DaySailer.org Forum

Last October I bought a 1983 Daysailer 2 with a trailer from a woman who had inherited it from her Dad. It was named the LORRI DEB. I was dealing with Lorri, who never had time to use her. The boat had sat for 8 years. The first challenge was just getting it home. The LORRI DEB was 120 miles away. As anyone with a boat knows, the trailer is almost as important as the boat. I arrived with $500 cash, 2 new wheels and tires, bearings and grease, tools, jack, jack stands and numerous ratcheting tie downs, bungees and miscellaneous ropes. The bearing were the the wrong size so we repacked as best we could, replaced the wheels, lubed the s#!t out of the hitch, tied everything down to both the trailer and my truck, attached a plate from my Hobie 16 trailer and away we went... Light-less. It was a long, tense ride from Pittsfield MA to Chelmsford MA using GPS and for the most part taking the road less traveled.

Home, safe and sound.

It sat all winter as I did my research, made my phone calls and visited numerous marine supply houses and Internet web sites. My first true fixes were done to the trailer, literally starting from the bottom up. New hubs with grease fitting drilled into the back,with bearings. They accompanied a new set of wheels as well. I replaced all 5 keel rollers, including new shafts. Two new 4 foot pressure treated bunk boards lined with plastic slides were also installed. I got rid of the rusty old winch that was using old nylon line and replaced it with an upgraded, strap and hook type. Also added was a retractable wheel for moving it around the yard. The lights were addressed, the ground had come undone. Lastly anything that wasn't galvanized and rusted was wire brushed, wiped down and painted. It is with complete faith that I will put KALEIGH B in the water anywhere I want, unhampered by a shoddy trailer.

The Boat...
I have seen all the posts that make reference to Rudy and Debby Nickerson at D & R Marine in Assonet, MA. He has been called the guru, the Jedi and Mr. Oday on this site... He is all of that and more. He and I along with my father have spent hours working together on my boat. I don't just mean showing up at his shop and picking up some parts or making me some lines and stays. We were in his yard, tools in hand, getting dirty. His knowledge of this boat and its history is unmatched, at least in my circles. He, his wife and daughter run one hell of a great business, all through word of mouth. I would count myself lucky to have had the access to Rudy like I did. Not everyone will have this opportunity. Timing is everything. If I did nothing else with my boat I met an absolute Oday genius in one Rudy Nickerson. Not to mention meeting his family that helps make his shop what it is.

We replaced all my running rigging with the upgraded wires and full sized turnbuckles. What a difference compared to the originals. The forestry was replaced as well with the quick connect/disconnect fitting. If you are trailering your boat and need to make an upgrade in the rigging, start with the quick connect fitting. It really isn't that much more money but works super slick. The stemhead needed to be replaced as I was installing a Harken roller furling system, Rudy was key here. There was much more to just slapping the furling kit on. We had to move the jib halyard block and forestay tang. I added the upgraded spreaders and boots. Again, there is no reason not to go for the upgrade here. It is minimal money to never have to address them again, like $5 or something. The boom vang was missing so I picked up the kit.

A new Garhauer Main sheet block and base replaced our old rust one. Garhauer single swivel blocks were purchased and installed along the jib car track. This lead to Ronstat 360 degree bulls eye cams that are mounted on the trunk for jib sheet controls. The Bulls eye cams were about the only part of my boat I did not buy from Rudy.

I replaced every line on this boat, right down to the tiller lockdown line and centerboard controls. Each one had its end sealed and whipped with nylon whipping string.

I purchased new cuddy doors and the plastic edge protection for the fiberglass cuddy edge. These may be MY favorite part of the new KALEIGH B. they look amazing. Rudy actually makes these in his shop, each set is custom made using marine grade teak. His advice, and I will take it, is to seal them with Cetol. My tiller was also replaced, including the hardware and will be sealed as well with Cetol.

New striping and lettering have been purchased from D & R to give it that original look. They are going to be installed by my buddy at MILL CITY AUTO BODY in Westford MA this week. With Rudy's recommendation I had some fiberglas repair work done by J & R Boat Repair in Lakeville MA. He installed an 8" inspection port over a crack that I had in the floor by the stern, repaired the stringers in the cuddy cabins roof. These were cracked in numerous places from what seems like too much weight on the deck. He installed a new bilge drain. Inspected my centerboard and cable. He removed all he original striping that was crazed and faded. The hull was buffed and polished, and bottomed coated with Interlux Micron 66.

