new boat possible trailer problem?

[K.C. Walker]

Hello all,

I was working on my old boat last week and went on Craigslist to find a motor. Well, I ended up with a Daysailor instead! It's a 1974 and I'm pretty sure that it's a Daysailer I, although the owner advertised it as a II. Here's what it looks like http://www.walkerguitars.com/photos/daysailer/ . I've looked it over pretty well and feel like it's a sound boat. But I do have a concerned about the trailer damaging the boat.

The trailer is very heavy-duty so I'm not concerned in that regard. But I noticed that this type of trailer with the rollers is making little distortions in the hull around each roller. I guess the hull is pretty thin and flexible. I was concerned enough about it that I looked it over pretty closely but I missed a crack. The rollers are set so that one roller is in the middle of the floorboard area and the other is underneath the seat. The crack happened right where the seat joins the hull at the floorboard halfway between the rollers.

Does anybody use this kind of roller set up? Is a mistake to use them or can I just reset their location? Add some support? I also want to reconfigure the set up to lower the boat. It's pretty high up on the trailer now.

So thank you all, because without this forum I would not have purchased this boat, being that it so old. But having all this information available is a tremendous resource. I really felt like I was not getting into some unknown territory, like with my Lockley Newport whitecap 17. That boat actually sails quite nicely but no one knows what it is.

I'm getting really psyched to see how it sails!

I'm hoping to get up to Orleans,MA on the 20th to see what you guys get out of these things.

Take care, KC

[algonquin]

Welcome aboard !!! Looks like a really nice DS1 you have. I haven’t seen many with the trailer configured as yours is with rollers being the dominant support for the boat. You may try adjusting the position of the rollers but I have a feeling that may not make much difference. Rollers are designed more for a boat with a hard chine and more fiberglass in the hull than the Daysailer offers. I would really try to reconfigure the trailer with keel center rollers and a bunk. The DS seems to do better with that setup. You could sell the rollers and recoup some of the cost. Brad

[K.C. Walker]

Thanks Brad,

How many rollers up the center and how far out do you think the bunks should be? One set of bunks or two? Should the weight distribution be mostly on the center rollers?

Good idea about selling the rollers! Maybe this Craigslist thing can work both ways.

I hadn't gotten far on my way home before someone pulled up beside me and rolled their window down and asked about the boat. That's always a good sign. It must be the classic good looks!

Take care, KC

[kokko]

It is definitely a DSII. The DSI has an open cuddy.

[kokko]

My mistake - it's a DSI. I took another look at the photos.

I too have the problem of the rollers and bunk boards distoorting the hull. I plan to widen the existing bunkboards aft, and add another set forward.

[calden]

KC:

Nice boat.

Four years ago (five?) I also purchased a DS on rollers, and changed the trailer to bunks. It's not hard, and the boat was so much happier.

Go here for good prices on trailer hardware (better than West Marine for sure):
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm

By looking at all the parts you'll see what you need: brackets which attach to the cross-members and which hold the bunks. The bunks are pressure-treated 2x8 x10's covered with bunk carpet. It's an afternoon project. Do a search on the forum for more information.

By the way, my late Aunt lived in Stonington, in an 18th century farmhouse. She was like quintessential New England Royalty: married to a diplomat, travelled the world, then lived in this old farmhouse and grew her own food and made clothes on her loom. Nice area.

Carlos

[markst95]

I sail out of barn island pretty regularly, hope to see you there!

[K.C. Walker]

Wow, thanks for all the info!

Carlos, small world isn't it, especially with the Web. My mother spent most of World War II in Spokane. I spent a summer south of Spokane, years ago, near Walla Walla. It's a great part of the country. Thanks for the tips on redoing the trailer and the link for parts. I think that's probably what I will do. Though, I may just put some center rollers in for now, just so that I can get sailing sooner.

Kokko, thanks for revising your thoughts from definitely II to I. Being a newb you had me going off to do more research.

Markst95, yes, Barn Island would be my closest launching ramp. Hopefully, I can get down there soon for a shakedown cruise. The mainsail had some mouse damage so it is over at Halsey getting some patches. I guess I'm going to fix the crack in the hull before launching, as well. And then there's the trailer stuff.

How many middle rollers do you all think to adequately support the keel?

Thanks again for the help!

KC

[calden]

KC:

It is nice around here, especially for sailing. Some great lakes nearby. I have another boat, a blue San Juan 21, in a slip in Pend Oreille about an hour away. Huge lake, incredible mountains.



Walla Walla is now known for some outstanding wine varieties.

Your pictures show a keel roller already on the trailer, probably as a guide for getting the boat on. If you bought another one of those and put it on the rear cross support (like that one is on the front) that'll be good. The centerboard is only 25 lbs. or so. You definitely want that to be supported.

Another way to do it is to use some fabric belting, like tie-down straps, and loop it very tightly across the trailer frame right where the centerboard will rest.

Carlos

[persephone]

Howdy and welcome to Daysailers,
I'm interested to know your hull number. I have a ds1 with a high number and am looking for some reference to learn more about when mine was built. Do you know for sure it is a 1974? Thanks.

[calden]

KC:

Duh. I'd forgotten that I've already documented changing rollers to bunks.
Here's the website:

http://www.eaglelake1.org/trailer.html

It's very detailed, but I'd not yet taken care of the centerboard support.

Carlos

[K.C. Walker]

Carlos, nice detail on the conversion to bunks. Thanks! You're right, that does look like an afternoon project that I could handle. That San Juan looks pretty sweet and the location, wow. It looks like a great place to sail. Did you sail your Daysailer on that Lake before you got your San Juan?

I think you're right about the center keel rollers. I'm going to try raising the ones that are there and putting one in the front. I put a jack under the keel in a few spots where I would put keel rollers and the formations disappeared. I spent the afternoon reconfiguring how the rollers sit and lowering all of the cross members and rollers down about 6 inches. The boat was really up there in the air. I also moved the boat forward about 2 feet on the trailer along with moving the axle forward.

I was trying to figure out how I was going to support the center board. I like your idea of the strap! I was thinking about putting a pressure-treated board across there but that's way quicker. Do you leave it tight? Or do you put the boat on and then tighten it up?

So, Walla Walla is wine country now. That's interesting. I think it was mostly Green Giant country when I was there.

KC

[K.C. Walker]

Geoff, my hull identification number is XDY70020374. It was sold to me as a ‘74 and was registered that way. The sail number is 7002. So, does that mean that it is hull number 7002 and made in March of 1974? The guy I bought it from was the second owner.

KC

[mwhipple]

Hi Folks,

I also became a DS owner this weekend. In fact, I was trying hard to get in touch with the seller of the boat KC bought, because it seemed like such a great deal! Congratulations, KC, even if I am a little jealous!

Instead I purchased a DS I with a sail number of 3257. I haven't been able to check the label in the hull yet. I think the seller said it was from around 1970. I'll be picking it up at the end of the month, and after that I plan to use it on Cape Cod.

Thanks for all the great info, everyone!

Mark
Boston, MA

[K.C. Walker]

Mark, thanks for the congrats! When I called Bill about the boat Saturday he said that someone from Boston and some people from Providence were interested and coming down. That got me motivated!

Where on Cape Cod are you going to be sailing your boat? We've got a place on Wellfleet Harbor which seems about perfect for this size boat.

KC