DaySailer.org Forum

Hello Day Sailer Forum Members:
I'm new to these boats, but I had a chance to race a nice one, built by Cape Cod, at a regatta recently in Northern New England.
Although the boat had some issues, it was very fast and we thoroughly enjoyed the day (and won the regatta)!

Now I'm hooked and want more. Please respond if you have a Cape Cod Daysailer. I'm talking lever action for the centerboard.

I also need to know where I can find more Daysailer racing, not too far from New London, CT where the boat is right now.

Thanks.
Dick Lathrop
860-912-5393

If you have a recent DS from CCS, then it would be a DS1. I've moved your post to the DS I section, because we really don't have a common section for introductions and most people just post about their new (or new to them) boats under the boat model that applies.

Your other question was about racing in your local area. If you don't get a reply, try starting a thread in the Fleets/Locations section

Welcome aboard!

I have a 1997 Cape Cod. How can I help?

Thanks for your reply.
The boat is number 14211, built in '98. I know nothing of the history of this boat.
My biggest concern is a crack in the centerboard trunk above the waterline on the port side, opposite the handle.
I can repair the crack with fiberglass and epoxy, but I'm wondering what may have caused it and how I can prevent it from coming back.
I suspect it has something to do with tension on the plate that holds the handle in place.
Your thoughts?

If you can describe the setup a bit more, then some people who don't own your precise model, but have general experience, might be able to contribute to a solution.

There are several design variants for use with CB handle. One, the standard configuration on older DS1s, has the board held only on the side with the handle. The other side is, in principle free to move up and down, but because the CB trunk is narrow, the board would "wedge" itself, and effectively not be angled sideways at all.

The top part of the CB would push against the side of the CB trunk, which could flex. Possibly, if the CB got really whacked sideways (impact) you might see some cracking there. In which case a one-time repair may be all you need.

An alternative method, and one that some owners retrofitted, is where the CB pin is drilled and tapped and a bolt is used on the opposite side of the handle. That turns the whole setup into a standard pivot axle. The upside is that the CB trunk gets stressed along the plane (as the bolt wants to push up or down) but also there's some stress on the connection of CB to handle (a square hole into which fits a square pin).

I have the retrofit on my (older) DS1 and it works fine.

Finally, the CB is supposed to be supported by thwarts; short boards connecting to the top of the CB trunk from the seats. If these are missing, the whole trunk could twist w/ the CB, which also could lead to cracks. If they are missing on your boat, they need to be replaced.

I repaired the crack in my centerboard trunk by careening the boat, removing the board, and gluing the delaminated sections back together with west systems epoxy and adhesive filler. I clamped the repair with four strategically located nylon bolts. I had first drilled the holes, where needed, and I was able to insert the bolts from inside the centerboard trunk using needle nosed pliers, a rather long pair. Once it was all clamped together, I cut off the ends of the bolts which were protruding into the cockpit. I wasn't sure I'd be able to leave the bolts in once the epoxy had set, but there is enough clearance in the CB trunk to accommodate the bolt heads and the board without binding.

How the crack occurred is still a mystery, but a few clues have emerged. The gasket I removed was very thin--perhaps 5mm--and the bolts holding on the plate for the handle had been supplemented by additional nuts. This implies that someone could not tighten the plate enough and added the nuts to squeeze the gasket tighter. This would have pushed the axle deeper into the socket built into the opposite side of the trunk, possibly pushing it out far enough to cause this delamination--resulting in the crack. I have replaced the thin gasket with the standard gasket (washer? rubber donut? ring?) which tightens nicely just with the bolts--no nuts required.

Plausible