New DS1 Owner

[GreenLake]

Well, mine (#1404 if we can take that as correct) has the motor well and does not have the traveller arrangement. So, sometime between 1961 (late) and 1963 (mid). Because "ctnidae" has the same hull configuration, the #1114 appears confirmed there.

You can read elsewhere on the site that sail numbers were not given out in strict sequence - one poster speculated they just had the sails made up in batches and would grab the nearest bag. Apparently there are some confirmed discrepancies between hull and sail # sequence.

Anyways, at a rate of 20-25 boats a month, #1114 would be 4-5 months younger than #1001. So it seems like the cutover didn't happen until at least '62. (If anyone has a boat in that range and can contribute details, that would be great!).

How are your jibsheets laid out originally?

My hull has two circular "platforms" about 4" across, molded into the side decks a little rear of the cuddy. These could have been used to mount jib-leads or blocks, from were the jib sheets would have been lead inboards trough the coamings. That was never done on my boat (the coamings don't have holes). More intriguing is the fact that there are holes for jib-leads that were drilled through the deck (but later filled with gel-coat in the factory - using the original color). The filled holes can easily be seen from underneath.

If I had to speculate, then either what was delivered with my boat was an option or they decided to change the setup, but had some decks built already - in either case, they must have decided to refurbish an existing deck.

[gary l. britton]

FYI: my DS I sail number is 3235, and according to the Great State of Oklahoma (and you know they make no mistakes), it is a 1966 model. This will probably add more confusion to the year your boat was made.

Good luck and fair winds and enjoy your new boat no matter what the age.

Yukonterr
"Dancing Girls II", #3235
1966, DS I

[ctenidae]

Hard to say how the jibsheets were originally laid out. There are blocks mounted just aft of the shrouds, and holes with nylon bushings in the coming. The sheets lead to what appear to be the original cam cleats (solid bronze), attached to a wooden block mounted on top of the CB trunk. I don't think they're in their original position, since they're angled about 30 degrees and were put in with wood screws.

[GreenLake]

@gary
If your number represents a total number of boats produced, then that would imply 1700 boats in three years (vs. 1500 for the first five or so years), or a doubling of the production rate.

There is a chance that there was a gap in numbers somewhere at some point in time - whereas the statement of 1500 boats by 1963 seems to actually reflect a calim by O'Day about the number of boats. At least that's how the article was written.

I recall reading something about the class numbers not squaring 1:1 with the number of hulls built, nor the sequence of their assembly.

Your #3235 is a bit high for 1966 compared to other boats (see http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1388), which are in the 2600 range. However, if they figured out how to build 500+ boats per year by then, you could just be the owner of a late December model.

[GreenLake]

@navahoIII
About your earlier question. In the history section I found a link (http://www.arlingtonyachtclub.org/telltales/feb2004.pdf) to an article that claims:

With the assistance of a entleman by the name of Bob Eschback, redesign of the cockpit interior was added in 1960 to efine and reposition flotation tanks and take advantage of improved techniques in fiberglass onstruction. Problems with hull-to-deck joining were corrected, and hull stiffening added to revent oil-canning in chop.

This seems to not have been done all at once, because, for example, the hull for my DS lacks the stiffening, but has the motor well and other features that differ from the earliest DS.

[GreenLake]

@ctenidae
The holes with their nylon bushings are the original configuration. From what other people have posted, the cleats for the jibsheets apparently used to be on the thwarts, not on the CB trunk, originally.

[ctenidae]

@ctenidae
The holes with their nylon bushings are the original configuration. From what other people have posted, the cleats for the jibsheets apparently used to be on the thwarts, not on the CB trunk, originally.

Interesting- if those coamings haven't been replaced, then they are in remarkable shape. If they have, then someone took the care to put them back right, but didn't maintain the manufacturer's plate, which strikes me as incongruous. Of course, in 40 years, all sorts of things can happen...

Cleats on the thwarts seems awfully awkward. much better on the CB trunk.

[GreenLake]

Right. Mine is missing the manuf. plate as well, but, because the holes for it are there, I'm assuming the coamings are in fact original. Perhaps there was somegthing about how the plate was fastened that made it easy for it to come off, harder to put back on. Rivets?

Or the plates might have weathered poorly, so people didn't feel like putting them back on after refinishing the wood.

Curious if anyone reading this thread has an early 60's DS with a builder's plate on the coaming and can post a picture.

BTW, getting the wood to lock good with covered storage and a bit of TLC is not all that hard. If the previous owners took reasonable care, I see no reason why yours shouldn't be the original ones.

[MrPlywood]

Me again. I just so happen to have shots of the my jib sheet setup as it was when I bought the boat. You can see the molded riser with holes. The spacing of the holes look suited for a block, but mine had bulls-eye fairleads, with the line then lead through the coamings. I'm not sure if the bulls-eye layout was original.

Since the jibsheet is oversized that was a slow arrangement, lots of drag. I have mounted blocks inside the coamings which has sped things up. I'm getting new, smaller diameter line, when it goes on sale , and that should help even more.

BTW, I think one of the side coamings is original, one is a good replacement. I don't know about the rear coaming. I can't find any sign of an ID plate.

[MrPlywood]

I forgot I had these. These are screencaps from Mr Hobbs Takes a Vacation, circa 1962, with Jimmy Stewart. Jimmy (Mr Hobbs) gives the impression that he is a sailor, and he is offered a boat for the day which is a Daysailer #973. He takes his son out, they forget to drop the keel, sail through a crowded harbor, get lost in the fog, hilarity ensues. It's also some good archival info about the DS, including the elusive wire traveler. The side shot shows what appears to be a bulls-eye fairlead for jibsheet handling.

[GreenLake]

In the first screencap you can (barely) make out the jib-sheet. It appears fastened to the top of the CB trunk. In the third image, the jib-sheet's been removed. I strongly suspect the reason was that the shot was recreated in the studio for the close-up.

I just noticed something in your picture named "stern" in your earlier post that shows your new traveler: I don't see any thwarts! (the little wooden boards between the CB trunk and the front corner of the benches).

Instead I see a prominent rib on the side of the CB trunk. Is that original?

In mine, there's no rib, and there's a preformed indentation in the forward part of the seat edge to take the thwart. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about, except it doesn't show the way the thwart meets the seat.

[MrPlywood]

Yeah, no thwarts. Never had them as far as I can tell. The ribs are original. The floorboards are made to fit over them. You can see them better here:

[seandwyer]

Hey Guys,

I'm eating this thread up! I have got to find a copy of that movie now that I have the title. It's odd - looking at old sales brochures I came across one last night showing a barely recognizable image of Jimmy Stewart that also serendipitously advertised a book on sailing written by O'Day himself. I wasn't sure where to start with the movie, but after a bit of searching I located and purchased a copy of the book (tattered for 5 bucks) on ebay - just a little while ago! Now I need to find the movie. The book was advertised on a sales sheet for the Daysailer - and it turns out the book has a 1961 copyright. Once I have it, if there are further images contained within, I will see if I can either describe what i see or scan them in - we'll see.

[ctenidae]

The movie is available through Netflix. I just added it to my queue.

I found an old thread in History that had a list of members and the type, year, and number of their boats. It'd be interesting to revivie that list, and try to figure out defining characterisitics of the various years to aid in placing unknown boats.

I noticed the missing jib sheets in the one picture, too- probably the jib was in tehe way of a light or reflector or something. Thee shot of them heading out they don't have a jib rigged, either.

[seandwyer]

Just came back from the movie rental store - no dice. Looks like I might need to join Netflix just to see this particular movie. There are two 10 minutes clips on you tube, but nothing about the boat.