Plywood panel on cuddy floor

[dougfrommaine]

Plywood panel on cuddy floor (1984 DSII)

Hi,

I'm the new owner of a 1984 "25th Anniversary Edition" Daysailer. (I believe that makes it a DSII...?) It's been sitting on a trailer in someone's yard for the past four years.

Looking into the bilge through inspection ports on either side of the centerboard, I noticed it was a little wet. The ports looked to be pretty sun-baked and the threads were completely dry, so I assumed rainwater water was coming in that way.

However, after a pretty significant rain yesterday, I noticed the open cuddy had nearly no water in it. I know it rained in, and I would have expected the water to be up to the level of the drains to the cockpit. Instead, there was just a tiny little bit of water sitting in the corner where the centerboard trunk meets the cuddy threshold. I wiped it away with my hand and it ran over to the plywood panel and disappeared down into the bilge. Hmmm - so I think that might be how the water is getting in. The previous owner thoroughly washed it prior to sale, and I'll bet he ran plenty of water into the cuddy.

I have a few questions...

Is that plywood panel original? It's on the floor of the cuddy under the centerboard rigging, about 8"x16" and runs between the fore end of the centerboard trunk and the mast plate . It's 3/4" plywood with some sort of dark-brown laminate on top. The things that make me suspect it isn't original are that there are some visible voids in the plys, i.e. it's not marine-grade plywood, it isn't cut perfectly cleanly.

I think I should caulk it to prevent the leakage into the bilge I described, but how to remove it? It appears to be glued down - there are no visible fasteners. Could there be some fasteners hidden under the laminate? Or does this panel slide out somehow? Or do I need to carefully work it loose with a putty knife... or even just leave it in place and caulk around the edges? Honestly I'd prefer replacing it. If it isn't original, I wonder if a prior owner cut an access hole to repair the centerboard or mast step for some reason?

Any insight/advice/speculation is appreciated.

Also, if anyone knows what sort of plug I could use to plug the transom bilge drain, that'd be much appreciated as well! The thru-fitting is a white plastic two-screw flange, no threads, ~17mm (11/16") ID. I see a similar plug assembly - except it's black - on the DR Marine site, and I was thinking there might be a chance the plug will fit, or, failing that, I could just replace the entire thru-fitting.

Thanks again!!
- Doug

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Water in cuddy, ply on floor

I will chime in, until an expert helps you. (there is a member here named Sun Bird who really knows these boats) What I remember from my day sailer- you should expect little standing water in cuddy- it is designed to drain to cockpit and then out transom. I think there are little holes at lower edge of cuddy bulkhead to let water drain back to cockpit.
As far as the plywood- these boats were famous for sagging/cracking under mast plate on cuddy floor. I don't think the plywood was installed at factory. My guess is that it hides/strengthens crack in cuddy floor. This could also be where your bilge water is getting in.
Considering how simple they are, I always thought these were fun, real decent sailing boats. If it does have a crack, you could probably epoxy a 3/16 inch piece of aluminum over it and get sailing. Good luck.

 

[Sunbird22358]

That plywood is NOT original, That I know. I don't think it covers a crack in the cuddy "floor", it might..... but I can't see a crack forming there on a 1984 model with the deck-stepped mast. Actually, I can't see how a crack would happen there on my 1979 (mast steps through deck to a fitting on cuddy floor), either.
I did have a crack in hte cuddy floot on my boat, there is a piece of plastic pipe under the cuddy floor to support the maststep and on my boat the pipe didn't line up with the maststep and the fiberglass finally cracked, previous owner must have fixed...... however, it sure made a big BANG when his repair let go! I now have an aluminum plate under the maststep (12" x 16") and rebuilt the pipe support underneath.
Well ,back to your boat.....I can't be sure... but I bet the theory that the previous owner cut a hole to repair the maststep or the CB trunk seems plausible. Having easy access to this area is not a bad thing, but getting it sealed is a good thing! I had to cut an access panel to make repairs on my boat and have not sealed it up (as I say....access is nice to have!) and so any time we have a good rainstorm (boat is on a mooring) I get water in the bilge, however.... the access hatch that I made also allows dropping in a battery-powered pump (Attwood WaterBuster) to easily bail out the rain water.
The transom drain is a "standard" plastic screw-in plug, however... you might go bonkers trying to find one that fits exaclty! The one sold by D&R will include the flange and to tell the truth, it is well worth replacing that flange and knowing that the plug and flange are both new and match! That plug was missing on my boat when I bought her and I ordered a new one from Rudy (D&R) figuring it would be a direct replacement.... it wasn't, but I'm still glad that I went that route and replaced the whole assembly ($4.95 in 1996). Truthfully, you could buy a new plug and flange at any marine store to replace what you have (bring the old flange with you for size) you may have to slightly enlarge the hole in the transom to fit the new flange (I did even using the D&R supplied part) but with new sealant (I used silicone) you can have confidence in it sealing.

Do you need an owners manual? I have created an expanded versio of the O'DAY original one.

