DaySailer.org Forum

I originally posted these questions to a Moose in the WTB section of the forum. Since that is cleaned out from time to time I put them here where they belong.

Moose,

If you've worn out a DS III hull I think that makes you the forums resident expert on DS III's. So now for some Q&A:
1. I know there's some differences for the 3 model but what are the differences?
2. I do know they are not race legal which may mean there's some kind of perceived or real advantage performance wise, is there advantages?
3. What do you like or dislike about the 3 compared with the 1 or 2 models?

Fred B

I'm not Moose, and I have a DSII, but I know a few things about the DSIII. I'll offer them until Moose chimes in.

1. The basic hull is the same for all three, but the DSIII has higher freeboard aft. This probably makes it a drier boat, and definitely makes it look like a keelboat.

2. The jib sheet cleats are on top of the coamings, rather than on the inboard sides of the coamings as on the DSII. How,or whether, this affects the boat's sailing ability has been the subject of some debate in other threads.

3. The centerboard has a pivot pin, rather than a through-bolt. The pin is supported from below by two wedges, which fit into pockets molded into the hull alongside the centerboard trunk. The pin doesn't pass through the hull, so there's no potential leak point there. The screws that support the wedges are possible leak points. I'm familiar with this arrangement because I have the same thing on my 1980 DSII.

4. I'm not really sure why the DSIII isn't class legal. Maybe someone thought the higher freeboard would allow the boat to be heeled more than a DSI or DSII. It's probably too heavy to be competitive, anyway. Nearly every race boat that I've seen is a DSI. I've been told by one of the people who weighs boats for Morro Bay fleet races that DSIIs generally weigh in the mid-700-pound range. The nominal weight of both the DSI and DSII is 575 pounds, so I'd guess the real-world extra weight of the DSII makes the difference. The DSIII, with the same double hull as the DSII, and the extra fiberglass aft, is probably even heavier than a DSII.

I don't own a DSIII or a DSII, so that should qualify me to be next in line to give input

However, there's one point of what Alan mentions that I think I can safely comment on. If you sheet the jib to the coamings, the smallest sheeting angle is wider than if you sheet them inboard. Now, the width of the DS cockpit is too wide to get the correct sheeting angle for optimal pointing in certain conditions. That is true no matter which side of the coamings you sheet the jib on. The fix is simple: fit a set of Barber inhauls.

With these you can achieve tighter sheeting angles, and in moderate wind and flat water, your DS should point higher.

Once you've done that, you'd still want to be able to adjust the sheeting position fore and aft. Alan didn't mention whether the DSIII has tracks or a fixed fairlead on the coamings. If the latter, it might be worth upgrading. The remaining difference should be whether the windward tracks and block dig into your back or bottom while you lean against or sit on top of the coamings respectively.