Third Year with DSII

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Third Year with DSII

Postby JGREGORY@PARKER.COM » Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:07 pm

Hi All,

This is my favorite website, always something new going on and lots of great advice. The DS'ers are a very nice community indeed.

My daughter and I went out yesterday on Austin Lake near Kalamazoo, Michigan. I live about 10 minutes away and trailer launch. This year has been a good one for sailing and me, I have been near 20 times I think. Quite different from the 2 previous years, not that they were bad..., it is just very nice to have better skills and in turn better control of the boat.

After moving back to Michigan after 25 years away, I started looking for a small boat to start sailing. I was really thinking Sunfish or the like, I hadn't sailed since the late 70's, was not skilled then, but just new that I enjoyed it very much. Back then I sailed some old wood boats at camp or would rent a Hobie at the Holiday Inn. I didn't know anyone that sailed then so I really didn't have a clue. I did have to get towed back in off of Grand Traverse Bay when a storm blew in very fast, and I was in trouble.

Well, three years ago, a fellow from work that was aware I was looking, told me he had elderly neighbors with a sailboat they didn't want. Of course I said I'd take it. It was a DSII on its side in the reeds next to a local lake. I dug the mast and boom out of the swamp, rolled the boat onto its bottom, and we pulled the boat out with a tractor. They had a trailer too, not in very good shape and flat tires. No sails. I was off to the tire store which was just closing, but they got the tires inflated. I was back to take my new boat home. There was a 30 lb thrust electric motor pulled out of the garage too. We were able to pull the boat onto the trailer with the tractor and I brought my treasure, the surprise, home to my lovely dispositioned wife. "What did you bring that home for?" This occurred in May, and my plan was to take it sailing in lake Leelanau on the 4th of July.

The resources of this site are amazing. I purchased a used main and jib from member (#2662). I contacted Rudy at DR and purchased a new CB pivot bolt and gaskets. I scraped a bunch of housepaint off the transom, and glassed and bondo'd the hull where it needed it most. I filled and repaired the rudder and centerboard, they had split from freezing. I ordered a new tiller. My biggest repair was using 3M adhesive to reattach the hull to the deck. It was separated a good part of the way around. There was also a lot of mold and such that needed to be cleaned out, as well as bee's nests. The masts had corroded a bit from being in the swamp but I sanded it and cleaned the bolt rope channels out the best I could. I bought a spare for the trailer, rewired it, and replaced and packed the wheel bearings. I did make it out on the 4th for my maiden voyage. Of course my girls were very excited, and my wife was skeptical (jealous maybe?). Wow, I had a difficult time at first. I couldn't seem to get the sail to go all the way up the mast, the halyards sucked, and it was just a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I would have either way to much lee or weather helm. The weather didn't cooperate much either, it was either on a tear or dead calm.

I did make it through the first season and went back to reading about sailing during the winter.

Season 2: All educated now..., First sail. Memorial Day weekend I get my two daughters and niece in the boat (again Lake Leelanau), family and friends are interested and at the launch. Fair amount of wind, but I am confident. I push out from the launch, and the wind just screams. Whitecaps like crazy. The boat is not setup correctly, the sail is not high enough in the mast, leaving the boom so low that the mainsheet block is all the way up in back where it connects to the rope traveler. The sheet is thick at that end and stuck with the sail fully sheeted in. The boat wants to go over. I cannot turn around. I cannot leave the tiller, the kids are freakin, and so am I (many prayers). I turn into wind, stall it, bear off until boat heels (which happens in short order) and repeat the process over and over until I get the mile + to the opposite shore were I jump out and tie off to a tree. I have not yet mentioned that the boat would almost certainly sink if it went over as the previous owner had drilled holes under the seats from the cuddy, and into the bow compartment. Oh yeah..., that was on my mind going across the lake. I fixed the rigging and got the kids back and was not too happy with myself. I felt like a jackass :mrgreen:

The rest of the season was uneventful except for when I coaxed my 75 year old dad into the boat and had an accidental jibe. Big heel, the old man can scramble. Thank God again, the boat didn't go over. Several more times sailing that year, but I will say I never completely got over the anxiety from the first sail with the kids. Michigan winter. I join a beer league for ski racing, and read more books about sailing. The shaped skis are great by the way..., my first year on them.

