GreenLake wrote: I äm troubled by your self-admitted lack of experience sailing this boat. I tend to prefer getting a baseline experience first - otherwise how am I going to tell whether the work actually improved anything.
Thanks GL (and everyone who's looking out for me) - of course you're right about nearly all of that.
I have sailed a little, a long time ago, as a passenger not even crew, but it never left me, which is what got me thinking that I wanted a sailboat about two years ago.
Last year I tripped across a little 11' dingy with a lanteen and I loved it. The guy who sold it to me had the sail on upside down, and I figured that out by sitting in it on the grass, watching the wind blow and the sail flop. Convinced it couldn't be right, I took it all apart, added a couple blocks to make things lines run smoother, added some cleats because I figured out right away, that I would have a challenge raising the sail while holding the rudder 5 feet away.
First sail, had no idea what I was doing, and fully expected to dump it on my first time out, but I didn't. Not once all summer, even when it was gusting pretty good, but I did learn that all you have to do is let go of what I now know is the sheet, and things calm right down. Had no idea at the time how simple that craft is compared to a real sail boat, but that's where one grows.
When I came across this DSII at a local auction in August, I made a couple hundred dollar bid knowing there's no way I would get it, but I did... So now what? (I thought) This one had LOTS of parts that didn't make any sense to me, and I didn't think sitting in the grass was going to cut it. Fortunately, I found this site, and the expertise contained herein.
I've always (always) been one who once I get interested in a subject, I really immerse myself with learning everything there is to know about it. And there is a lot that can be learned dry sailing. I believe very strongly in visualization learning. I can sit in the boat, and imagine how it will handle based on what I read here (or an approximation thereof). I know now how to heave to, never having done it. I will certainly need to try it, but at least I know what it is, when it’s used, and how (on paper) to do it. I've read and learned about reefing, I've learned that you really can't sail on a main well without the jib (complete opposite of what I would have expected) and I've learned that you want to keep the boat flat in the water, contrary to 90% of the pictures that show sailboats up at a sharp angle (makes for a better picture). I've also found myself gravitating to marinas on some of our larger lakes looking at the sailboats and their rigging. I'm sure you all remember how confusing it was at first, and I've learned there are many ways to do the same thing. Each one is different and each one is best (depending on who you talk to).
I am very happy to have learned about waterlogged styrofoam, cracked hull joints, potential failure of stemheads, leaky centerboard grommets, snapping stays and all of those things. I've read many posts on this board about "old boat, new owner" catastrophes on the maiden voyage and want to try to avoid all of that. If I hadn’t gone through this exercise this winter, I would have put the boat in the water next spring and probably watched it sink to the bottom (well maybe not). But with all the issues I’ve found, I clearly would have spent the entire summer repairing it, under the watchful eye of my wife who suggested that perhaps this wasn’t the best of ideas in the first place (always best to avoid the I told you so's when you can)
And on that note, at least for a while I will absolutely be sailing solo (which is also probably a good thing until I learn), so anything I can learn in advance, or things I can do to un-complicate the learning process is a plus for me.
I am also a tinkerer... I think Jay and I may be kindred souls because I simply love everything he’s done to his boat. At the onset, I didn’t have a clue what any of it meant, and I am amused that I’ve modified my mast twice and never had the boat in the water.
I don’t want to photocopy his boat, but I do like the originality of it and much of his thinking process, so in that respect, maybe a class boat isn’t the best place for me. But I didn't buy it because of the class (I didn't know about class). I bought it because I wanted a sailboat, and it went cheap. The fact that it's an Oday DaySailer which is an exceptional boat, is simply the sheerest of luck. I know I’m destroying the class distinction of the boat with some of my mods, but I don’t care. (really) I’m very unlikely to formally race "this" boat. As I've mentioned numerous times, it's been beat up pretty badly and I'd be afraid to stress it. I’m probably at the very least hundreds of miles from the nearest fleet or class race or equivalent, and as far as resale goes, I only paid $200 for this boat so I doubt I’ll ever sell it. If I do, I’ll just look for someone like me who doesn’t care as much about the class value as much as the little extras that make it more comfortable or distinct. And if not, I'll keep it for my grand kids. I've already put the little lanteen boat away for them. If I decided to get into racing, knowing what I've learned, I'd buy another DS in much better starting condition, and keep it stock.
Anyway (aren’t you glad you opened ‘this door’?)
A very important point I want to make is that I completely appreciate yours and everyone’s help, guidance and ideas. I appreciate the concern that I’m biting off more than I can chew, without even knowing if it’s food.
If I seem to be wandering off into the woods in the dark without a flashlight, I really honestly do appreciate the heads up warnings and hope they will continue. I take every one of them seriously.
I’m just bumping along here, killing time in the winter waiting for a chance to get this puppy in the water and spend my time sailing instead of practicing. Come summer there's decks to build (on the cabin), terra-forming of our mud beach to something more human friendly and a thousand other projects on the "honey do" list so everynon-busy moment I want to be out on the lake sailing.
Thanks again all!
