1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

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1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby hbjones » Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:25 pm

I'm looking at a 1973 DS II here in Arizona. Any tips on what to look-out for?

This one is missing the ice cooler cover(???) on port-side and the front storage looks buggered-up (like a previous owner tried to install a locking plywood cover). Just from a quick walk-around, it looks to be in fair-good condition. I am a little scared of it being a 1973 vintage.

Thanks for any tips or hints. Who knows I must may join your ranks very soon.

-Harold
Phx, AZ
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby GreenLake » Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:18 pm

The 1973 vintage is probably the least important factor. (Mine is a '63 DS1, just for comparison). Really, these do not age along the same curve as cars. These boats are eminently repairable and most owners perform their own work. Some come here first, for advice. :D

Many repairs or upgrades can wait until you've sailed the boat a few times; so there's normally not much need to spend time & money on the boat until you know she's a keeper. There are usually a few smaller things that you may need to do on boat or trailer, esp. if it has been sitting around for a while. That should be reflected in the price.

That said. The lazarette cover is cosmetic, someone reasonably handy (yourself?) could easily fashion a functional replacement - even if it didn't match in material or finish.

If what's "buggered-up" is just the frame around the opening, that can be restored and/or covered by your own (much better) version of locking cover.

Things to look for: is the rigging complete? Wires and fittings for standing rigging should be free of obvious damage or rust. Spars not bent. A bent mast is something to stay away from. It's not a standard repair.

Hull: separation of deck from hull? Major cracks (not crazing or spiderwebs)? Any deep gouges or even holes? Any sign of impact damage? Any visibly "soft" areas? All in principle repairable, but something like that could be more than you would like to take on, unless you are after a project boat. (If you are comfortable working with fiberglass, or game to learn, even collision damage from another boat might be fixed in a weekend - that's what I mean by repairable - see Gored: crack repair).

Condition of rudder (chips, cracks, splits). Centerboard, the same, but may be difficult to inspect. Chips and even minor cracking can be repaired (DIY), unless they are asking top dollar, some wear is expected. Ideally you'd have the CB demonstrated on the water, but that may not be possible.

All lines and sails present?

The latter point is mostly so that you have a fighting chance to rig it for the first time, even if you decide to replace some or all of the running rigging. It gets really tough if you don't know the boat and there are parts missing (or extra) and you are trying to make sense of it all. Otherwise, running rigging and sails are consumables; they will need to get replaced over the lifetime of the boat possibly several times depending on usage and UV exposure. Unless you plan to keep the boat for only a couple of seasons, you'll replace some / all of the lines and the sails anyway at some point. If these are due now, you are just jumpstarting that cycle (something you might figure into the offering price, but not a reason to walk away).

Summary: if all parts are present, nothing has any major damage that would prevent you from taking her out a few times before you make upgrades, it's probably worth considering. There's some variation in condition, but that becomes a matter of price.

Not to forget: trailer. Expect to replace bearings and or tires, and to rewire the electric - that seems to be due every couple of seasons even for well-kept trailers. Like the boats, these trailers are easy to maintain yourself. I had the seller deliver my boat, which he had offered. That didn't mean that I didn't have a failed bearing a few weeks later...
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby hbjones » Fri Jun 20, 2014 12:43 am

GreenLake,

Thank you very much for the thorough and well-thought response. That is some great information. I hope to get a closer look at the boat this weekend, and will know more after that. You have given me some great tips and suggestion.

Thank you very much,
Harold
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby jeadstx » Sat Jun 21, 2014 12:58 am

My DSII is a 1976 model. Mine was missing the ice box cover when I got it. D&R Marine makes new ones. They make hatch covers also, but you can make those yourself.

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: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby hbjones » Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:52 am

GreenLake and John,

Thanks again for your patience in answering my post. I am a little embarrassed because I should have taken the time to fully digest all 14(???) pages in this forum beforehand; looks like my newbie-type questions had been asked a few times before. To my defense, I was excited to just find the forum and in a hurry. :)

Anyway, it says a lot about you two taking the time to reply. My wife and I are headed to look the boat over later this morning. Who knows, I may become a regular on here.

-Harold
Phx, AZ
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby talbot » Sat Jun 21, 2014 10:03 pm

I wouldn't apologize. There are a lot of things that might be issues in a 1973 boat. However, that is the year of boat I sail, and in some ways I prefer it to a newer DS I used to own. Roger's book on the DS II details almost all of the typical problems. Issues that might be specific to our year:

At least some of the centerboards that came with the boats that year were awful. They tended to delaminate. Check to see if the board slides easily in the trunk. If it has puffed up and is sticking, it probably should be replaced. That is about $600 in parts, plus the effort of dropping the board, installing new cables and pivot, and replacing the board.

Greenlake is right about hull/deck delamination. I was taking water in through the joint for years and didn't know it. The fix is awkward. I did not get it totally sealed until I opened up the inner hull, flipped the boat over, and injected polyurethane into the joint from the inside and epoxy from the outside.

I had to fix a lot of gel-coat problems (gaps, flaking, blistering). Nothing like that occurred on the other DS II I owned, and I suspect my hull just came down the line on a bad day. Given that your prospective boat was built in the same year, I would pay particular attention to any signs of gel-coat failure.

Most other things are generic wear and tear and would be true for any boat, like (as previously mentioned) the state of the trailer, sails, and standing rigging.
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby GreenLake » Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:26 am

Harold,

I agree with @talbot here. Good luck in your quest, and it would be nice to let us know how it ended (whatever the outcome).
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby hbjones » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:49 pm

Thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier post and encouragement.

