DaySailer.org Forum

One of my first topics. I wanted to start a log of some of the stuff I have done on my journey to get this boat back in the water.

I obtained this boat FREE last year from a wonderful gentleman in the Vermont / Lake Champlain islands. He had owned it since new; languished in the woods in sad condition for last several years. Don't know the last time it was sailed. He did have me sign an agreement on possession that I acknowledged that both the boat and trailer were not in great condition, and that I should not attempt to sail it in current condition.

1. The owner and his son took some photos of the boat/trailer before they pried it out of it's mucky hiding place in the woods. They spent some hours pressure washing the hull to restore it to less-shocking condition

2. My first hint that I was a bit over my head was during the drive home - by the time I got home, the right side wheel hubon the trailer was grinding metal-to-metal; the wheel bearing was completely gone. I don't know how the wheel managed to even hang on.

3. Inventory at home:

* the hull had some cracks due to the placement/orientation of the trailer bunks - the bunks 2x6 boards, oriented with the 2" side on TOP edge. It created a narrow contact surface just asking for trouble. Not an issue for the previous owner who just towed it out of the water at his home on the lake to park across the street; not great at all for regular trailering from any distance.
* My son and I pulled the boat off the trailer and plopped it in soft area beside the driveway, and careened it - held in place by 2x4s wedged into the ground, and webbing tied to trees.
* Bought the pdf book, "Understanding Mainting Repairing your Oday Daysailer II" by Robert Conrad. Printed it, had it spiral bound at Staples. Invaluable! Great resource. (However, it did also contribute to my misunderstanding of how my CB was connected; I took the pdf book as 'gospel')
* Removed the centerboard - and my confusion reigned for Months.....
* Centerboard uphaul/downhaul connections were just GONE. The wire rope had a short length still attached through the uphaul portal, but it was broken off and attached to nothing. The downhaul had no wire rope connection. This left me with no clue for what was supposed to be there.
* I spent HOURS pouring over this forum looking for pictures and info on the CB uphaul / downhaul connections. I could not make the pictures make sense, did not match my centerboard. The D&R site that has replacement wire setup for the CB didn't match my CB at all; I even talked to Rudy, he wasn't able to clear my fog of confusion. I didn't understand how my CB was different from all the others I saw on the site. It would have helped if some remnants of the old connections remained so that I could figure out how to rerig the connections.
* What finally helped was finding the ONE set of photos that shows the single-loop going through the CB that is intended to be a combined uphaul / downhaul connection. None of the other photos / diagrams seem to show that. I was convinced before that something was wrong / goofy with my setup.

4. Chose the name SULUHU which is Swahili for 'Reconciliation / Peace' - which is what I most look for when I'm out on the water. Peace! It's also a nod to my visit to my son in the Peace Corps in Kenya years ago, that left an indelible impression on my heart.

5. Photos forthcoming when I learn how to post them

Your trailer adventures are par for the course. Happened to me as well; end of first season, but probably same distance towing you had.

Trailers are infinitely rebuildable/repairable by ordinary mortals, so don't let that discourage you.

Your CB adventures are out of my league (DS1 owner) but the experts will crowd around soon enough.

For your picture posting check the how to section.

Welcome!

I feel your pain. Same trailer problem, etc. I bet your boat was built in 73-74?

It seems to be the way of the novice sailor. I bought my boat last November and brought it home in April. The things I've been through since then I could not have imagined when I started this adventure. I had a shroud snap on my first trip out and down went the mast - over $300 dollars later I was sailing again. Last weekend I got stuck out on the lake for 9 hours in light wind conditions. But, I'm learning and having fun. I recently rigged up my centerboard, if you still have questions let me know.

Currently working on installing bunks on my upgraded galvanized trailer. Hard to find specs, my trailer has a brand name, but no ID plate. It's galvanized (not painted steel like older trailer. The length of trailer from the winch-roller to the stern end is just as long as the DS II. So it's slightly oversized - or is it? Not finding any guidelines for matching the trailer to the boat. My current concerns that I'm working on:
* Changing from existing rollers to bunks. A local sailboat rebuilder came to give me some advice, and he recommended adding bunks and keeping the very last set of rollers at the stern
*Moving the trailer axle forward to re-position the load and reduce the tongue weight
*Adjusting the winch support arm to the rear by about 8 inches will also re-position load and tongue weight
*My main concern is positioning of the bunks. I have 8' pressure treated boards that I can locate, but what would be optimal position? Forward-to-rear and from side to side, would like to maximize the support contact patch to the most suitable positions, if that makes sense.

Fore and aft is the common position. There's a flat part of the hull, you're aiming to support that, while separating the bunks enough to give support against tipping. If the roller you kept is on the centerline, then the bunks would normally extend aft of that (it would just help the bow to clear the trailer until the bunks support the boat in the back. However, if you do not have any rollers in front you need to find some way to support the bow. Some people put a third bunk under the keel in that area. Finally, you do want something, bunk or roller, under the CB.

I switched out my rollers to bunks. The trailer that I have I don't feel was meant for this boat. The rollers formed a 18" x 18" square patch on the rear of the boat. I could see big dimples would form if I kept it that way. The place I got my boat kept the boat in the water all season, so fortunately there wasn't much damage done to the hull. I found e-trailer.com has a lot of parts for boat trailers many of them universal in nature so you could apply the parts to just about any trailer. I have an e-z loader trailer and I was able to get some information from them about the trailer. I bought the bunk brackets from e-trailer.com and used 8' 2x4s (you'll need the whole length) and put them halfway between the keel and where the hull starts curving up the sides but more towards the sides as I found that to be the stiffest part. I had to cut the rusted u-bolts off of the rollers with a side-angle grinder. But once they were off then everything else went along swimmingly. I have a motorcycle lift that I use to lift the boat up where I need it, you'll need to get the boat up or off the trailer to do the work. There are several scenarios on this forum for getting the boat off the trailer.

+! to what Lucas wrote, except 2x4" are too narrow. The wider you can make the rear bunks the better. My trailer has rollers under the keel only and the rearmost ones are set low so that they support the bow only as it comes through, but aft of the CB the weight is carried entirely by the bunks. I've not seen any adverse effects of having rollers forward, but I don't trailer very far. Others have a third bunk in that location. The important thing is to get all the heights correct so that the weight distribution works.