by Baysailer » Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:25 pm
From what I've seen the spindrifts look pretty good but any sailoat is a matter of how well it was taken care of. Here's a few note on what to look at, I tried to keep it DS specific but some is generic too.
Hull: Not all DS's are created equal, some are stiffer than others. The fix isn't real expensive but is time consuming. I think a walk around test in the boat itself will tell you a lot.
Sails: Unlike the hull an easy fix if the sails are worn but expensive. There's a lot of good sailmakers that work with the Daysailer. If you plan to race you will need a spinnaker of course.
Standing rigging: Tapered mast is best, some think absolutely necessary for racing some not. if you plan to race you probably want a keel mounted mast, not one with a hinge to make stepping easier. Stays and other standing rigging other than the spars isn't to expensive or time consuming to get the boat right.
Foils: I don't know how efficient spindrifts foils (centerboard and rudder) were, I know O'days were poor. Either way you should have a good shape to both. You can definitely make better foils than are on o'day's and I'm sure they can be bought too for a price.
Running rigging: This is really personality specific but certainly if you plan to race you will want a way to shape and control the sails with good mainsheet maybe even with a traveller of sorts, jib controls, vang, downhaul or cunningham, jib halyard tension, There's a lot of information on that available and some experimentation too to see what works for you. a good place to see what others are using is the pictures that deb Mason-McCaffrey posts for the nationals. Note blocks, cleats and line can get real expensive so the better that is already on the boat you're further ahead, even if you reconfigure it.