The last thing I have left is the mounting board for my outboard. We picked up a 1997 Mercury Mariner 5 hp long shaft. It is 2 stroke with a built in fuel tank. The boards are going to be made from the same material they make cutting boards out of. It is worry and maintenance free.

Well that's it... I think I have covered everything. I will get some pictures out after the stripes are put on, hopefully this week. It will be dry sailed this weekend. Plenty of pictures then as well.

We look forward to the pictures!

Definitely!

Looking forward to pictures. You know, it didn't happen without pictures.

John

Thomas,

Great post! It's really fun to hear the inside scoop on Rudy. You should come down to the Narragansett Bay DaySailer meet up in June and show your efforts.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4326 .

I have a lot of new parts to install and dial in. Tonight we took some time getting all the standing rigging in place, rigging the roller furling (Harken 163) and hoisting the sails. It went just like I figured... With some minor problems to tweak.

1. The jib halyard block needs to be moved slightly higher. I am going to start with changing the setup where the halyard attaches to the halyard swivel. When I hoist the jib it is all the way into the block and still slack.
2. I need to figure out where to route the furling line, possibly replacing it with new line as well. I need a cleat or cam somewhere too.
3. There are some split rings I would like to replace with some quick pins.
4. Out haul line does not fit into the jam cleat that is already on the boom. Line is too small. Debating changing line or cleat type.
5. The down haul ...I had to refer to Roger Conrad's book. I now see it has to go up and through the "cringle" then down to the cleat. That cleat needs to be adjusted up the mast so the boom does not drop so far down the track.
6. Sail needs a good cleaning. Taking it to the firehouse next week for that. Great place to dry my sails is up in the hose tower.

I will be working on these issues over the weekend. The KALEIGH B will be ready for the 2013 New England DaySailer Meet Up for June 15th. Hope to see all you guys out there!

"The down haul ...I had to refer to Roger Conrad's book. I now see it has to go up and through the "cringle" then down to the cleat. That cleat needs to be adjusted up the mast so the boom does not drop so far down the track."

Wouldn't a longer downhaul line make moving the cleat unnecessary?

The cleat I am talking about is adjustable. It sits in the track of the mast. The cleat acts as a stopper for the boom, allowing it to remain at a good height when the main sail is down.

These are my new cuddy doors with 2 coats of Cetol Natural Teak finish. They will take 2 more coats before I can say they are done.

These are some before pictures...

Damages than needed fixing.

Thomas,

Your boat looks little topsy-turvy! I hope you sail it more upright…

Sailing upright's no fun K.C. ... How about over 40 degrees, and flying.

About the photos with the damage. We gave you some detailed suggestions for the crack in the cockpit bottom. If you need more, just ask some specific questions. There's also a crack near the top of the transom visible in your picture. Caused by a motor mount?

The crack in the cuddy front, if that's what it is, is in a really odd location, seeing that it's isolated to just the vertical surface. Does it show from the outside as well? If not, I would make that a candidate for "benign neglect". If it does go through, or if you can observe it "working" when sailing, you can always put a "patch" of glass on the inside.

The suggestion for that eventuality: 2-3 layers of mat or cloth wetted out with epoxy on a sheet of plastic, pressed into place after the surface was first rough sanded, and held in place with tape until it cures - if despite a good seal the plastic shows signs of sagging, support it with a sponge on a stick, or a similar contraption. After it cures, remove tape and plastic and after some more time to fully cure, cover it with any type of paint to a) make the repair blend in, b) keep it from failing after a few years due to residual UV reaching the cuddy (might be a decade, but even the cuddy gets some UV).

I went with the inspection port advice that I got on here in one of the forums. The area was beefed up before it was cut in. The paint didn't match exactly, close. While he was in the bilge he replaced the drain as well, short money over at D&R.

There is also a picture here of the stringer repair. Super strong now, without any flex on he Cuddy deck. I asked how strong and my fiberglass guy hopped up there and walked around. He was a little over zealous with the paint though. The Kaleigh B gets its stripes later in the week and will go through a full stem to stern cleaning and waxing after.

Making headway...