Hello, all! I'm new to the forum, but have been checking out all the great insights here over the last few weeks as I get used to my newly-acquired Daysailer, #8014 Sea Nile.
First off, I seem to be in a little bit of a gray area on the configuration of my boat. Hull ID embossed on the transom is XDYD8014M76D. The hull index on the DSA site leads me to believe that the DS1 wasn't made in '76, but this is clearly a DS 1 with open cuddy, centerboard handle, wood flooring, molded benches, etc. I will follow up in a few days with some photos.
Definitely lots of work to do on this boat, but it's sailing well so far with new(ish) rigging and sails. Soggy foam under the benches, and I ripped out some styrofoam and plywood that was between the benches and coamings. I assume that flotation was to prevent turtling? I could poke my finger through the plywood and the white styrofoam was coming out of every crevice, so that was the first thing to go.
The boat did not take on much water in light winds (<6-7 knots) and 1-foot waves, but today I took my wife and daughter out in 8-10 knots & 2-3 ft waves on Narragansett Bay. Over the course of an hour, we bailed out a couple gallons of water from the cabin. I suspected the centerboard gasket leaking, but when I raised the bow and pulled the keelson drain plug, there was a fair amount (1-2 quarts) that flowed out of the drain. I will still be replacing the centerboard gasket and tightening the triangle plate a bit more. It just doesn't seem like that much water would leak through the centerboard handle, even with an older but still supple gasket. There are also two roughly 1/2" "ports" in the top/front edge of the centerboard trunk. Not sure why they are there, but I presume they are open through the trunk/hull. I didn't think to check whether water was coming in there. There was water in the cabin on both sides of the keelson, but seemed like more on the starboard side. Hard to say if that was where it was coming from, or just due to more heeling to that side.
Either way, I presume that the forward tank leak and the centerboard/cabin leak are independent. I guess they could be related if there's a crack all the way through the hull somewhere in that area that hits both sections. Out of curiosity, any thoughts on why the keelson is connected to the forward tank? Is that just to provide a place to drain that's lower/further aft?
I'm trying to get as many days on the water as I can and do some major work in the off season to add inspection ports throughout, pull soaked foam, sand, repair, and gelcoat everything. Until then, I'm going to have fun, keep as much water out as I can, and spend some time scouring the forum for how-tos.
Thanks!
John