After much reading of the Daysailer forum, I decide before this year, I will not sail unless I have reef points installed. This I did. Thank you Blufton Sails in Muskegon. I have reefed just using short lengths of rope a couple of times. I have have done the same to use the cunningham to flatten out the sails. Many good times of sailing this year. I bought a gas motor, but haven't taken it out. I plugged up the holes into the bow from the cuddy, but haven't fixed the holes under the seat yet. I will not go out on Lake Michigan until I do. The trailer needs paint and new bunk boards badly. I would like to buy a boom vang but the money is tight. Sailing is much cheaper than skiing by the way, my annual DNR launch access is the same price as one lift ticket, and I can carry the beer in the boat.

Well, it was great yesterday, my 15 year old went with me, winds 12 - 18, we beat a Flying Scot up the lake, many good jibes and tacks, took a little water over the coaming, but stayed upright. Good beer. Oberon, a locally brewed wonder drink. Oh yeah... I realized this year, that the spare I bought two years ago is a 5 bolt, and my trailer is 4.

I hope you all are having as much fun this year as I am.

Fair winds,

John
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Postby GreenLake » Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:38 pm

Nice going, John. I know about the difference between getting to the water 2+ times, and 20+ times. I also know which one feels better :) And the low point seems to come just after the initial enthusiasm has worn off, you realize what you don't know, and still have to learn, and find you need to pick yourself up and go out more.

Looks like you had to overcome some serious obstacles - reading your story I can't help but notice how much less work my boat has been, even though it's never been in "top" condition.

BTW, since you mention "bondo" - I've always understood that car body filler is risky for boats, since it can absorb water, supposedly. (Although above the waterline and on a dry sailed boat, the exposure to weather doesn't seem much worse than for a car). However, for all the copycats out there, 3M and others make specific marine fillers. So, avoid the car stuff.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby K.C. Walker » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:16 am

I love this post! It's certainly worthy of the Daysailer Quarterly. Every once in a while I muse as to what kind of person buys a Daysailer. Obviously, many different kinds of people but I find it very interesting that many of these boats are sweat equity boats. I think you are totally right about this website being a catalyst for restoring these boats.

It reminds me somewhat of the Volkswagen Beetle craze in the 70s. It seems like all my friends had them and we were all fixing them up. And, some were souping them up for performance and racing. The VW = people’s sports car and the Daysailer = people’s sport boat. Anyway, it kind of struck me that the community, be it in e-community, really is amazing. This is also one of my favorite websites and I check it regularly.

I love the impromptu race with the Flying Scot. :-) And, yes I am having a blast with my boat which I've had for just over 3 years now.

The great thing about learning to sail is that it can't be totally mastered, you can always learn something. Also, every time you go out is different. It seems that Einstein enjoyed sailing small boats and apparently had lots to learn about it.

KC
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Postby JGREGORY@PARKER.COM » Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:01 pm

Thanks, I see that my spelling/grammer was off here and there. Long days at work...

The DS has been wonderful, I have a friend that is quite skilled and more inclined to windsurf, but he and I have been out, and he thinks it is a great boat too. On one nicely powered up day, he jumped off the back of the boat and held onto the rudder surfing behind. He was back there for a good ten minutes, it was a riot.

There are sure a lot of DS's around here for sale, from $2000 to $600. The $600 boat even comes with a decent boat lift.

I would like something a little easier to launch myself to compliment the DS. Maybe something I could pull off the top of the Explorer. I have a 12 ft Porpoise, but it needs a lot of glass work before it can go out, and I just haven't found the time. I have trailer launched and sailed the DS a few times by myself this year, but I prefer when it it windy to have a crew. I have a list of people I go through when the conditions look good, and the kids don't want to go. I can usually find someone. Last week it was the neighbor driving by just as I was leaving to go by myself. On the list of things that I need, a tiller extension is up there near the top.

The thing I really like about the DS is that it is a pretty good sized boat, a decent combination between performance and small boat fun. I like the rig and size of the sails. I am completely sold on the looks of the boat, which I wasn't too sure about at first. I was approached by a Hobie owner at the launch recently, and he was lamenting having given up his DS years ago. He said he really missed the boat and the centerboard.

I am not interested in jet-boats or the like. I like to water ski, but that is limited to behind a 57 Cadillac speedboat that has been in the family that long. The Johnson 30 horse and the skis are of the same vintage. But really, I would just rather be out in my old boat sailing and being happy.

Looking forward to the weekend here.

