DaySailer.org Forum

My 1980 ds2 arrived today. It has been sitting under a pine tree since 2001.
Its going to need painting . I tried a very find sand paper and then a good wax but still looks like crap. Plus I hate the brownish color. so my first task is to get her off of the trailer
and turn it over.
I'll place some carpet on the ground, the question is, can it just be turned over with most of the weight sitting on the cabin top or do I need some type of supports. and do you suggest any special brand of paint .
In the past I have used interlux polyurithane white. I gave the boat 5 very thin coats using an electric gun. it looked like a new boat.

It is quite easy to roll it off the trailer by first tieing the back of the boat off to a tree or some other ground anchor about 20 feet back, then slowing rolling the trailer out from underneath it. When it gets to the balance point, gently lower the transom until it is on the ground, then continue to pull the trailer out (by hand) from under it. With the mast up, and the halyard in your hand, and standing beside the boat, start walking off to one side, pulling the top of the mast over, and turning the boat over onto its side as you go. When the mast is down to the ground, tie or weight it down. A few cinder blocks is all it takes. One of those screw in dog leash anchors works well too.

The advantage of this method is that the boat is on its side and it is easier to work on the bottom as you don't have to reach over from the gunwale to sand or paint it. As well, power washing it off is a breeze. You are also working at chest level rather than bending over your work. When you are done one side of the hull, let the mast up slowly and pull it down on the other side to do the other side of the hull, again at chest level. An old tarp on the ground and some old cushions for the gunwale are all that you need if you are working on pavement or cement. If its grass, then a tarp is all your need unless you want to protect your grass.

I have pictures of this process if you wish me to sent them to you, but it really is as simple as I described it. It can easily be done with one person. When it comes time to put it back on the trailer, simply reverse the process. Back the trailer up to the bow and hook on the trailer winch to the bow eye, snug it up, then lift the trailer tongue so that the boat starts to ride up the rollers at the back. Continue to winch as the trailer rolls back under the boat, moving the tongue left or right to keep the boat centered. (This is easy to do with just one hand). At the balance point, lower the tongue, and contiue to winch the boat up to the bow stop.

Job done. As for paint, I used Rustoleum for the hull above the waterline and Interlux Bottomkote for the antifouling. If you intend to dry sail your boat, then the Rustoleum is adequate. $10 a quart and you will need a couple of quarts.

I would avoid resting the boat upside down on the cuddy. It cannot take this kind of pressure. If you do insist on having it upside down then rest the fore deck and cockpit across some long boards set up higher on sawhorses, 5 gallon pails, or cinder blocks. This will place the work at an awkward level, but will keep the pressure off of the cuddy.

Good luck with your project. There is a book available on maintenance and repair of this boat as well. Check the sticky at the top of the DSII forum on this site, or e-mail me at roger02 att mts dott net.

Thats an excellent idea, using the mast to bring the boat over and Doing one side at a time. Just not bending over is a gigantic plus.
Thanks a lot!

Welcome and congratulations on your DSII find. Just to add my two cents. Rustoleum paint gives an excellent finish and is durable but does take a while to fully cure to its max hardness. A great value for sure over marine specific paint products. Have fun cruising our threads. There’s a ton of info here. Any name for your DSII ?

I'm thinking about calling he boat explorer. Theres lots of places we want to explore and this boat will get us there. Plus theresLOTS of room for gear , maybe one of those small gas grills and a few chairs and a cooler and off to explore some far away beach.

bkafer wrote:I'm thinking about calling he boat explorer. Theres lots of places we want to explore and this boat will get us there. Plus theresLOTS of room for gear , maybe one of those small gas grills and a few chairs and a cooler and off to explore some far away beach.

That's a great way to enjoy your DS. I am equipping mine for cruising the many lakes near my home. Have also set it up to fish. Not to many opportunities to race it anyway and would rather "explore" . Plan on posting a few pics of my mods later in the spring.

I hope you folks have a great time "exploring"! Also, don't forget about the Quarterly. We would love to see more articles about using the Day Sailer for things other than racing. Plus there's an award for the best "cruising" article that appears in the Quarterly. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventures.

P.S. - I 've always gone for turning the boat upside down on planks supported by cinder blocks. It does allow you to work on the whole hull at once (and you don't have to worry about trees and your mast).

Being new to the site, what is the quarterly?

It is a collection of DS info/articles. Pretty good stuff. Open up the Miscellaneous section. It is the first topic listed. Brad