Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS1. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

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Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Postby curifin » Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:16 pm

Hi All! Long time since I was messing about with the DS1 - I got a "big" boat about a year ago, a 21 foot Benneteau First for sailing with the small kiddos. Last year I mostly spent messing around with the Bennie, but now have my "little" DS1 back home in Texas for the season. Splashed it weekend before last and had a great time.

Thought I would relate another really cool thing about the DS1 - namely you can pull it with a very small car. My "tow" rig for the DS now includes my 99 honda civic 5 speed. It tows great and I still get about 26 mpg. I have managed to get the DS out about twice so far this season and looking forward to more.

After experiencing the "big" trailerable boat versus the DS I am finding myself wanting to sail the DS a lot more. Setup is a breeze. Towing is a breeze. Take down is a breeze. The big boat requires a gin pole setup and takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to rig and about 2 hours to take down. With the DS, trailer to water is about 40 min tops unless I swap mainsail and take down is about 30 min. Denial fits in my garage and I can move it around by hand.

One good thing is that manhandling the larger boat has given me a lot more confidence with the small boat. Also, sailing with kids and wife on keelboat is way less stressful.
1970 DS1 "Denial"
1993 Beneteau First 210 "Dory"
curifin
 
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Re: Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Postby GreenLake » Thu Apr 09, 2015 12:34 am

Glad you found a mix that works for you.

There is something to smaller boats being more fun. At any rate, you are quicker on the water and it's more immediate an experience. I sail an 8' dinghy whenever the DS feels too "big" :)

I always found sailing with kids way more fun than stress.

Whether it's a quiet contemplative sail:
1544

or fun for everyone:
1720

or anything in between. A destination, especially with food, helps.

As for sailing with wife, mine is happy if I'm out of her hair, and content to take pictures from shore. Her boat of preference is the canoe. She gets interested again, when the size allows her to bring her car: she loves being on car ferries of any description.

I've been a guest, with kid, on some much larger sail boats, and got the impression that those boats were not experienced as necessarily more interesting. In fact that keel boats are sailed at (stable) angles of heel between 15 and 30 degrees was cause of much anxiety.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Postby K.C. Walker » Thu Apr 09, 2015 8:05 am

+1
I think the Daysailer hits a very nice sweet spot for stability/convenience/performance/cost. Though I haven't taken many preteens out sailing, I have taken a lot of teenagers. It's not such an intimidating boat to turnover to them to sail under guidance under moderate conditions. I think it's a great learning boat. It's also the perfect single person "big boat" for someone who does not want to pay for a mooring or dock space, as one person can set up the boat and launch it.
KC Walker, DS 1 #7002
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Re: Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Postby curifin » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:01 pm

Daysailing the small boat is a lot more fun for me for sure. The DS is really cool because it responds so nicely to changes in trim, steering, and wind, while still keeping a decent amount of space. After my refit and refinish it is stunningly easy to keep orderly and clean.

My son at 6 is really starting to make it more enjoyable because he can participate in the sailing. The only qualm I have is the non self rescue..... no quicker way to spoil sailing than some drama with getting rescued. I got a hobie ball and will mount that later in the season and test it out. Once I am confident it will prevent a turtle I anticipate a lot more sailing with the son.

Smaller kids are more of an issue. Oh, I can sail with them and have a fair amount....2032, 1857, but honestly, in any kind of wind at all the amount of attention required to keep the boat upright and orderly is far greater on the DS than on a keelboat.

At some point I expect them to take off in the DS on their own!
1970 DS1 "Denial"
1993 Beneteau First 210 "Dory"
curifin
 
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 10:49 pm

Re: Small Boat Goodness and the DS1

Postby GreenLake » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:38 pm

Nice pix!
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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