DaySailer.org Forum

I have a canoe and was looking for a trailor to haul it on. Well a friend of mine had a trailer for $200. I bought it and he asked me if I wanted a sailboat with it for free. So sure I got the boat it is a daysailer he gave me 2 new sails to go with it and all the rigging. The underside of the seats need repairing but that is all I see wrong with it.
I have no idea of what I got or how to sail. I can fix the seats with little effort but, what do I do then. I was thinking of just not using the sails and mounting my trolling motor on it and just using it for fishing.

Fred (fredc1652-at-yahoo.com)

If, in fact, you've happened across a real Day Sailer, consider it a heck of a windfall (pun intended). This is a great classic boat to learn the art of sailing with or w/out a family. You'll find on this site an active community happily restoring and maintaining their boats for both racing and cruising.

Keep the canoe for fishing. The Day Sailer is for sailing!

Please describe your free sailboat a bit for us, so we can properly identify it for you. Canoes are great in themselves, but sailing is an addiction.

David Riley (driley-at-ngc.edu)

Take a look around the boat for serial numbers or name plates. There may be a number stamped in the center of the transom (back of the boat where the rudder is located). Measure the length from tip to stern. Also, is it completely open, or is there a hatched cuddy or an open covered area? There are also other pages on this site that have photos that may help you identify your boat.

Thank you all for the interest and E-mail. Well I got alot to reply to so here goes . The guy who gave me the boat told me it was a day sailer, it is about 16 or 17 foot. White fiberglass on bottom and Blue fiberglass on top. I was told buy the guy it was a KIT boat. Anyhow it has an open cuddy cabin with just an overhead roof no doors. A mast about 12 foot high and another pole about 6 or 7 foot. it has a large teardrop looking boad that slides into a slit in the center of the boat and a rudder with about a 4 foor teak wood handle on it. The rudder has t pegs that slip into sorta like padeyes in the transom. Here is the bad news I hope I did not mess up anything but I think all will be ok. When I picked it up it had water about half full in it. The boat was sitting on the ground in his back yard, with rainwater in it. So we drilled a drain hole in it about 6 inches aft of the slot in the center of the boat. I am sure it can be plugged. But don't I need a drain hole? Even if I put a rubber plug in it. I intend to take some digital pictures of it tomorrow ....is there somewhere I can post them on this site?

Thank you all for your interest and support!!
A friend of mine at work today said to just take it out and put the sail up and that is all there is to it. I do not want to capsize it the first time out though.


Fred (fredc1652-at-yahoo.com)

Photo's can be uploaded to this site at http://boonedocks.net/talkboard/talkboa ... oup=dspics

Make sure they are not hi res graphics or they will be too large to upload. From what you describe however, with a visible slot on the topside, you have a small d daysailer, not a 'Daysailer'. The Daysailers are 16' 9" long, and not kit built. What you are discribing is a daysailer variety of boat. There are several manufacturers of this variety. They are characterized as trailerable, under 20 feet, with some type of storage like a cuddy, and typically bigger than a dinghy.

It may be a Javelin which I think is a bit smaller than a Daysailer. The Daysailers are a class boat, which are built within class rules for the hull and rigging. They are identified as DS 1, 2 3 and I understand that they are now manufacturing 4's. The 1 & 2 have the same hull design, but the 2's have more of an aft bulkhead on the cuddy cabin, and enclosed seats, the 1's have wooden seats (and combings) and a longer deck on the stern. The 3's have an even smaller opening to the cuddy, and the hull shape is a bit higher at the back. They are not built within the class rules.

From your discription so for, except for the slot on top, I would say you have a DS 1, but more than likely, my guess is that if it is kit built, it is a daysailer type of boat.

We are all waiting with baited breath to solve your mystery, so look forward to the pictures.

If it is a kit boat, most likly a Lugar. My brother put one together many years ago. Not a bad boat at all. They were as I recall, Vee bottom, with "hard chine", or a corner, between the side and bottom, not round bottom like the Oday. It should be a good boat to start on. Get some books on small boat handling or get some old salt to show you and crew with you until you (don't) get your feet wet.

John C. Jr (ghampe-at-rcn.com)