New (to me) Daysailer #8014

[Seanile]

Hello, all! I'm new to the forum, but have been checking out all the great insights here over the last few weeks as I get used to my newly-acquired Daysailer, #8014 Sea Nile.

First off, I seem to be in a little bit of a gray area on the configuration of my boat. Hull ID embossed on the transom is XDYD8014M76D. The hull index on the DSA site leads me to believe that the DS1 wasn't made in '76, but this is clearly a DS 1 with open cuddy, centerboard handle, wood flooring, molded benches, etc. I will follow up in a few days with some photos.

Definitely lots of work to do on this boat, but it's sailing well so far with new(ish) rigging and sails. Soggy foam under the benches, and I ripped out some styrofoam and plywood that was between the benches and coamings. I assume that flotation was to prevent turtling? I could poke my finger through the plywood and the white styrofoam was coming out of every crevice, so that was the first thing to go.

The boat did not take on much water in light winds (<6-7 knots) and 1-foot waves, but today I took my wife and daughter out in 8-10 knots & 2-3 ft waves on Narragansett Bay. Over the course of an hour, we bailed out a couple gallons of water from the cabin. I suspected the centerboard gasket leaking, but when I raised the bow and pulled the keelson drain plug, there was a fair amount (1-2 quarts) that flowed out of the drain. I will still be replacing the centerboard gasket and tightening the triangle plate a bit more. It just doesn't seem like that much water would leak through the centerboard handle, even with an older but still supple gasket. There are also two roughly 1/2" "ports" in the top/front edge of the centerboard trunk. Not sure why they are there, but I presume they are open through the trunk/hull. I didn't think to check whether water was coming in there. There was water in the cabin on both sides of the keelson, but seemed like more on the starboard side. Hard to say if that was where it was coming from, or just due to more heeling to that side.

Either way, I presume that the forward tank leak and the centerboard/cabin leak are independent. I guess they could be related if there's a crack all the way through the hull somewhere in that area that hits both sections. Out of curiosity, any thoughts on why the keelson is connected to the forward tank? Is that just to provide a place to drain that's lower/further aft?

I'm trying to get as many days on the water as I can and do some major work in the off season to add inspection ports throughout, pull soaked foam, sand, repair, and gelcoat everything. Until then, I'm going to have fun, keep as much water out as I can, and spend some time scouring the forum for how-tos.

Thanks!
John

[GreenLake]

Hello, all! I'm new to the forum, but have been checking out all the great insights here over the last few weeks as I get used to my newly-acquired Daysailer, #8014 Sea Nile.

Welcome to the forum! Check out the post where you can add your boat's name and hull number (and other details)

First off, I seem to be in a little bit of a gray area on the configuration of my boat. Hull ID embossed on the transom is XDYD8014M76D. The hull index on the DSA site leads me to believe that the DS1 wasn't made in '76, but this is clearly a DS 1 with open cuddy, centerboard handle, wood flooring, molded benches, etc. I will follow up in a few days with some photos.

I'll leave this one for any "hull number mavens" left on the forum.

Definitely lots of work to do on this boat, but it's sailing well so far with new(ish) rigging and sails. Soggy foam under the benches, and I ripped out some styrofoam and plywood that was between the benches and coamings. I assume that flotation was to prevent turtling? I could poke my finger through the plywood and the white styrofoam was coming out of every crevice, so that was the first thing to go.

Rip out the aftermarket foam. Good. Did you remove the foam under the benches and replaced with something else? Most people use pool noodles. I think that the new pink or blue foam is way more water resistant and might be usable as well. May need to look up the specs.

The boat did not take on much water in light winds (<6-7 knots) and 1-foot waves, but today I took my wife and daughter out in 8-10 knots & 2-3 ft waves on Narragansett Bay. Over the course of an hour, we bailed out a couple gallons of water from the cabin. I suspected the centerboard gasket leaking, but when I raised the bow and pulled the keelson drain plug, there was a fair amount (1-2 quarts) that flowed out of the drain. I will still be replacing the centerboard gasket and tightening the triangle plate a bit more. It just doesn't seem like that much water would leak through the centerboard handle, even with an older but still supple gasket. There are also two roughly 1/2" "ports" in the top/front edge of the centerboard trunk. Not sure why they are there, but I presume they are open through the trunk/hull. I didn't think to check whether water was coming in there. There was water in the cabin on both sides of the keelson, but seemed like more on the starboard side. Hard to say if that was where it was coming from, or just due to more heeling to that side.

