Help with original rigging---please

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Help with original rigging---please

Postby Samwooly » Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:25 am

I'm new to sailing and to the daysailer and I'm having
Some trouble. The boat is partially disassembled so
I'm trying to get it back together correctly. My problems
Area only with the running rigging, all the hardware has
Been removed from the CB trunk.
If anyone has an original factory setup in the oday 1963
I would sure appreciate pictures.
I'm trying to keep it original and use what came with the
Boat until I have se experience.

Thanks, Dan
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Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby GreenLake » Mon Sep 23, 2013 1:45 pm

Dan,

perhaps you could describe what you have in more detail.

As for keeping the factory setup - some versions of the factory setup might not be such a good idea.

I can sympathize with the desire to not get "fancy" without an idea of whether you'll be able to get the best out of a complicated setup. But the best course is to go for something that most of us here would consider straightforward and usable, w/o chasing after the elusive ideal of going back in time.

On the aft corner of the CB trunk most people have mounted a standup swivel block for the mainsheet with a cam cleat. Using a ratchet block there is going to make your life easier (the ratchet lets you hold the mainsheet in your hand, so you can release it quickly to prevent capsize). Using a cleat that you can uncleat the mainsheet by pulling up is also going to help you prevent capsize.'

More forward on the trunk most people mount a set of two cam cleats for the jib sheets, with the sheets leading from the cleat to a block on a track along the side of the boat (attached to the inside of the wooden coaming on a DS-1) and from there forward. Do you still have the tracks? For the cleats you have a choice of having captive cleats (with a little U-shaped bar over the rope) or ones that are open. The former will keep your sheets close to the cleat, but I prefer the open ones. That's because the closed ones force you to pull only on the far side of the cleat. I like to reach over the cleat, get the jib sheet, pull it tight and then push it down to cleat it. That gives me a better angle of pull.

OK, with these suggestions as a teaser, why don't you give us some more detail on what parts and fitting you do have, for example, how your mainsheet is set up - are there blocks for it on the boom? Any blocks on the transom?

Photos would be great, of course.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby rnlivingston » Mon Sep 23, 2013 2:38 pm

There is a manual under Technical Issue on this site. At least it will help get you started. I'm restoring a 1966 DS1 and I've already replaced half the original hardware.
Roger Livingston
DS 6872
Mariner 4096
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Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby Breakin Wind » Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:16 pm

Samwooly wrote:I'm new to sailing and to the daysailer


Hi Sam,
Welcome to the Daysailer forum. Just to be sure you get the most out of this board, let me back this exchange up a couple feet "just in case".

When you say you are new to sailing, how new to sailing are you?

The reason I ask is, I was completely new to sailing not that long ago when I happened across a 73 Daysailer for a few dollars in an auction, bought it and shortly thereafter found this fantastic website while searching the internet. But when started reading in the posts about sheets and halyards and headstays and the like, I knew I was in a lot of trouble. So just to set the expertise level, maybe it would be useful to give just a paragraph on your sailing and sailboat knowledge. The people here are fantastic, incredibly supportive and I can tell you from experience that they are able to downshift to layperson language as needed, but as I said, I remember feeling like a keel out of the water when everyone started using words meant nothing to me (and sometimes still do).

And as I mentioned, I have a 73 too so I probably have some pictures that might be useful. I'll dig them out and set them up for posting soon.

Again, welcome! Scott
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Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby Samwooly » Sat Sep 28, 2013 12:34 pm

Thank you Scott,
I'll get some pictures as soon as I have time. As
Far as how "new" I am to sailing, I have NEVER BEEN SAILING
in my life. It is really strange how I got interested in this
And also a long story.
Now that you know that as green as they come it
May give you the impression that I may have a lot of difficulty
Understanding terminology. However, I'm an avid reader
And love to study. I have read countless topics on this and other
Forums in addition to a couple of books. As the saying goes,
I have done my homework.
Does this mean I'm ready to sail or confident that I grasp
Enough to get on the water? Not yet....

Back to the rigging; the DS1 is a 63 model and has chrome
Fixtures, I have figured out where they are to be placed but have
A question about the original chrome cam cleats. Did these have
Springs in them to keep them closed on the rope? If so, mine are
Broken and swing without any pressure on the sheet until force is
Pulled on the sheet.
Samwooly
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2013 4:31 pm
Location: Cabe Run Lake, KY

Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby GreenLake » Sat Sep 28, 2013 2:17 pm

You are right, cam cleats would normally be spring loaded, these sound like they are past their prime.

Do yourself a favor and replace any hardware that looks "iffy" in any way. This goes for any of the lines as well. The thing is, once you are out on the water, and something breaks, you can't just pull over to the side to fix it. Especially if you are a newbie, you are relying on the hardware to work, because you don't have the skills (yet) to improvise around a broken piece of equipment. I had one of the original jib tracks break off during the maiden voyage. Luckily, I had an experienced sailor with me, and he managed the jib, and we got back fine, even though our return was upwind against a building wind. Once back in town, I tossed out the old tracks and replaced them with whatever modern equipment I could find that was of the right size. It's functional, looks good even though it's not original, and, most importantly is considerably stronger and more reliable than the original fittings ever were. I've never looked back.

Like you, I have a '63 DS 1, and some parts have been replaced twice (were already replaced once by the previous owner and then again by me). These things do have a service life that's less than that of the hull... However, some parts are clearly in good working order, and I've seen no reason to replace them. The original main sheet swivel block with cleat is still going strong, after all the other blocks, sheaves and cleats have given up and have been replaced. One block on the boom I replaced not because of service life issues, but because I wanted to replace it by a ratchet block, which makes holding the mainsheet much easier and is an upgrade I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone, whether new to sailing or not.

Here is a link to some cam cleats that would make suitable replacement cleats for the jib sheets (line size up to 3/8"). Or these.

Are you ready?

If you pick a day with moderate winds (not more than 6-8kts) then I think you'll be able to work out by yourself how to translate the theory from reading into some practice. Bring a trusted pal as crew or someone with more experience than you.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Help with original rigging---please

Postby UCanoe_2 » Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:09 pm

Sam, my '64 DS I has a jam cleat (a type of horn cleat) on the forward end of the centerboard trunk. As far as I can tell, this was the original cleat for the jib sheets. If you have one, I recommend not using it and instead going to the cam cleats others have described. The jam cleat can be slow and difficult to release at times -- not what you want in a sudden strong gust. Mine is now the cleat for an uphaul tackle for the centerboard lever (still experimental), but no longer used for the jib.
"George Washington as a boy was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie."
-- Mark Twain
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