DaySailer.org Forum

Gidday all from down under . I have finally managed to careen my Aussie DS1 and removed its Galvanised Steel centreboard. I was shocked to find that it is in very good condition. I thought that others would like to see its specification :-

DAYSAILER CENTREBOARD

LENGTH: 47 5/8 INCH 1210MM

BREADTH: 15 INCH 380 MM

THICKNESS 3/8 INCH 10MM

BOSS AT PIVOT : 1 5/8 INCH THICK

WEIGHT: 70 LBS

CASING DEPTH: 16 ¼ INCH

I would welcome suggestions as to how I can arrange a lift mechanism for it given the weight of 70 LBS ! All it has at present is a single pulley wheel giving no mechanical advantage. The clearance in the case is a little over an inch .

graham5494

That's pretty wild, I and others here have wondered how a heavier or ballasted CB would work out on a Daysailer. How does it work compared to the standard fiberglass centerboard?

As for the Mechanical advantage, I didn't think that the DSI used a pulley system but a lever. Can you post some pictures of the boat and centerboard trunk showing the pulley system?

Gidday Moose and all . I have not yet sailed the boat . I would not expect much difference in sailing performance except that a profiled board would climb to windward a little better . The casing externally looks identical to all other mk1's .
graham5494

My Stuart Mariner has a 70 pound centerboard ( a change from the 170 pound O'Day version). The lifting pennant starts at the top of the centerboard with a stopper knot, goes down to a pulley attached to the centerboard and back up to a turning block on the top of the centerboard and back to a cam cleat. Just enough mechanical advantage to lift and lower the board easily.

If you careened the boat to inspect the centerboard, you must have had it installed already. I would question if the trunk was intended to hold that sort of weight. If you had it on the boat already, had you just been using it in the full-down position? I can't imagine a DS1 compression handle being able to give you much adjustment, and besides, the hole in the pivot isn't large enough or square like the typical one is. Assuming that the only logical way to manipulate this would be by using the line you have on the end of it, I wonder if there is any sort of water proof fitting that could be installed at the top of the trunk through which the line could run. You could tie the line off on a cleat or some such other device. I know boats with weighted boards like a Catalina 22 have a cable that goes through a special fitting in the hull. There must be something on a smaller scale that could work like that. But again, you're putting a lot of weight on that trunk. Have you ever noticed any flexing in the trunk or hull near the trunk termination when sailing--especially when hit by lateral waves? How have you addressed the shaft hole in the starboard side where the handle comes through? There was probably a large seal there intended for a much smaller diameter shaft right? What does it look like now?

Or have I misunderstood and this is a DS2?

Hi,
I am not sure about the Australian Daysailer history, but I believe they were made in Brisbane , Qld, in the late 60s or early 70s.
They would be no match for their northern hemisphere cousins in the speed stakes – I reckon they were built for cruising. ( I have yet to get mine up onto the plane). Whoever built them down here made them incredibly strong and very,very heavy. It also seems that centreboard case has additional strength built in to support the galvanised steel centreboards.

This is the system on my boat - my centreboard is also just a cut piece of flat plate steel like Graham's.

The centreboard is raised by 3:1 blocks.




I have pondered about replacing the current set up with a proper profiled board. The boat is not spectacular upwind, but I imagine the sails on my boat are the originals. New sails would most likely assist greatly. Its just great to cruise in.

Here's another couple of views of the Aussie version

Gidday Brad and all . Glad to hear a little history regarding a Brisbane built boat . Perhaps eventually the history of Australian built DS1's may be established .Could they be rogue copies of an original , or , were they built to a license ?
I did note when dragging the loaded trailer around the yard whilst I work on my boat , just how heavy it feels . I would like to determine its weight at a later date . I do wonder how much water will be thrown up into the cockpit in a chop, given the gap between board and casing. I recall sailing a Telstar trimaran with an improvised steel centreboard , it had gallons and gallons of water entered through the casing.

graham5494

The pictures uploaded by Brad resolve my centreboard problems completely . As they say .... a picture is worth a thousand words ! Certainly this forum can save its members much time and effort !

graham5494