DaySailer.org Forum

I have recently purchased an abused, but restorable sailboat. I have had several of my experienced sailor buddy's look at her, and they all seem to think that I found a gem-in-the-rough... an O'Day Daysailer!

I want to bring her back to life, and to her original condition if possible.

My problem is that I cannot identify which model she is. I have gone over all of the specs I could find on the original DS boat models, and I suspect that over the years she has been modified with "non-DS stuff".

I think that if I can locate a hull ID No. (HIN), which I'm not having any luck with, I can backtrack to the original configuration and begin our road to recovery.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions you may have to help me get her on her feet.

Thanks!
Joe

The first thing you should try to do is post some pictures, including as much of the interior and exterior as possible.

As to ID numbers, it varies from year to year. Some have an ID plate under the cuddy, fixed to the front bulkhead. It also may be located on the inside of transom, under the deck. Some hulls have numbers cast into the fiberglass, inside the cockpit.

If you can track down another DS in your area, it'll help in identifying yours, especially to see if the features and dimensions match.

Thank you. I am used to HIN's being imprinted in the transom. I will look further. I'am sure I will be asking questions, and will be posting photo's as you suggested. Thanks for your suggestions, and I'm glad I came to the group!

Take Care,
Joe

One other HIN location is outside starboard bow, at the top of the hull. Before about 1973 there was no modern HIN, and there was no requirement to have the then used style of hull and class numbering fixed permanently to the boat. For older boats, you may never locate anything - all I ever found were the holes in the aft coaming where a plaque had been at one time.

Oh, and one more thing. If you suspect you have a DS1, particularly an older DS1, you can consult the thread of DS1 Design changes.

It describes a spreadsheetthat lists sample boats with hull and sail number (different before 1973) and typical configuration details that were changed during the time the DS1 was manufactured. These small configuration details often allow one to exclude or confirm stuff about a boat's age.

Thank you,

I will certainly follow your suggestion.

Joe