What Are Your Spring 2008 Projects ?

[sirk98]

I *finally* got down to the boat again--this time with a camera...

I'll try to find where to post pics of the project boat... Any advice on where to start (and/or if its worth starting even!) is more than appreciated!

[sirk98]

I posted the (very large) pics on this thread:
http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopi ... =9201#9201

[persephone]

So I purchased my 1973 DS1 late spring this year. The rigging was all there but I didn't like the way it was run. So first up was an overhaul of the over the cuddy lines. I have a one piece mast with internal halyards. I removed all the old through deck fittings (just bushed holes, not blocks and not laid out symmetrically), cleats etc... I made two aluminum plates (for over and under the deck) to mount new through deck blocks (2.25" for main and jib, smaller for spinnaker) and 3 spinlock line stops. This is all in a nice tidy area aft of the mast. I changed around the spinnaker pole controls (there was no downhaul and only one eye on the pole). The boom vang was about a 15 to 1. Replaced that with a garhaur 4 to 1 (nice stainless blocks with a snap shackle to attatch it with, works great as a preventer too). Used the old small single block with becket and cam cleat to make a main downhaul (cunnigham?), that is just 2 to 1. Replaced my oversized main and jib sheets (5/8" line weighing 4 pounds 10 ounces) with lightweight high strength stuff (1 pound 5 ounces). Used some of the old blocks removed from other places for light air jib sheet blocks (another part that is way too big, I think they are 57mm ratcheting blocks, as are the main sheet blocks).
After two sails (the second from Winter Island Salem Ma to Misery Island) everything seems to be in good order. The wind was light and even though it was a Friday there were still a lot of motorboats around, so the rig got a rough beating and nothing broke. That was where the new vang that doubles as a preventer came in handy. By clipping it to the lee jib car, I was able to keep the boom from swinging around when rolling in wake. FYI if you do this you must remember DO NOT SHEET IN MAIN! You'll bend your boom.
Towards the end of that sail I decided to fly the spinnaker hoping to catch any wind that was around. Up it went, left the jib up too and it worked. The wind kicked up within 20 minutes. I flew the spinnaker as long as I could, had all sails up in a close reach, wife at the helm. Used my back to push out the weather spinnaker sheet (to get the pole off the headstay) and was flying the spinnaker as a great big genoa. The previous owner told me it is a smaller than stock spinnaker...maybe that is why we were still able to point where we wanted to go. I was too busy to pay attention to the beach passing by but I bet we were moving right along. I did pay attention to the helm angle and wake, didn't look to be giving my wife any trouble.
Last project for this season is fabricating a new aluminum rudder head to go with my new classic solid tiller (not the stock forked one, broke one on my old javelin already...). Still working on that. I'm lucky in that I have access to free machine shop work and welding.
Overall I'm happy with the boat now that the rigging is set up to my liking, much more fun than the Javelin.