Where to start?

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS2. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

Moderator: GreenLake

Re: Where to start?

Postby andycayman » Mon Feb 04, 2019 4:25 pm

Thanks for the quick replies GL, that is all very helpful. I will pop a cleat on the tube and see how well it locks into place.

I assume that I can roll the job and main together?

My boom vang looks different but I think the angle is about how I think it will be when the boom is at the correct height.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby GreenLake » Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:23 pm

Some people fold the top of the sail once (first few feet) then start rolling.

Some people don't take the mainsail off the boom each time, but roll it next to the boom.

You can roll as many sails together as you'd like, but I can't see the point. I don't have a place to lay out the sails on the ground for rolling, so I have to do it while holding the sail. The thought of having to manipulate two sails simultaneously would drive me to distraction.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Where to start?

Postby andycayman » Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:11 am

OK, another update and a couple of questions.

We had our first sail in the boat yesterday, but unfortunately it was cut short as the rudder kept swinging up and made steering heavy and a bit random. I tried tightening the rudder hinge bolt but it did not help at all. Also, after an hour in choppy conditions and about three hours moored I dragged her out onto the trailer and removed the bilge drain, I was surprised at the amount of water in the bilge, but I have no experience to know if it was normal or not. I suspect entry was through the cb trunk line holes, but we did get water in the boat and maybe the deck access ports are not water tight.

I searched the forum for "rudder up haul" and found this post...
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5484#p30774

It looks neat but just wanted to know if anyone has a similar mod on stock rudder? I only plan to rig a downhaul to stop the rudder swinging up whilst under sail.

As for the water in the bilge, I really do not want to careen and repair the cb haul line channels, I plan to keep the boat on a trailer but I also want to be able to sail for a few hours without sinking! so I am looking for a guide on what is an acceptable amount of water to find in the bilge for an afternoons sailing. I know that is hugely subjective, but I have no baseline reference!. My guess is that there was at least a liter or two.

Next is the jib travelers tracks are a little loose , I can tighten the screws for the tracks I think, but easing the jib sheets one handed was a little hard as I had to give the sheet several jerks to get it clear of the cleats and I suspect that may be why the tracks are loose. The travelers are stock so any advice on "jib traveler use made simple" would be welcomed.

Aside from the above, sailing the boat for the first time was a blast and it was made possible in no small part from this forum. So a huge thank you to everyone that has offered assistance and advice over the past months as I worked to get "Sea Dragon" sea-worthy!
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Re: Where to start?

Postby GreenLake » Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:26 pm

On the rudder downhaul.

I get by with friction from the pivot bolt. But barely. I don't tend to get the rudder to swing the full 90 degrees back, but if we're really moving, I see it go out to about 20 degrees and then I reach over and push it back occasionally. I would be better off with a downhaul, but then we get weeks of light airs and I think about something else. . .

I've sailed on a boat that had that setup and it works - as long as the cleat is one that "pops" under overlaod. You don't want to rip out your transom because you hit something with the rudder locked in the down position.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Where to start?

Postby jalmeida51 » Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:57 am

I have a downhaul on my rudder and it works well. I leave the rudder pivot bolt lose. The downhaul attaches to the leading edge of the rudder about 2 inches down from the pivot bolt. It runs up through the lower pintle, up through the top pintle, through a hole drilled into the tiller. To a auto-release cleat made by Clam Cleat.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby andycayman » Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:38 am

Thank you for the feedback on the rudder downhaul, sounds like an easy solution, I will order the parts this week.

Now for the jib tracks, a couple of the screws are very loose, and when I removed one "screw" I heard what I assume to be a nut falling inside the bilge. I assume that must have been there since manufacture because there are no access ports to the side of the cockpit. It's so hot working on the boat here I really do not want to have to start cutting access ports to get to the back of the jib tracks. So has anyone replaced the tracks or fasteners on the jib tracks without access to the back? Are there any clever blind stainless fasteners that are suitable for fiberglass?
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Re: Where to start?

Postby Alan » Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:26 pm

I've installed new jib tracks (1980 DSII), but I installed 4-inch inspection ports for access. There's a wooden reinforcing plate behind the fiberglass. I don't know of any fastener I'd trust to secure the jib tracks without a nut on the inside. The wood may also be deteriorated. The good news is that the inspection ports weren't hard to install.

On the water in the bilge, my experience is that a lot of water can enter the bilge through the uphaul line port, in a short amount of time (in my case, a foot in a couple of hours). That's because the centerboard trunk pressurizes the water and pushes it through the uphaul port, rather than just allowing it to splash in. The water passes through the uphaul cable hole in the hull molding, but drains down into the bilge rather than passing through the cockpit molding into the cuddy.

The fix doesn't require removing the centerboard.There's a detailed description of it elsewhere on the forum, but I can't find it right now. I'll post it when I do.

In the meantime, there's a quick stopgap solution that I came up with in desperation when I was about to head off to Tahoe and didn't have time to finish the proper fix. Pull the plastic donut (grommet) out of the uphaul line hole (at the front of the centerboard trunk, inside the cuddy). Slide it along the uphaul cable to give yourself some working room. Stuff some pieces of compressible foam into the hole so it fills the gap between the cockpit molding and the hull molding, then push the donut back into position.

Then go sailing, starting with a dry bilge, and see what happens. The foam worked wonders in my case - I got little or no water in the bilge. If you still get a lot of water, the problem may be elsewhere.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby Alan » Sun Feb 24, 2019 4:17 pm

I found one of several descriptions, here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4949

The "raise centerboard" callout points to the uphaul cable. The "PENDANT THROUGH-HOLES" callout indicates the holes in the hull molding (on the right) and cockpit molding (on the left).

One of the posters on this thread had trouble removing the donut. Mine is plastic and comes out easily.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby GreenLake » Sun Feb 24, 2019 7:09 pm

Here's the image:
Image

Were you able to complete the repair along the lines suggested?
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Where to start?

Postby andycayman » Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:06 pm

Great idea about packing foam in around the cb uphaul cable, I am pretty sure my dougnut will be able to move, not so great news about the jib tracks, I guess I will need to cut access ports to make sure the wooden reinforcing plate is still suitable, and get access to the rear to get the tracks secured, uugh, squshing into the cuddy to jig-saw fiberglass in 90 degrees is not my idea of fun!.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby tomodda » Mon Feb 25, 2019 12:18 am

How about using a hole-saw bit? And, I may be crazy, but I still think anchor bolts are the way to go, you just have to sub out the right size flat-head screw for the round-head screw.. but a line of anchor bolts should be enough to hold your jib track.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby GreenLake » Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:48 am

Nut and washer or the anchor from an anchor bolt would work. The wood is liable to suffer from dry-rot, which would make it worse than useless. If it's not so far gone as to feel crumbly, I would recommend treating it (from behind and through the holes for the track bolts with a Borax solution (such as Board defense from SystemThree)).

I occurs to me that an alternative would be to work with a "base" on the outside. Some pre-laminated support, perhaps 1/4" thick, just wide and long enough to fit under the track, but glued to the outside of the deck. That should give enough support for screws (not bolts) and provide enough load distribution. I don't think it would even look all that bad.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Where to start?

Postby Alan » Mon Feb 25, 2019 11:58 am

I think I'd start with GreenLake's approach - faster and easier than cutting a hole.

I cut all of my access port holes with a Dremel, a guide bar and a cutting bit. It's pretty easy and makes tidy holes.
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Re: Where to start?

Postby GreenLake » Mon Feb 25, 2019 2:04 pm

If you want to cut an access hole and don't have a Dremel: drilling closely spaced holes along a circle with a drill does work. The edge will look, well, perforated, but the deck plate fitting will cover that, so it doesn't matter.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Where to start?

Postby Woreign » Mon Feb 25, 2019 5:45 pm

I recently installed the 4" inspection ports in my DS-II to repair the jib tracks. It was very easy to do. I bought a 4.25" hole saw bit from ACE Hardware. It cut through the fiberglass in less then 30 seconds! Then the inspection ports require 6 or 8 holes to be drilled for the screws to hold them in place. A little sealant around the edge and you're done!

The hard part was reaching through the hole to remove the old nuts and bolts and install the new hardware. I used a hacksaw blade to cut off the thin fiberglass that held the wood in place and then used large stainless steel washers and lock nuts to secure the jib tracks.

Another benefit of these new inspection ports is that it's a good location for inserting pool noodles if you want the added buoyancy insurance!
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