John
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Return to sail

Postby Skippa » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:33 pm

What a great story ! I just purchased my DSII early this summer. After 12 years with out a boat I knew I had to get back on the water. I had a 29 foot sloop and sailed extensivly on Lake Superior. Last year I gave in to the need to get back on the water and bought a 14 foot Omega. This is a very sporty little open boat and after sailing it a couple dozen times I never really had that connection with it, Not her fault, all mine.
I found the Daysailor through a friend at work, She had been sitting in a garage for 17 years. Filthy dirty, flat tires, bees nests and spider poop all over. A half hour inspection and I knew this boat would be mine. After three days of playing hard to get, the previous owner and I agreed to the price and she was on her way home to her second childhood. I believe boats of this vintage need new owners every ten years or so. Some one new to fall in love with them open their wallets and roll up their sleeves and give them the attention they deserve.
I keep her on a 200 acre lake in Minneapoilis and sail her at least twice a week now. I'am learning how to sail her better with every trip. The difference between this little planning hull and a keel boat are significant but sailing is sailing and I love the new challenge. The Daysailor is perfect for me right now. I can take newbies out and not scare them to death like I would have on the Omega, I can take experienced sailors out and we can push her hard and she responds so well to sail trim and handling.
There are still a few modifications I would like to make but they will come with time.
It goes with out saying that this website has helped more then I could have imagined. Information on repairs, how to launch, how to sail, where to get parts. All have increased the satisfaction this boat gives me. I feel lucky to have found this boat and this website, They go hand in hand.
Happy Sails to all !
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Postby Peterw11 » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:42 pm

Great post, John. I'm with K.C. on this one as well, as I get a kick out of other folks trials and tribulations, especially new owners of older boats, and those sailors new to the sport, or newly returned, as I am.

As far as the sweat equity observation, I think you can count DS owners as part of the "sailing for the love of it" crowd, as opposed to the "vanity", or "yacht club" crowd, in that I (and I assume the majority of us) are out on the water in our old boats just because we get such a kick out of it, and sailing in general, and not to impress others with our fancy acquisitions.

I was lucky enough to have a local Community Sailing club near where I live and after years of sitting on the beach watching boats go by, I decided to finally scratch my sailing itch and join up.

My last sailing experiences were during my teen years, (back in the '60's) and the lessons included in the club membership revived a lot of my old sailing skills (?) and knowledge. I was also fortunate in that the club had a number of DS's in their fleet so I became familiar with the boat before I actively started looking for one of my own.

I found a nice, dry, '68 DS1, complete and ready to sail, within the budget I had set for myself, and after dry sailing it in my back yard, launched it at a local lake, where a friend lives and allows me docking privileges.

I felt an immediate affinity for this particular boat. almost like an old pair of shoes. It was a comfortable size for me, easy to launch and singlehand, and didn't require anything major, most of it's needs being cosmetic, which I am addressing as time and mood dictates.

The fact that it has a few scrapes and dings only adds to its patina, IMO.
It also makes for a less traumatic experience when I bounce it off a rock or the dock, which happens from time to time. I plan on refinishing the hull someday, but I'm not in any hurry.

I'm also an old car guy as well. I have a 32 year old Datsun 280z in my garage, which I restored about 10 years ago. My other summer ride is a 20 year old Miata.

My wife drives our newer cars. I like the old stuff.
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Re: Return to sail

Postby algonquin » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:45 pm

Skippa wrote:I found the Daysailor through a friend at work, She had been sitting in a garage for 17 years. Filthy dirty, flat tires, bees nests and spider poop all over.


Its not nice to talk about your friends like this. :lol: :lol:
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She was sitting in a garage !

Postby Skippa » Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:40 pm

Nice catch Algonquin,
I fix pop machines for a living, I guess I can give up my dream of writing for the New Yorker !
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Postby GreenLake » Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:26 am

Reading these great posts made me think back.

I came to the Daysailer through a friend who spotted one in a driveway and helped me make the purchase by acting as the surveyor to check out the boat, and who joined me for the maiden voyage. After that, I was content to work things out for myself.

For many years, I never sailed without some crew, until one day, I realized I was limiting myself. After all, if I would accept a 5-year as "crew" I might just as well sail by myself. Although one should never underestimate the help that even little hands can offer.

All this time, I was lucky: stuff kept breaking or needed maintenance at just about the rate that matched my growing understanding of how to take care of boat and trailer.

In sorting things out for myself, I tried to pass on whatever level of understanding I had reached to anyone foolish enough to sail with me. I hope they got as much out of it as I did - trying to put things into words really clarified them for me and laid the groundwork for new insights.

A succession of borrowed older teenagers kept urging me to add some more excitement, by going out in stronger winds, among other things.

Then, more recently, crew of any kind sort of dried up, just when I had in mind to go out more often than in previous years. I decided to check out a very popular, local "fun" regatta. Not another DS to be found, but an eclectic mix of boats and personalities. At the pre-seaon kick-off party I was able to hang out my shingle (name tag) and found a steady crew for most of the season.

