New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS2. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

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New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby KeithS » Sat May 18, 2013 7:43 pm

Hello,

I recently purchased an 83 DaySailer II. An experienced sailor/racer friend is teaching me to sail. We went sailing last Saturday (5/11/2013) from a private boat landing on the Pamunkey River, just a bit upstream from West Point, VA. Not the best day for my first sail due to shifting winds and 20 knot gusts, but the trip was successful and exhilerating. We managed to have fun, and return safely.

We discovered that the center board downhaul line is frayed, and my friend suggested I replace it before the next sail. What are the specs for that line?

Also, with the uphaul line taught, the center board does not retract fully up into the hull. Is that normal? It does retract up enough to get the boat off and on the trailer.

The boom vang rigging is not typical according to my friend. It looks like the one D & R Marine has, but the mast has a fixed bail rather than an eye fitting. There is a block riveted to the fiddle block (with V jam cleat) in the boom vang where it should connect to the mast. We used a short rope between the block and the bail, but it was rather kludgy. The other end of the boom vang attaches to the boom with a cable through a keyed slot on a bracket on the bottom of the boom. My friend said I might need to replace the fiddle block with a better one with a clam cleat.

He commented that the mainsheet did not have much leverage, since it is attached to the center of the boom. He said he is used to hiking out with hiking straps, which enables him to use his body weight the tighten the main sheet. He said setting down in the boat, he needs to use more of his arm strength to operate the main sheet. I think the main sheet block (3:1) with cam cleat is stock. Maybe a 4:1 block would be an improvement at some point in the future.

The rudder kept pivoting up while we wire sailing. When we de-rigged the boat, we rerouted the rudder downhaul line to get more leverage to hold the rudder down. We'll see if that works next time we sail.

My wife and I want to go sailing soon on a clam day. I'm thinking of only using the mainsail, so we can master handling the main and the helm. Once that is done, we'll add the jib.

Thanks,
Keith
Attachments
Center Board 2.JPG
Center Board - Downhaul Attachment
Center Board 2.JPG (25.83 KiB) Viewed 7067 times
Center Board 1.JPG
Center Board - Not Fully Retracted
Center Board 1.JPG (27.43 KiB) Viewed 7067 times
Mainsheet Block.JPG
Mainsheet Block
Mainsheet Block.JPG (48.22 KiB) Viewed 7067 times
Last edited by KeithS on Sun May 19, 2013 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby GreenLake » Sat May 18, 2013 8:39 pm

Welcome to the Forum!

The CB design is specific to the DSII and there are lots of older posts about it in the DSII section of the forum. (And other DSII sailers will show up here with specific suggestions soon).

The vang/mainsheet setup varies across DaySailers, you can find information and discussion also in the DS1 section, the Repair section and the Rigging section of this Forum.

Hiking straps do help you in using your body weight while keeping you in the boat. However, they are probably not your first priority. I still don't have any in my DS - I simply don't sail often enough in conditions where they would be really useful - if you are starting with calm days it's OK to start without them.

For center boom sheeting 3:1 is probably marginal (more so in stronger winds). If you make a replacement, see whether you can get a setup that uses ratchet blocks. These will turn only in one direction, thus allowing you to tighten the sheet, but then helping you keep the sheet tight, because they don't turn the other way. There's a kind that is called an "auto ratchet", which disengages the ratchet function if there's no pull on the sheet (that is, when you let go). That makes sure the sheet can be let out when you want it to, but still helps you hold it.

The difference in "user experience" is similar to power steering or power brakes in your car. You still have full control, but you aren't working as hard.

I don't follow your description of the boom vang setup. A picture would help.

Good luck!
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby KeithS » Sun May 19, 2013 3:02 pm

Hi GreenLake,
Thanks for your comments. I included three photos of the boom vang in this post. Figure 1 shows me holding it next the the bail on the mast where it was tied to. Figure 2 is a photo of the entire boom vang. The end with the wire attaches to the boom, and the end with the rope attaches to the mast, Figure 3 is a photo of the fiddle block with V jam.
Keith
Attachments
Boom Vang 3.JPG
Fig. 3 - Boom Vang
Boom Vang 3.JPG (30.18 KiB) Viewed 7069 times
Boom Vang 2.JPG
Fig. 2 - Boom Vang
Boom Vang 2.JPG (41.86 KiB) Viewed 7069 times
Boom Vang 1.JPG
Fig. 1 - Boom Vang
Boom Vang 1.JPG (47.66 KiB) Viewed 7069 times
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby GreenLake » Sun May 19, 2013 4:40 pm

As such, there's no problem with using a fixed bail on the back side of the mast. It's a common alternative to having an eye strap on the forward side. Cam cleats might work better than the V cleat.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby KeithS » Sun May 19, 2013 5:14 pm

Thanks,
For now I quess I'll just tie the exsiting line from the block on the fiddle block to the bail on the mast.

I did see a few interesting photos in Roger Conrad's book. (It came with the boat when I bought it.) The photos show a lower extender between the boom vang fiddle block and the bail, The extender is a stainless steel cable with tube covering, abd snap shackles. An extender would at least make the fiddle block more accessable for adjustment from the cockpit.

Keith
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby GreenLake » Sun May 19, 2013 6:52 pm

You could use a longer piece of rope?

A lot of the places where traditionally one would have used steel cable can nowadays be fitted with Amsteel.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby jeadstx » Mon May 20, 2013 1:26 pm

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Attached is a picture of my boom vang attachment. My vang is original to the boat. It is attached on the mast end by a line running thru the loop riveted to the front of the mast. I add some cable protector to the cable to where it attacheds to the boom
Image

Your centerboard should be easier to drop than mine since you have the plates rather than a centerboard bolt like I do on my 76 DS2. I'm sure someone with the plates will comment on centerboard removal with the plate setup you have. The centerboard should retract all the way. You may have an obstruction in the CB trunk (something like a wasp nest perhaps) that is preventing it from retracting all the way. If you pull the board to replace the line, inspect the inside of the CB trunk.

If your rudder blade keeps pivoting up while sailing you might want to tighten the bolt a little to allow the rudder head sides to create more friction on the blade, that together with the downhaul should help.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
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Re: New DaySailer II Owner - Questions

Postby KeithS » Mon May 20, 2013 10:43 pm

Thanks
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