Greetings all,
I mentioned previously that #1- I recently acquired a DS2 that had been salvaged (or did I mention that part) and am working to again get it sea (or lake) worthy for next season, and #2- I am a complete novice at this stuff, and so all of it is somewhat new and scary to me.
I'm hearing enough NOOB (new owner, old boat) stories that I'm realizing its much better to eliminate as many surprises as possible in advance.
One thing I'm pretty sure I want to do before getting it into the water the first time is to insure the centerboard is well attached to the up/down haul lines. It seems like something better discovered while out of the water, but my trailer (as is probably normal) doesn't provide for any access at all to the centerboard (I assume there is one in there...)
I don't really have a sling or bracing system to hold the boat securely while I work above/below it, so I'm aiming toward lowering it from the trailer to the ground, and then tipping (careening?) it onto its side so that I can access the centerboard, and then remove it and check the line connections.
I just have this really tough time picturing myself pulling the boat over by the halyard? Is this really how you careen this boat? I'd considered removing the mast, running a pair of web slings under the boat from the port side (fore and aft), then back over the top to the port side, anchoring the bottom strap ends, and using my truck to gently pull on "over the top" straps to roll it onto its port side. Is the mast really strong enough to lay the boat over on its side by pulling on the halyard?
Are there better/worse options for this task?
Thanks all,