 

[dougfrommaine]

Hi -

Thanks Lance and Sunbird for your replies.

I took a picture of the panel which I'll post here just so you can see exactly what I'm talking about [what might look like cracks around the CB are not - it's just dirt ]. I think the "needing access to the bilge for some reason" story is most likely correct. From underneath, I can see some evidence of fiberglass repair at the foreward end of the CB trunk opening. I like the idea of being able to get in there too, so when time permits I will try to carefully remove the panel and do a proper replacement job. Depending on what I find, perhaps I can fit a small off-the-shelf watertight hatch, or failing that, work with my welder friend make up something creative.

I concur on not being able to find a plug that fits. I pulled the flange out and found the opening to be ~7/8" - and that, as you say, the bore was in fact threaded - just one coarse thread about 1/2" in. Anyhow, I ended up getting a nice little Ronstan brass flange and plastic plug for $11 at Landing Boat Supply in Yarmouth - an almost identical all-plastic version is at Hamilton Marine for about $4. The flange is slightly tapered and requires a 1" opening at it's widest part, so I''ll just enlarge the hole with a step-bit and install the new unit. Is regular GE Silicone (like they sell at the hardware) store suitable for underwater use? I was going to look for a small tube of some marine-specific product, but if it doesn't matter, I'd just as soon use somehting I've already got.

I don't have an owner's manual - I've found the .pdf repro on daysailer.org, but that's it. If you publish one, I'd certainly like to hear more.

Thanks again!

- Doug

 

[Joe11688]

Re: Plywood panel on cuddy floor (1984 DSII)

Doug,
I know even less than Lance about the O'Day Daysailer, but if you need to do any major surgery on this boat, check out this month's "Small Craft Advisor" magazine #63 for an article by Geoff Heath entitled, "Daysailer to Cruiser." After reading his article it made me almost wishing that I had one of these boats and doing the very same thing to it. Cruising in small boats has always fascinated me.
Joe

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

After you get the ply off, you will know what size hole it is. A gasketed hinged framed access port would be a slick, permanent fix. They latch down water tight. Sail boat Owners shows that they have some in stock in their warehouse. Edited to add- to Joe- I think it would be really cool to have an engine less Day Sailer equipped with a modern rowing seat with long carbon fiber oars, a tent that would cover complete boat using boom and spin pole for support, and 4 or 5 hinged together boards that could be stored in the cuddy and brought out to make a big bed in cockpit.- it would be a great boat to go get lost in new out of the way places.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Quoted from the Original O'DAY Rigging sheet,
"Leaking: Should any leaks develop through hardware fastenings, hull and deck joints, etc., these can easily be fixed by applying a sealant similar to G.E. Silicone Sealant."


Yes, I usually use a "Marine" sealant, but often it is really just Silicone labeled "MARINE".

Don't ever use 3M 5200 on anything that you might ever want to remove! It is a great permanent polyurethane adhesive....... but the problem is that it really can stick TOO good. A few builders used to use it to glue the hull-deck joint together, it is that good when applied correctly.

Contact me off-list about the manual, cost is $10.00 to cover printing and postage.

 

[dougfrommaine]

...check out this month's "Small Craft Advisor" magazine #63 for an article by Geoff Heath entitled, "Daysailer to Cruiser." ...

I read that article last night - interesting and inspiring. I'd have loved to see more pictures of the project as it progressed. I wonder if he's got them posted up on a blog or photo sharing site somewhere...?

On the drive in to work this AM I was mentally building a cuddy hatch, the lower part of which would fold down and become a seat similar to what Mr. Heath constructed. Kind of makes me want to lose my job too so I'd have time to mess around with stuff that, though I don't think I'd want to hack up my reasonably pristine boat... and having a second one as a project would probably prompt my wife to stop speaking to me. Plus, if I was unemployed, how would I afford the epoxy?

Anyhow, thanks for the reference to the article.

- Doug

 

[Joe11688]

I read that article last night - interesting and inspiring. I'd have loved to see more pictures of the project as it progressed. I wonder if he's got them posted up on a blog or photo sharing site somewhere...?

On the drive in to work this AM I was mentally building a cuddy hatch, the lower part of which would fold down and become a seat similar to what Mr. Heath constructed. Kind of makes me want to lose my job too so I'd have time to mess around with stuff that, though I don't think I'd want to hack up my reasonably pristine boat... and having a second one as a project would probably prompt my wife to stop speaking to me. Plus, if I was unemployed, how would I afford the epoxy?

Anyhow, thanks for the reference to the article.

- Doug

Doug,
Don't be afraid to do any modifications on this boat. I bought my O'Day 222 new at the Boston Boat Show back in 1986 and I've done mods up the ying yang on that boat. Most of them came out good and some not so good, but I had a blast doing them. Check out my "Owner's Photos" on this site under Trinkka O'Day 222. I've been retired for almost ten years and I'm running out of energy to do any serious mods. So the time to do them is anytime you can so that you can enjoy them when you reach "Geezerdom."
Joe