Compared to many of the other boats the DS is a slow boat, but in addition I'm finding out all the ways where I am slow. The list of maintenance projects now include a few items that are intended to address some low-hanging fruit in terms of performance. The number of telltales has mushroomed, and for some, I even know how to read them. :oops:

The old hands are patiently pushing me further along. A spinnaker is surely in my future, as are modifications to CB, rudder or both. But lots of little simple tips are already showing results. From discussing the local winds to strategies of dealing with the moving obstacles (the ponderous slow and wind-stealing keelboats from an earlier start).

Some of the upgrades will definitely risk not being class legal. Other DS exist on these waters, I've seen some from afar, but why limit my fun for the sake of playing with people who don't want to play with me? The same sentiment seems to animate many of the other participants, whose boats are full of nifty little things that nobody in their classes has heard of, either.

What I like about the DS as a boat, is that it has supported all these different modes of using it over the years, and I still use it for extended day sails (for me, those usually somehow include a goodly portion of sailing under the stars before I make it back :shock: ).
Last edited by GreenLake on Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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love my DS1

Postby kokko » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:22 am

Like so many others, I brought an old DS1 back to life. If sat out next to a barn near my inlaws. For years I would drive by and see it. Finally I stopped to talk to the owner. at the time I could not get within about ten feet because of the wasp nests, so I returned in late winter and struck a deal. Despite the negelct, it was sound, but it took months of work before I was ready to really sail it.

I just returned from a weekend at my inlaws summer place where i berth the boat. It was some of the best sailing I have had in years. Gentle winds. I still marvel at how smart George O'Day was in designing this boat and how beautifully she sails.

I also keep a Catalina 22 at a nearby lake, and am only able to get to Truelove about once a month, but how I treasure that little boat. There is just something different about a little daysailer. Not better, just different than sailing my C22.

I have this fantasy about buying and restoring old daysailers when I retire. I so enjoy putzing on the boat.
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Postby K.C. Walker » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:22 am

Peter, I was wondering if there would be other old car folks amongst DaySailer owners. I've been thinking about a Miata all summer! I gave up my 1986 Volvo 740 Turbo last summer, it was still running great but practicality dictated that my wife needed a new car and I inherited her minivan for pulling the boat. Being that my business uses part of the garage as a warehouse, I didn't want leave it out in the driveway. Before that I had a Volvo P1800 and a Mercedes 190 SL. All older cars and all with plenty of sweat equity involved.

I think part of the fun of having a DaySailer is thinking about how to make them sail better. Sure, I like sailing them all summer but I get a lot of pleasure out of tinkering and thinking about what I want to fix next during the winter. It seems that has turned into more of a project in the spring/early summer and delays my sailing. At least that's happened for the last 2 summers.

Not sure how many times I've been out this summer. I'm not even sure how to count them. If I go out for a before breakfast sail, come back for b reakfast, go out with someone as an morning sail, come back and have lunch and go out with someone else for the afternoon sail, is that sailing 3 times? Or is that just one day of sailing? :-)

I'm leaving in a few minutes for just that kind of sailing!

KC
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Postby Peterw11 » Wed Aug 25, 2010 9:25 am

K.C.

All the things you admire about the Daysailer can be said about a Miata, as well.

Fun, durable, cheap to own and maintain, classic design and capable of a lot more than you'd first expect. I've had mine 15 years, and wouldn't dream of selling it.

I've been lucky enough to be able to garage it during winter months, so it doesn't show a lot of mileage (just turned 80k) and it still looks as good as the day I bought it.

Granted, it's not the fastest thing around, but it is fast enough to get you arrested. They made their reputation on fun and handling, and at that, it's the next best thing to a motorcycle.

First generation (pop-up headlights) Miatas were built for about 10 years, so they're are tons of them around, for cheap money, and as they are considered a summer ride, (especially in the Northeast), you can easily find one with fairly low mileage and summer only usage.

Parts, both OEM and aftermarket, are readily available. I've spent a bit on modifications over the years, (wheels, tires, leather interior, Nardi steering wheel, chassis braces, exhaust, etc) because I've never had to spend much on repairs.

If you like the DS, you'll love the Miata.

P.S. I doubt if it makes a very good tow vehicle, though. You'll probably have to keep the minivan for that.
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Postby ctenidae » Wed Aug 25, 2010 5:58 pm

Peterw11 wrote:
If you like the DS, you'll love the Miata.



I love the stories in this thread, adn would share mine except it's the same as everyone elses- classic DS, I think.

However, "If you like the DS, you'll love the Miata" is not the kind of marketing slogan I'd pick to increase sales of the boats. :lol:
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