You mention "cabin". The cuddy on the original DS1s is open, so the bottom connects without gap to the cockpit. Any water dripping from the CB would go forward if that's the way your boat levels out. Also, if you have a single hull, there should be no water left to drain after you bailed the cockpit (if you got everything). On an original DS1 you can't bail the "cabin" separately from the cockpit, because it's one connected volume. So, I'm waiting for pix.

Just a note: increased water collection with increased speed looks very much like there's an opening in the CB trunk. If you don't see the water gush at the lever, then there's an opening higher up. The trunk is under positive pressure at higher speeds and will jet out water through any opening, even if it doesn't leak when sitting still.

Either way, I presume that the forward tank leak and the centerboard/cabin leak are independent. I guess they could be related if there's a crack all the way through the hull somewhere in that area that hits both sections. Out of curiosity, any thoughts on why the keelson is connected to the forward tank? Is that just to provide a place to drain that's lower/further aft?

Need careful/detailed pix of your config, from several angles. If you can, use the attachment feature. Gallery pictures are more limited in size and their total number for your account is fixed. Attachments are limited on a per post level, but not total. You need to use "medium" level jpeg compression to get the file sizes down, but and pixel dimensions should not be the raw number from your camera, but more like what would fit a laptop screen. With those settings, we should be able to see enough detail without the files going over the limits.

There should not be any leaks from the forward flotation tank. Unless, indeed, you have a hole or crack in your hull - in that area. You should be able to see that, even if it is one that opens only as the hull flexes.

But be sure the water is truly coming from the front. I sailed in a DSII once for a longer event (several days) and that one had an opening (as most DSIIs do, unless it's sealed) that allowed water to jet out in a stream that was aimed forward.

I'm trying to get as many days on the water as I can and do some major work in the off season to add inspection ports throughout, pull soaked foam, sand, repair, and gelcoat everything. Until then, I'm going to have fun, keep as much water out as I can, and spend some time scouring the forum for how-tos.

Sounds like the right approach. Get as much experience, observer carefully what goes wrong, trace the source of your leak and then you are ready for a long winter of repairs and improvements.

Good luck!

[Seanile]

Thanks, GreenLake.

To begin, apologies for imprecise/incorrect terminology. Wherever I said cabin I meant cockpit, as the whole cockpit is open.
[attachment=2]IMG_1680.jpeg[/attachment]
[attachment=1]IMG_1677.jpeg[/attachment]
[attachment=0]IMG_1673.jpeg[/attachment]

Here are a few views of the cb trunk. I can’t figure out the purpose of the two “ports” on the forward edge of the trunk, but confirmed that they are open to the trunk and I can see daylight Saving brought them when I look up through the CB trunk underneath the boat. No other cracks or gaps apparent around the trunk inside or out. I guess I can plug these until I decide whether to seal them permanently.

The drain hole on the port side of the keelson drained a few quarts after my last outing, and there is some loose styrofoam pellets in there. I assume the foam is from the bow tank and there wasn’t factory foam in the keelson. No hull cracks/breaches are obvious, but I’ll keep looking.

[Seanile]

One more view of the ports

IMG_1675.jpeg (103.69 KiB) Viewed 2040 times

Also, plywood with styrofoam behind it that was built in between the bench and gunwale.

IMG_1678.jpeg (60.3 KiB) Viewed 2040 times

[GreenLake]

Looks like someone adapted the CB trunk to use the DS2 up/downhaul setup. That's what those two ports are for. If you plug them, that should take care of the water ingress. (Water will positively "jet" out of the forward one at higher boat speeds. You may not have noticed because it points away from you, but it would be expected under normal operations.

If the keelson shares a drain with the forward flotation tank (and they all have 1" drain holes that should have plugs in them) then the water in it came from the standing water in the cockpit.



You can see in my image that my (1963) DS 1 has the little drain hole in the tank itself. I added a big inspection port at the location indicated and took out many pounds of wet styrofoam (and replaced it with the modern kind pink/blue that's more waterproof).

You may want to do the same, but also plug the drain hole (with a removable plug).