Buyer Beware ???

[XYZ]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum and judging by the posts I've read thus far this seems to be the place to begin. So... I'm considering buying what I thnk is a 1961 Daysailor.

To date I've only seen photographs of the boat, but am planning to take a look at it this weekend. I've owned several dinghys in the past so feel fairly comfortable doing my own 'survey' of the boat, but was hoping that some of you might be able to point out a few warning signs that are particular to the Daysailor. What, for example, is difficult or near impossible to repair or replace. Etc.

Any advice that would prevent me from buying a lemon would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Sam[/img]

[Peterw11]

Barring major hull damage, there's nothing on a DS that can't be repaired or replaced.

How economically is another story.

Is all the rigging there? Masts can go $350.00 for a new one. A boom, about $200.00, center board, $475.00, rudder and tiller about $300.00, etc.

How are the sails? New ones can run from $500 to over a grand, depending on the mfr. and whether you buy new or used.

What it needs and how much it costs, in addition to the cost of the boat, should make your decision for you.

And then there's the time element. Are you planning on sailing this summer? Can you do the work yourself?

Survey the boat, figure out what it needs, and then go to the D&R Marine site to get your costs.

It may be cheaper and quicker to look for another boat. There's plenty of them out there.

BTW, make sure the boat is indeed an O'Day Daysailer, and not some lesser known or off brand knockoff.

The DS's have pretty strong parts availability. Other lesser known brands may not.

[jdubes]

I agree with this point, "there's nothing on a DS that can't be repaired or replaced."

I find that aside from the big items like the mast, boom, and sails. The small parts can be expensive. Like standing rigging, cleats. This is also typical for most sailboat parts.

My advice if your not familiar with the standard rigging setup for a DaySailer. Take a look at the rigging resources on this site. Make sure the boat has all the standard rigging points and that nothing's been changed by a less then skilled sailboat owner. I've seen a few people really butcher where the Jib control lines come down to centerboard. These standard points are really stressed in high winds and when you trim the boat. And if they're not changed correctly they can fail. Not by choice, but I sail in relatively high winds most of the time, i don't want to worry that a rigging point is going to fail under load.

J

[kkearns]

I agree with all that has been said. The hull is not likely to be an issue since these hulls do not have a core that can become saturated and soft. Check the transom carefully for dry rot, however, as this is one part of the hull that has a wooden core that can become compromised by water damage. Look also at the chainplate area for signs of fiberglass fatigue and possible failure. Opinions vary on this, but I believe you should also look carefully at the wooden floorboards. Are they there and if they are in bad shape can they be repaired? Certainly the boat can be sailed without them and they are not essential, but they do play a role in distributing the crew weight load in the hull when moving around in the boat. I posted here before about hull flexing and I agree with several of the responses that the floorboards are very helpful in distributing load in the bottom of the boat. Some people think the boards are purely cosmetic or an option for comfort, but I don't quite agree. If they are gone or badly damaged, they are expensive to replicate.

Inspect the shrouds, forestay, and spreaders carefully. My guess is that they will need to be replaced on a boat this age.

Have fun!

Kevin

[GreenLake]

Some people remove the floor boards, and then add reinforcements to the hull. Several recent threads on that subject (stringers, core). Others like the floorboards for aesthetic reasons, or to distribute their weight when walking around.

If you are in the former camp and handy with fiberglass, then you can ignore the state of these boards.

If you are in the latter group: the good news is that they are a very simple design, just a bunch of slats mounted on cross members that rest on the floor. Easy to work with.

The floorboards usually need to be refinished (something that you have do to periodically). Typically, unless the previous owner just did that, you'll need to replace some of the fasternes. Occasionally you may need to replace one of the slats, or one of the crossmembers. Easy to do as long as you have the old piece there to match, as most pieces are cut on a curve or angle. If not, you can find templates.

In any case, if you can do the work yourself, it won't be a cost factor, but might take a weekend or two.