven't heard about it. It is my understanding and experience from racing a few of them is that the McGlaughlin DS's, built in 1989-90 are generally the best of the bunch. They are also extremely rare. That said, I have few complaints about my 1965 original O'day. The biggest one is that the centerboard is a weird shape; something I hope to fix this winter.

[Phill]

I may need correcting, but I believe the Spindrift built DS 1's are balsa cored. I have not heard of any DS's becoming water logged. But have heard of many Lightnings and San Juan 21's and Geary 18's....etc... having trouble with cracks in the glass allowing the very thirsty balsa to absorb water like a good sponge. A friend of mine in one of the above classes could store is boat in a dry barn drill holes in various places and watch water drain all winter long, even with a small space heater helping to dry his hull. Eventually he sold the hull and got one from a different builder.

I hope to never hear of this in our class.

phlll