As a result, I am proud to announce that my wife and I are now the proud owners of Hull Number 6448 (a 1973 O’Day Day Sailer II and 2004 Karav trailer). I'm sure someone will want to know how much we paid; we bought the boat/trailer for $1400 from a nice couple in Tucson. I am hoping to get her in the water soon, but for now I have just be cleaning her up and assessing where I am at. I already purchased Roger's pdf-book and am studying it.

We previously had a 1988 MacGregor 26D for last 5-years that we trailer-sailed many times at Lake Pleasant here in Arizona. We are somewhat new to sailing; only been sailing since 2008. We learned on a FJ in the Potomac River through DC Sail, but are also checked-out on a Catalina 22, Catalina 27, Catalina 250, and a Capri 16.5 from Fiddler's Cove in the San Diego Bay.) I only mention this because we still have much to learn, but are trying to gain experience.

A few notes:

1. Interestingly the AZ Game and Fish registration shows the HIN as: XDYO64480173. I am thinking that O should be a D, but chose not to monkey around with that at the moment because the HIN is very, very faint and 3/4 obscured by a stainless steel bracket that supports the mast when trailering.

2. I have numerous gel coat cracks and dings at the bow and centerboard area, but it appears in fair to good condition otherwise. She had a lot of oxidation on the orange gel-coat, but I got that cleaned up fairly well. I don't think I have any delamination of the hull; didn't find any signs of that on my walk-around. I haven't been able to fully examine the centerboard yet (trailer interference), but it seems to be in working order from what little I can tell.

3. The cuddy-cover is a ratty, warped piece of plywood; will need to redo that at some point.

4. The jib halyard fair-lead (???) on starboard side is weathered (the plastic pulley chipped and not turning freely).

5. I am sure my self-bailer isn't 100%, but am thinking I will just use a good cork when underway anyway.

6. I can't figure out how to rig my boom-vang and would appreciate any photographs from those with similar boats. It appears factory original.

7. There is block near the top of the mast on the starboard side, but I can't figure-out its true purpose. Any one have any ideas?

8. At the top of my to-do list is rigging a trolling motor and putting a fold-away tongue on the trailer to make it easier to park in my garage.

9. The main-sail appears fairly new, but the jib appears well used.

-Harold
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby GreenLake » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:38 am

First off, congratulations.

Second. A reply to a few of your points. Others can hopefully cover the remaining items.

On the HIN - when you have time, track down the old posts here on that subject. But for now: each HIN is required to be present in more than one location on the hull. It's common to have it on the starboard (?) bow under the rubrail as indents in the gelcoat. (See aforementioned old posts... -- my own boat is too old for HINs so I don't have first-hand expertise with that).

A block on the side of the mast, near the top, is most likely for a topping lift (again, a well-covered topic here - if you locate the older threads, you'll get good info).

For DS parts, esp, DS-specific parts, a good source is D&R Marine.

Because the DaysSailer Class does not restrict the running rigging, many owners have changed the setup to fit their personal style. That means, that replacing anything on your boat that is part of the running rigging will not necessarily mean that you should get some "orginal" DS parts. So you can source hardware from many established sources for small boat rigging, such as Fisheries Supply, APS, West Marine, DuckWorks etc.

One of these will have a suitable replacement for your fairlead.

Sounds like none of your issues would prevent a trial run, so enjoy.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby jeadstx » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:26 pm

Congratulations on getting the boat. I agree with Greenlake that the block near the top of the mast is probably for a topping lift. My self bailer doesn't work anymore either, I just put a plug in it. I've bought a replacement from D&R Marine, but haven't installed it yet. Making a new hatch cover is easy, although D&R sells them as well as the gasket/trim that goes around the opening edge. Original boom vang attached to the mast with a line run thru the loop on the front of the mast near the base and to the boom with the cable end fitting in the slotted fitting on the boom. (see attached picture).
Image

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: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby GreenLake » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:45 pm

Before you get totally confused, the photo John posted shows two boats, not a two-masted DS :)
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby jeadstx » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:19 pm

Main focus on the picture is the original type boom vang that came with the DSII, not the other boat.

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
jeadstx
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Dripping Springs, Tx

Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby hbjones » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:24 pm

Thanks for the replies and suggestions from both of you. I'll try to use that block near the top of the mast to rig a topping-lift.

jeadstx wrote:Original boom vang attached to the mast with a line run thru the loop on the front of the mast near the base and to the boom with the cable end fitting in the slotted fitting on the boom. (see attached picture).


John, so it sounds like I need to take a small piece of rope and loop it through the eye-strap on the front of the mast near the tabernacle plate and use that loop of rope to secure the mast-end of the boom vang? I know the steel-cable fits into the boom slot.

Thanks again.
-Harold
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Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby jeadstx » Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:39 pm

I use a small shackle to attach to the line thru the loop on the mast.

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
jeadstx
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Dripping Springs, Tx

Re: 1973 DS II...what to look-out for???

Postby talbot » Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:30 pm

Congratulations. A newer trailer is really important. An actual new trailer would cost about as much as you paid for the trailer and the boat. So I would not have any buyer's remorse about the price. Every single thing you mention is typical for a boat that age, and easily addressed. Most of them aren't particularly expensive. So yes, just go sailing whenever the weather is good, and make a list of things to improve when you are off the water.
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