PapaPiranha wrote:Back seeking advice on 1967 DS1. I use it for 2 weeks, big family vacation, every 2 years on a NC barrier island where it is stored outside (I live in St. Louis). Needless to say, quite a salty boat by now. Next visit in a week, and original cam cleats are shot. Plan to pick up new Harken or similar before trip, but what to do with them?
Nice boat.
PapaPiranha wrote:1. Main cam seems straightforward--I think I can remove old and drill new holes on the plate where it is now to attach the new one. But if this is a bad idea, I'd love to know.
The mounting is in an embedded bronze plate that has the holes drilled and tapped. Might be tricky if you can't cleanly fit a new hole pattern without interfering with the old. Some people make an adapter plate instead (has both hole patterns, but can be sized so you can place both, perhaps using 45 degree rotation for the new ones.
But, perhaps this still has some life in it? Still sailing with the original setup on my boat. From the picture, it looks like a bit of rust that can be cleaned with phosporic acid or bar keepers friend.
What I would do, is replace the block above it, on the boom, with a ratchet block. Allows you to hold the sheet in your hand with less effort; you'll use the cleats less. Same can be used for the jib sheets. I'm partial to the Ronstan ones. put mine on "auto" and they disengage in light air (low pull).
PapaPiranha wrote:2.
Jib cams are tougher, and I've seen at least 6 different methods of mounting them in these forums (deck, under coaming, cuddy lip, direct to cb trunk, custom bracket over cb). Little time for anything elaborate, so I'm thinking of just mounting them to the centerboard seats as shown here:
https://forum.daysailer.org/tech_rigguide.php Is there a better idea? There's wood coaming around cockpit so deck mount might be tricky.
I used Harken small boat tracks, when my original ones failed. They coamings are already as far outboard as you ever want to go. I use inhaulers to bring the sheets further in, in moderate winds (they are not used for really light or for strong winds).
The
[b]black [/b]cleat in the picture is one of the ones I use for the inhauls. I have two. They end in a small block (or even a low friction ring) through which you lead the jib sheet. When you pull on the inhaul, it pulls it sideways, as if your track was mounted a few inches closer to the centerline. I rig mine so they cross each other in the middle. That way, you can more easily operate them from the windward side.
For the cleats, nothing beats center cleating for flexibility in my book, but as shown, that is, non-captive (no bar over the cleat. With non-captive cleats and ratchet blocks, it's easy to pull the jib sheet from any seating position and then reach over with hand (or foot) to cleat them. That way, you can take a kid sailing and help out cleating a jib, which is otherwise hard if you are not sitting in the crew position. Also helps in single handing. With a ratchet block, you may find you need to cleat less often.
Build yourself a little platform. Mine was custom made for very little money at a machine shop, but if you can bend and drill metal, you can do your own. Some people have used wood. The white ends are for the bolts that go through the CB trunk, just below the top. Note that the cleats sit on wedges so they are angled in the direction of pull.
PapaPiranha wrote:
Can't tell thickness of sheets, but guessing 1/2"--if you think different, let me know!
There's an entire thread here on the forum called "
Rope for various lines" and it tells all. The key is not to go overboard, the strength requirements are not excessive. You want something that runs well through the blocks and cleats but is also grippy. The materials discussed can be used for either type of sheet.
PapaPiranha wrote:3. The metal rings that position the outboard motor (inside the well) are shot. Worth replacing? Not sure where to find, D&R doesn't seem to have them.
Not original. Take a piece of white plastic 1/2" cutting board and make a strip across the top, with two indents. That will prevent the motor from sliding around should the clamp not be tight enough. That cutting board material is great stuff for many things, as long as you don't need to glue it.
PapaPiranha wrote:4. Easy way to add drain plug? Sounds risky from what I've read here and don't want to spend $88 on the D&R one, but... maybe just a hole in the right spot and a rubber plug that fits (+backup)? We don't use the boat much and it sits in the rain for 2 years at a time on a barrier island w hurricanes etc., and next time spars or other major item goes we'll probably retire it.
Normally, these boats had a drain plug about 2" aft of the CB trunk. Under the floor boards. May be corroded by now. I glassed over mine, but store my boat at a slight angle so it can drain it out a drain plug at the back of the cockpit. You can get those aftermarket at any marine shop. They are a bronze tube with a rubber plug about 1" in diameter.
If your boat has none, get the kit, drill a suitable hole and
seal it with epoxy. Then bed the tube with caulk. You don't want water to seep into the laminate (or the wooden reinforcement that may be present). Therefore the need to seal everything really well. I wouldn't use epoxy for the tube because it makes it impossible to remove.
As long as the family gets in some sailing fun.