DS I Questions

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DS I Questions

Postby Guest » Mon Aug 17, 1998 12:00 am

I'm planning to buy a Day Sailer I and have a few questions for anyone who knows about these boats.

The one I am looking at was not built by O'Day as most are. It was built by Spindrift around 1984. It is a DS I, but has some minor differences on the inside.

Questions:<UL><LI>Do the Spindrift Day Sailers hold their value as well as the O'Day's?</LI><LI>Are they more or less desireable than an O'Day?</LI></UL>Another question. The centerboard on this boat does not fully retract. The current owner had never looked into it and never worried about the problem since he kept the boat on a davit. I will be trailering the boat, however, and will need to get this fixed.<UL><LI>Does anyone have an idea of what the problem might likely be, and how difficult it is to fix?</LI></UL>I realize this is one of those "I'd have to see it first..." questions, but maybe someone knows a common failure that can cause this problem.

The only other problem is that the hull has some small dents on the bottom where it's been sitting on the davit bunks.<UL><LI>Do these pop out once it's taken off the davit?</LI><LI>Are these a structural or simply cosmetic concern?</LI></UL>Thanks for any insights you may have to offer!

Kevin Clark (clark-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Aug 18, 1998 12:00 am

Update on my questions:

I looked at the boat again yesterday... I think I know what the problem is w/
the centerboard. It hangs down about 1 foot and it just needs to swing higher.
I got in the boat, and as you move the lever up and down, it has about 30 degrees
of play in it... With the centerboard down, you can move the lever 2-3" w/
nothing happening. The problem has to do w/ where the lever attatches to
the centerboard. Are these directly connected, or does the lever have some type of linkage to the centerboard? Is it east to remove the centerboard and access all this? Guesses..?


Kevin Clark (clark-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Wed Aug 26, 1998 12:00 am

Kevin,

the centerboard handle has a square end that just plugs into a square hole in the centerboard. There's a metal insert in the board where the hole is drilled.

The board is easy to remove if you can make enough space under the boat to pull it out. Note that nothing prevents the board from falling on the ground when you pull the handle.
Your problem isn't serious if it is due to a worn out handle square end, as it is on my boat. On the other hand, if it is due to the metal insert(s) in the board getting loose, it could get worse and damage the whole board.

Also, try to swing the board down and verify that the handle maintains the leading edge vertical despite the play. If not, you beating performance will suffer.

Hope this helps

Franck Mangin
DS 163

Franck Mangin (Mangin-at-worldnet.att.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Sep 04, 1998 12:00 am

The SPINDRIFT and its immediate predisesor ( REBEL ) are true double hull DAY SAILERS with a balsa core. The complete hull from stem to stern is double hulled unlike all of the later versions. This makes them very stiff, the boat will not distort in hevy winds. The dents in hull will more than likely not pop out and will have to be filled (if you plan to race), if crusing they could stay and not cause a problem. When you get the CB out of the trunk look up inside to make sure there isn't something stuck up in there a stick or weeds.


Dave Misunas (misunas-at-sasquatch.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Apr 16, 1999 12:00 am

Similar problem. When the centerboard handle is notched fully forward, the centerboard is not all the way up, so it gets caught on the center roller of the trailer. This is especially frustrating if you do not get the boat dead center when loading out of the water. I can push the handle a few inches further down to raise the centerboard, but it will not lock in place. Any fixes available will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Fred Menschel (FRED-at-ROADWORKSAUTO.COM)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Apr 19, 1999 12:00 am

Fred,

I'm the guy who started this thread, and I did buy the boat in question. When I started looking into the centerboard problem, I immediatly saw what was wrong. The square hole in the centerboard was rounded as was the handle's square insert, thus I had about 20 degrees of rotation between the two. This translated to having the CB hang down about 12" when in the up and locked position. My centerboard also had once had it's tip broken off and had absorbed a LOT of water into it's plywood core. It now weighed 34 pounds which made it very heavy to lift as well. Therefore, I went ahead and bought a new centerboard from Cape Cod Shipbuilding. It was $195. I had some problems making it work in my Spindrift DS1, but I'm told they fit w/o modification in O'Days.

For a cheap and dirty solution, you could add some kind of spacer between the swinging latch and the catch on the handle... Maybe a couple pennies taped together...? Or, a stout bungie cord from the handle up to the mast base to hold it all the way up..?

Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
DS 11791

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 


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