Looking Into My First Daysailer (DS II 1972)

[Geffof]

Hello,
I have been wanting to acquire a O' Day Daysailer for quite a while but only recently have I have the means to do so. The few that I have seen in my area have slipped away from me. I did finally get a chance to see one the other day and had some questions for some more experienced eyes. The boat seemed fundamentally sound but had quite a few dings and cracks. I did not get a chance to see sails, mast and much of the rigging because the owner was not available.

The boat is a 72 DS II
Here is an overview:


The underside:


Here are a few of the chips and cracks on the bow and port side.





Not a great picture but this crack is near the centerboard:


Here is the stern of the boat. What is the bottom hole for? When i looked inside it looked like there were wood chips and splinters. Is this something to be concerned about?



The album with additional photos:
http://imgur.com/a/MRtT0#0

My main question is this: Are these issues common to boats of this age? Should any of these things be an issue down the road?

Thank you for the help

[klb67]

The bottom hole is the bilge drain. It looks like someone may have started to replace it by drilling out the hole. I'd want to feel fairly comfortable that the wood there is dry and not rotted - if it is, that would be a more involved repair. If its dry and solid, I would think you would be able to use thickened epoxy to encapsulate the wood, then install a new bilge drain. The boat shows wear, but not unreasonably so in those pics (the one side bump is pretty bad, but fixable). I had a few bumps like that one mine and just used MarineTex, since I don't intend to paint my boat. If I did, I'd do the repair "right". The price should reflect that is to a clean, unblemished hull - don't overpay if you can get a cleaner hull for the same price. But most boats of that vintage are going to have some bumps and spider web cracking in the gel coat.

[GreenLake]

Agree with klb67 in that you haven't shown us anything that's not fixable. There may be stuff you didn't notice, and as noted, if the wood in the transom is wet or has begun to rot, it needs to be replaced. One useful product to look into is the RotFix epoxy and rot repair kit from SystemThree.

Sails are easily the most expensive single item on a DS (except if you count an outboard) and not easily amenable to home repairs. Most used sails could probably stand replacement, unless they are fairly lightly used. For running rigging (sheets, halyards) you should replace is hard, bleached, frayed, damaged, etc. but there's a better probability that they have been replaced at some point since '72. If there's no evidence, then add that to your mental estimate of what it would be to bring the boat into the 21st century.

Like sails, you can consider running rigging a "consumable", it's just something that's going to wear out.

You don't show details of all the fittings. What can be seen looks like the originals. And the three-strand lines, if typical for the state of the running rigging, would point to stuff that's been in place since '72.

You'll probably end up doing some upgrades to these, but, it may not be something that's immediately required to get on the water. Same for sails; if they've never been replaced the may still be fine for a few initial cruises, but you'll be happier with the boat if you eventually replace them.

Some stuff doesn't need to be replaced, necessarily. On my DS1, the mainsheet swivel block on the CB trunk is still the original and shows no sign of needing replacement. All the other blocks broke or fell off and had to be replaced.

When you get a look at the mast, check mast sheaves and corrosion around any fittings. Unless the mast is bent or has other damage, most issues should be repairable - just have to adjust your offering price based on the level of repair required. But do expect that repairs are necessary for a boat that age unless the boat is offered as "restored" or "pristine".

[jeadstx]

I agree with the others, everything looks fixable. Anytime you get a used boat you tend to try to improve it anyhow to make it your boat.

As Greenlake mentioned, sails are probably one of the more expensive things to replace, but if you are not someone who races, you can get less expensive sails like those sold by Intensity Sails. If you race, then more expensive sails might be needed. When I got my 1976 DSII in 2006, the sails that came with it were original to the boat and had some odd work that had been done to them. They were good enough to get the boat on the water a few times. I found some used sails to replace them on eBay that had been in storage for several years. Just replaced those last year with new ones.

John

[Geffof]

Thank you for the replies everyone, they have been very helpful. I will let you know what I decide as I see everything else.

[affrey]

If you don't mind me asking, what is the asking price?

[Geffof]

It is $1400. I also noticed that neither the boat or trailer have ID or registration which is strange. Have not had a chance to see sails and the rest of the line or rigging as of yet. The seemingly unfinished or re-drilled bilge line is still what is the most worrisome to me at this point as I have not had a chance to go and check the condition of the wood yet.

[K.C. Walker]

I would look very carefully with a wary eye, when looking at that boat. It's a bit "tired" looking. That does not mean that it is unsound. However, it does indicate that the boat was not well cared for, at least recently. For that kind of money I would want the boat to have something of particular merit, i.e. brand-new sails, or a working outboard. Though most likely not in your neighborhood, there have been boats for sale in the last six months either on this website or people pointing out craigslist listings for boats that I would be much more willing to spend money on. There was one that looked a bit "tired" for a $500 but it had a really nice mast, trailer, and some obviously good running rigging. There was also a race ready boat, by a class officer, that looked in very good condition for $2000. If you're thinking that $2000 is too much to spend on a nice boat… Then the boat you're looking at is way too expensive. It's going to take some work and money to get that one into nice shape. If you don't care and you just want something to knockabout in and you won't be fixing it up, I think you can find something cheaper.

If you are not set necessarily on a DaySailer 2 and you are a DIY kind of person, a DaySailer 1 is a bit easier to work on because you don't have the complication of the double hull.

[klb67]

I concur w KC. I don't know where you are but that's a $500 ish DS near me based on the pics. At least keep looking around to see what is out there. New sails or nice motor would up the value. If it were me and the buy it price approached a grand, I'd be inclined to invest more on a race ready boat. At $400 I could afford to pick up a bit tired boat (and that is what I did).

[Alan]

As the happy owner of a fixer-upper DSII, I'll add my concurrence about the price being too high. I'll also add that the lack of registration for the boat and trailer is not only strange, it's a probable huge headache if you try to register the boat. My boat had a clean title, but just a few odd bits of missing paperwork required that my crew hand-walk it through the DMV, get an affidavit notarized, and some other time-consuming stuff. If she weren't so amazingly good at person-to-person communication, the registration probably never would have been finished.

My priorities:
Clean title
Repairable hull
Decent mast and boom
Good or repairable rudder, tiller, centerboard and hardware
Good sails

The rest you can accomplish without putting yourself in the poorhouse.

[GreenLake]

My priorities:
Clean title
Repairable hull
Decent mast and boom
Good or repairable rudder, tiller, centerboard and hardware
Good sails

The rest you can accomplish without putting yourself in the poorhouse.

Nice list. Good priorities.

Sails are where you transition from mainly capital investment to consumables; if you sail for a number of years you want (need) new ones (or newer used ones). So there the question is mainly to make sure that the sails' contribution to the price matches their remaining life. Getting new sails raises the price, but it will be longer until you reach the point where you need to replace them. (And vice versa). Over a long time ownership, that should average out. So, I agree, that while sails are important, for purchasing a boat that you'd like to keep for a long time, they go last.

The list does not address the trailer.

My priorities:
Clean title
Axle and springs in good shape
Winch OK
Frame (rust) OK or fixable
Everything else in good enough shape to make it home

Springs are expensive to replace, most everything else on a trailer is really DIY. Tires and bearings are consumables; bunks can usually be improved anyway, worth a small bonus if if perfect.