by jeadstx » Sat Apr 29, 2017 2:39 am
klb67, to tell the truth, I've only sailed the DS I once. That was in a race in mid March. Saturday will be my second time sailing it and that is for a race also. The race in March was in slow motion with virtually no wind and a really bad main sail. Sail came with the boat, looked and felt virtually unused even though it was 20 years old. Turned out the sail was very poorly made with a leach that was 11" too long. Winds that day were 0 to 1 knot with puffs up to 2, so I didn't get a real feel for the boat.
Despite the poor wind on my first sail with the DS I, these are my initial thoughts on comparing my DS I to sailing my DS II. You sit lower in the boat since there is no raised cockpit deck. Leg room seems to be a little better on the DS I. When I race, since I am a large man, I usually work the jib sheets and have a lighter weight helmsman to better balance out the boat. Sitting forward with the open cuddy on the DS I was definitely more comfortable for me. When racing the DS II, in light winds I have to kneel across the centerboard to help control heel. With the light winds we had the day I raced, I sat on the centerboard trunk (note to self, remember to bring the cushion this time) a lot. Although a bit uncomfortable (without a cushion), it was way better than kneeling. I have bad knees and kneeling is painful at times. The thwarts were nice to be able to use as well. Only real problem I had was sitting on the jib sheets, but I tend to do that on the DS II as well. This last week, I cams inside the cuddy on the roof. I looked at pictures I had of some DS I boats from the Wurstfest Regatta and observed different methods of mounting jib cams just inside the cuddy to get them out of the cockpit. This modification would be difficult on the DS II due to the cuddy bulkhead. I will find out Saturday if this change works. I left the centerboard cams in place for when I single hand as they would be easier to get at. Getting the jib sheets out of the cuddy may help when I raise the spinnaker (I think) since it will be less lines to clear. I didn't get a chance to use the spinnaker in the March race since other boats didn't have one, the two of us with spinnakers were asked not to use ours.
Of course, centerboard operation is easier with the lever, although initially it took some getting used to. I kept forgetting the locking pawl. I originally got the DS I as a loaner boat when we race Day Sailers as a class (which our yacht club allows regularly), but that may fall to my DS II. The DS I does seem to handle a little better. My main competitor in our DS Fleet 135, David commented that even with our bad mainsail we were ghosting ahead of his DS II in the light winds. David and my friends having a running joke that he and I are having an "arms race" with our DS II boats. I upgrade, he matches or tries to make an additional improvement. My helmsman asked him what he is going to do if I switch to the DS I for racing. When rigging for the March race I teased David that there was DS I for sale nearby. He and his crew laughed at me. David's new (old) DS I currently sits in my yard awaiting being set up for racing. His DS II is for sale.
Hope that answers some of what you were wanting to know of my observed differences. I'll have a little more feeling about it after the Saturday race. I'm using a brand new main and my new hardware installs.
John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas