Upgrade priority

[Watson]

I have a few items I am considering for upgrade this season on my 73 ds2. Still mostly a rookie at sailing and mostly a cruiser on nice days on Lake Michigan. Curious to see how some of the experienced owners would rank these 1-4: mainsail; side stays; vang; ratchet blocks.

1) mainsail. I installed the cdi ff1 with new NP jib last season and it works very well. Still have the old rolly mainsail, kind of blown out but not terrible. Would it be worth it to splurge on a new NP mainsail? Worth it from overall enhanced sailing experience and have matched set for resale purposes? Labor low, cost high.

2) thicker side stays. Ordered them last year but never installed because I noticed I’d have to upgrade to the larger spreaders as well (and install the new chain plates). Current stays in very good condition but most likely original. Forestay already changed out with furler. Labor high, cost low.

3) boom vang. A lot of posts saying these are must have but I still have it low on my list for some reason. I understand the concept and benefits but also like to keep things simple. Also, dumb question, but is a vang as important to have if you have mid boom sheeting? Labor med, cost med-high.

4) ratchet blocks for jib. No labor involved and not huge expense, but what is degree of enhanced sailing experience with these?

Thanks

[GreenLake]

OK, I'm game. here are my answers to your four points:

1. On a DS, the main has a significant influence on overall sailing experience. A new sail should make a noticeable improvement. However, I'd say having a "matched" set is not as important as replacing an old blown-out sail that can't hold its shape. Also, especially if you are mainly cruising, you may want to have reef points added.
2. Upgrading your stays. If they fail, the mast comes down (or, if keel-stepped, gets bent). Stainless steel wire and fittings being what they are, it's not possible to eliminate the possibility of hidden damage by inspection. I was able to upgrade w/o changing spreaders or chainplates. (They may well be worth upgrading, based on their condition, and DSII chain plates apparently have their own issues).
3. Having center boom sheeting makes being able to do vang sheeting more desirable, not less. A non-expert sailor would set the vang for a desired sail shape (leech tension) and the main benefit would be that when the main is released, the sail simply rotates, without changing shape. That means, the sail stays flat when the main is eased in a gust. (Without, the boom would rise as the angle of the mainsheet changes, powering up the sail). I think you would notice the difference. Better gust response is part of active safety.
4. Especially in very gusty conditions you may prefer to hold the jib sheet instead of cleating it. Same if wind direction is so variable as to need constant adjustment. In that case, ratchet blocks make it much easier to hold the sheet when the pull on it is strong. In priority, they come after the ratchet block on the main.

Now let's hear from others.

[Alan]

I'll jump in on what I know about, which is the old vs. new stays. The factory originals, at least all the way up to my 1980 DSII, were 3/32-inch diameter. The replacements that D&R Marine sells are 1/8-inch diameter. The early ones had a reputation for breaking, which, as GL says, can leave you dismasted.

Going back in time over the 15 years I've had the boat (Ahem. Who's had whom, sailor? Boat) this was one of the first things I did.

[Watson]

Very helpful, thank you both! Not as fun as a new sail but probably best to get the stays changed out first for a little peace of mind.

[GreenLake]

On a sailboat, the sails are your main means of propulsion. That means that investing in them has a big effect on your use of the boat (some would even say your enjoyment of the boat). However, they are not simply 'cloth-based' equivalents to a motor. Unlike a motor, they wear out rather noticeably and steadily with use, and therefore have a much shorter replacement cycle. More like tires or break pads on your car. That makes it less an "investment" but more a running expense. You could even start a savings plan just for replacing your sails, and put a little bit in for every hour you sail. Not sure anyone does it that way, but it would be logical.

For big boats, replacing the standing rigging is something you might do every 10 to 15 years. One factor there is that the majority of keelboats are used on salt water, the other factor is that the mast is kept standing either over the season or year round. A boat that is dry sailed on a lake, perhaps in a cooler climate, might stack the odds in favor of longevity of the rigging. But after half a century, it's time. Even if it's not "fun".

Many people have beefed up the chainplates on the DSII using, for example, a length of round stock resting in the fold of the deck-hull joint. That seems a reasonable thing to do while you are at it.

[Watson]

Mine does have that beefy support under the rubrail so I guess it was added on at some point. The holes don’t line up with the new chain plate though, which is unfortunate because they are in good condition. I was also thinking maybe I could just leave the existing chain plates and bore the holes wider to accept the larger pins. It was also great to hear from your previous post that you were able to keep your existing spreaders. I’ll have to look again but it didn’t look like the 1/8 wire would fit through the wire loops holding the stay to the spreader. I guess I could just make larger loops.

[GreenLake]

Larger loops, larger holes would probably be my first approach in a situation like yours.

I would want to inspect the chainplates very thoroughly for any hints of stress cracking, but unlike wire and wire terminals, you get good visual access to everything if you take the off the boat (if that's an option). I'm not sure whether you've drilled stainless before. I read that the secret is in using drill bits rated for that and to keep to moderate speeds and pressure to avoid overheating and work hardening your piece. So far, that has worked for me. Not to forget lubrication.

I don't know what your spreaders look like. Mine were simple cylindrical tubes with a slot for the stay and a tiny hole for a seizing wire (at the outer end). The idea is to place the wire stay into the slot, then feed a length of seizing wire through the holes. Initially, it's parallel to the stay, but then you take each end and wrap it tightly around the stay. That prevents the stay from jumping out of the slot, but also prevents the spreader from sliding along the stay. Any and all solutions that accomplish those two ends are fine.

PS: I may have had to drill out the holes on my chainplates as well. It's too long ago for reliable memory of something that took at best a few minutes. But I do know that before I had to go to some length to find spare pins narrow enough to use with then existing stays. (On my boat, the stays were no longer the originals: some PO had them replaced and the seller gave me the receipt from the rigging shop they used. Years later, I looked them up and was able to purchase the "last" pin of that size they had in stock.)