hull id translation

[doug8684]

I'm a new member, and recently purchased what I believe to be a DS1. It has the handle to lower the keel, and there's a cast fitting in the cuddy to capture the base of the mast. It's in decent shape, and will be a good NY winter project. I hope it doesn't have any leaks. I removed all the wood pieces, the keel, and the rudder, and started the clean-up. There wasn't any floorboards, like in the ones I've seen in pictures I found on the internet. I'm not sure if this boat came with them. I can't find anything on the boat that tells me what year it is. The plate attached to the bulkhead in the cuddy, has a HID of 23839, and a Class # of 4411. Any ideas?

I'm not new to sailing, but this is my first sailboat that's under 27 feet. Looks like it could be a lot of fun to sail on LI Sound.

[Acornrunner]

I'm new to the DS community, but your right, these boats are a load of fun. Bought mine last fall, and have had it out about ten times. They are faster than I expected, easy to rig, easy to handle.

Enjoy!

[tomodda]

Welcome aboard!

Yes, that's a DS1, and looks to be in great shape from your photos. Good luck on your refit job, make sure to check out D&R Marine for any parts needs (dnrmarine.com).

Your boat is sail #4411 (class number is same as what goes on the sail). The "hull number" is the count of ALL hulls built by O'Day, 23839 of them by the time your boat was built. Which was 1970 or 71, cross-referencing to other known builds in this forum's history section. Good luck with her, yes a fine boat for the LI Sound. After all, the Daysailer was "born" in New Bedford!

[doug8684]

Tomodda - Thanks for the information on the floor boards. I was worried that they added structure, and not just aesthetics. They do look nice. Could be a spring project. The mast is pretty light, and does flex when I pick it up. It also seems to have a bit of a port pre-bend. I hope I'm able to straighten it out with the new shrouds, and not have to do anything stupid that might make it worse.

I finally received the registration for my DS1 and the trailer. The trailer was straight forward, and relatively new (2012). The boat registration had the correct HID (23839) but stated that it was a 1963. I have the trunk cap (see attached), and according to the info on our message board, it doesn't look like that was introduced until 1969-ish. Is it possible it was added on by a PO some time after the build, or could I really have a 1963?

I'm still working on the wood seats and trim, but making some nice progress on the rest. I've already painted the interior, hull, and mast.

[tomodda]

Looking good! I like the classic blue-and-white. You wrote:

>The boat registration had the correct HID (23839) but stated that it was a 1963.

Be aware that State Registration Data and Reality are often two different things. The HIN system didn't even exist till Nov. 1972, so any numbers from before then don't "compute" for the state's registries. As I wrote above, the HULL NUMBER is how many boats (of all types) were built by the company, not how many DaySailers. Read over on the "History" section of this forum for more info. That's also where there's a spreadsheet of known SAIL NUMBERS (which are, in fact, the order that the boat was built within it's class), your 4411 tracks with boats that were built in 71-72 timeframe. Also, for what it's worth, my rough guestimate is that O'Day built 1 hull a day - they either had only one mold, or (morel likely) they had two molds but it it took 2 days to cure a hull. So O'Day built 300-ish DS'es a year (deducting Sundays and Holidays). So your boat, #4411 was built in the 14th year, which would be 1972, or 1971 if they built a bit faster (I think they did).

To my eye, there's other hints that this is a 70's boat - the hull/deck flange, the solid keelson forward of the CB trunk. But let's be honest, with the possible exception of the "3-digit boats" (supposedly lighter weight), there's no intrinsic value to the older boats. It's not like they are collectible cars (at least not yet!). And for racing, you have to "true up" your boat to 500 and whatever pounds (it's in the rule book) using ballast, so no real advantage to a slightly lighter boat. Enjoy your boat, she looks like a beauty. And never mind what the state registrar thinks!

[GreenLake]

welcome and your boat looks very nice. Seconding Tom's musings on the true vintage. (Including the limitations in daily production). I have what I deduce is an actual '63 and it doesn't look like yours in some of the small details, not to mention the lack of CB cap.
Mine had a mini-cap that is a PO retrofit for the jib cleats.


PS: it's hard to be sure from the pictures, but min has two very slightly raised circles on the side decks where the Jib blocks/fairleads used to be mounted outside the coamings in some early models. I don't see them in your photos. Can you confirm their absence?

[Fly4rfun]

Welcome to the Forum, I too am fairly new here , and to sailing. you will find a wealth of information and knowledge you can get to help you along the way. nice looking boat. what is the rectangular piece (window) on the cuddy in front of the mast mount.?
G. Garry

[doug8684]

Tomodda & Greenlake - Thanks for the input. I'm pretty sure the boat is a 1970-ish, and the registration is just incorrect. It doesn't matter to me, I was just curious. I don't see any raised circles either. I've been racing sailboats for a long time, but I'm not planning on doing any racing with this boat. I would if there was a One Design Fleet near Port Jefferson. This is the first sailboat I've owned that' less than 27 feet, and I'm anxious to see how it performs. For now it's a fun, time-filling restoration project. My last boat was a J80, a blast to sail and race. I sold it in the Spring, and have been unsuccessfully looking for a replacement since then. When this DS1 became available, I bought it as quickly as I could. I didn't want to go through another season without being able to go sailing. Even if it means just doing some solo sailing if our current Social Distancing restriction are still in effect. However, my crew is anxious to also get back to racing. If I find another boat, my restored DS1 will be up for sale.

Fly4rfun - The rectangular square is a solar panel. The PO had it connected to a battery, which was connected to a bilge pump. I keep my boats in a slip, so I'll probably do the same.

[Fly4rfun]

thank you. as far as performance goes, Ive only sailed mine briefly on a very small (greelake calls it a pond) 22 acre lake, but did get a brief good wind, and was surprised on how quick it picked up. made me grin, but then it was time to change course, last palace i sailed was on Folsom Lake near Sacramento, Ca 30 years ago. looking forward to next year.