Construction DS1, DS2, etc.

[Guest]

Hello. Does anyone know how the DS hulls were constructed? For example, are they cored with balsa, airex, or ??? I understand the Spindrift manufactured versions were balsa cored, but the others?
Also, under the DS2 floor is it foam or is it an air tank.
Also, how does a DS compare in stability to say, a Flying Scot or a Harpoon 4.6?
Thanks in advance

Howard (bishop2398-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

All of the Day Sailer models (DS I, II, and III) built by O'Day have uncored fiberglass hulls. There are blocks of foam under the cockpit seats on the DS II (and I assume DS III) as well as a few under the cockpit sole (floor). There is also a lot of loose pieces of foam up in the bow between the hull and the forward bulkhead. The deck is stiffened by foam-cored deck beams, the bottom also has (if I remember from the last time I looked?) four (2 per side) foam-cored stringers to stiffen the flat areas. All these foam-core beams/stringers get their stiffness from the fiberglass, not the foam (closed cell), the foam is basically used to mold the beams and is left in place.

I've never sailed a Flying Scott or any of the BW Harpoons, but I would think that the DS would fall in between them as far as stability. The FS seems to have a low rig and a full (boxy?) hull shape that would produce stability, the Harpoon 5.2 seems to have a more nimble racy hull shape (faster, but maybe not as resistant to initial heeling). The DS is pretty stable, but is still nimble. All of these boats gain stability from crew position, ideally sitting on the windward rail or at least the windward seat.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Thanks for the response. I'm coming from a scow/sunfish background, but I think we're ready for something with seats and a little higher boom.
Again, thanks.

Howard (bishop2398-at-yahoo.com)