Gary,
It is my understanding that simply adding floatation bags will NOT make the 2nd generation DS1's (1960-1971) self-rescueable. The positioning of the added floatation is what is important.
The problem is that when George O'Day redesigned the original plank seat DS1 to have air tank fiberglass seats, the pivot point changed. The original boat had all its floatation in the gunwhales, nose, and stern. When knocked over by the wind, it rode high in the water and 2 people could stand on the centerboard and right the boat. The new design, however, rides lower in the water when on its side since its floatation is closer to the center of the boat. There is not enough leverage to right the boat in most cases. Now if you add floatation in the gunwhales of a 2nd gen boat, you can make it self-rescuing. Read the following article for a lengthy explanation:
http://forum.daysailer.org/fleet64/64dsflotation.htmlIt is interesting to note that Rebel/Spindrift expanded the seat air tanks to go all the way up the gunwhale when they started building the DS1. Their literature claims the boat is self-rescuing, but I've never put mine to the test. I came VERY close last Sunday when a high wind gybe (25+ mph) nearly knocked us over. We took on probably 20-30 gallons of water over the side, but I let go of the main just in time...
Kevin Clark
Dallas, TX
DS 11791 (a Spindrift DS1)
Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)