DS II: Storing on blocks

[nick_ander]

Hello,
I am a new DS owner and new sailor, but I have been on boats all of my life and worked for years in glass repair. I plan on restoring the boat I just bought and will have it at my house without a trailer. What is the best way to block this boat up to keep the hull from being damaged? I bought this boat complete with 1 broken stay while it was sitting at a marina in the water in decent shape for $250.00. I can't believe it. I feel guilty, but I am very happy. Last thing is I have read a lot about the DS sailing very poorly with main only. I have also read that it sails great, or fine with just the main. I would like to know why each side feels the way they do and exactly what is meant by poor. I am going to be figuring out this sailing thing by myself (no friends that sail and no money for lessons). I may need to start with the main to get the feel of it before throwing up the jib. I am not into performance I just want to cruise around and camp island to island. Thank you for all the help.

 

[Joe11688]

Hello,
I am a new DS owner and new sailor, but I have been on boats all of my life and worked for years in glass repair. I plan on restoring the boat I just bought and will have it at my house without a trailer. What is the best way to block this boat up to keep the hull from being damaged? I bought this boat complete with 1 broken stay while it was sitting at a marina in the water in decent shape for $250.00. I can't believe it. I feel guilty, but I am very happy. Last thing is I have read a lot about the DS sailing very poorly with main only. I have also read that it sails great, or fine with just the main. I would like to know why each side feels the way they do and exactly what is meant by poor. I am going to be figuring out this sailing thing by myself (no friends that sail and no money for lessons). I may need to start with the main to get the feel of it before throwing up the jib. I am not into performance I just want to cruise around and camp island to island. Thank you for all the help.

You could place some old tires under it, or you could use some wood blocks and criss cross them as you go up. Some old carpet can be used in between the hull and the blocks. Also, you would need to Mickey Mouse some kind of an easy to build cradle to keep it from tipping. Some small sailboat stands would be ideal in this situation because they could lift the hull up and support it at any height without a cradle or the blocks. I would still shore up under the centerboard slot with blocks though.

As far as learning how to sail goes; Just head down to your local public library and get some books on it. That's how I learned. And yes, when it comes time to take her out, just use the mainsail for now until you get the hang of it. Then if it's not too windy, put the Jib up.
There is one item that you need to get and install at the top of your mast with a 12" extension bracket and that's a Davis Windex. This gadget will literally teach you how to sail. Not only that, but when you are sailing down wind, the Windex arrow will keep you alert to the angle of the wind in relation to the boat's heading and help in preventing accidental jibes. An accidental jibe can scare the heck out of you when the wind gets behind the sail and brings that boom around fast which can cause damage to the rigging and in some cases cause the boat to capsize. This is just one of the ways where the Windex comes in handy. I would buy a 10" Windex and replace the nut with a wing nut so that you can remove it easy when you're trailering the boat. They tell you in the books that you should feel the wind hitting you on the face and judge the direction that way and that's OK but I want to see where the wind is at all times myself. The Windex does this for you.

 

[Sunbird22358]

I regularly sail my DS II with just the main, the key is to raise the CB a bit to move the center or resistance (to leeway, sideslipping) aft to balance the fact that the center of effort of the sail is further aft when just using hte main. I think some of the owners who claim their DS II won't sail without the jib may have the mast raked too far aft and the CB down too far?
A few tips, DS II owner to DS II owner, 1) ALWAYS keep the mainsheet in your hand, use the camcleat to hold the tension, but keep the sheet in your hand to allow instant release if hit by a gust. 2) get a boom-vang if the boat doesn't already have one. This does 2 things, first is allows you to flatten and depower the sail if the wind is blowing a bit hard, this reduces healing. second the vang holds the boom down to reduce the chances of an accidental jibe, won't eliminate risk....but reduces it! Third, especially if you have mid-boom sheeting (standard from 1974 on), the vang keeps the boom from lifting meaning the load on hte sheet is a bit less since you are only pulling against the horizontal force of hte sail, not the vertical. (when you sail the boat you will understand that better). 3) Get a tiller extension (hiking stick) it will allow more flexibility i nwhere you sit while at the helm and most importantly allows you to sit out on the side deck to hel pkeep hte boat from heeling when going to windward.
4) Not as critical as other tips, but if the boat doesn't have reefpoints in the main, consider adding having a sailmaker add them. It is nice to be able to reduce the sail area a bit more on a windy day, and I've been able to go out several days when it was just too windy for the even the full main alone.
As far as blocking hte boat up, Joe's idea of using old tires may work, one under the bow, two under the stern. I wouldn't invest in boat stands ("Brownell stands" or jack stands) because they will most likely place the boat higher than you want. The BEST way to support the boat off the trailer would be a cradle, use a pair of 4x4 runners on each side with 3-4 crossmembers (2x4 laid flat or 4x4) a plywood support cut to match the hull shape at the forward and aft most cross members would help a lot. Look at an old-fasioned "shipping cradle" for larger boats as a reference.
The DS II hull can be a bit "soft" not a real big problem if in hte water or on a proper trailer, but the bottom will flex a bit (mine actually "sags" a bit over the winter) and although any areas that may dish in will pop back out... it is still best to block the hull carefully. I'll post a pic of a DS II on a trailer, that should give an idea of where to place blocking. If you do actually have a trailer, but wish to remove the boat from it while you store it, check how it is setup, that may also give you ideas for how to block the boat up.

 

[nick_ander]

Thank you for all the info. I don't have a trailer and will be borrowing a regular boat trailer from a friend to get it home and start cleaning it up, painting it, and replacing some of the rigging. I am pretty sure that trailer will be fine for a slow 5 mile journey. How heavy is this boat going to be on land? Will I be able to tip it over if needed with a little help? I would like to have it flipped to clean, prep, and paint the hull as well as to make any repairs if they are needed. You have been a great help. Thank you again.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Figure on the boat weighing around 600# (officially weight is about 528#+/-) but then you add the mast, rudder, boom, sails.

Mike Boone, who used to have a great DS web-site (his content is now located on the DSA web-site (www.daysailer.org)) and he showed how he rolled his boat on her side, using the mast as a lever. That won't help to get her upside down or back, but it can be done. I'd search the disscussion pages of the DSA web site, maybe post a question. A lot of the racers roll their boats over for working on the bottom.

 

[Joe11688]

With all due respects to Mike Boone. I would never do that to a small daysailer. If you have enough help, it can be safely flipped over. Just lay down some tires or blocks of Styrofoam for the boat to rest on.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Joe, if you really want "scary", some people roll their MARINERs over that way! YIKES!
I have never rolled my DS II over (too much work), but the easiest way to replace the masthead Spar-Fly on my Old Widgeon was to pull her up on marsh, grab the mast and pull her over until I could reach the masthead. Too much gear in my DS II to do that! The previous owner of my DS II used to roll her up on one gunwale and rest her against a cement wall to paint the bottom......... I'll stick with my method of pulling her halfway off the trailer with the stern resting on a beam between 2 saw horses.

 

[nick_ander]

I have elected to go with the man power and tires bit to flip her over. After the bottom is done I will block her up, or put her on a trailer I find one for the right price. I have a feeling it will be summer before I am done with the repainting. The biggest task will be finding the volunteer man power, but I have always believed that a man would cross oceans and desserts alike if there was free beer involved. Thank you for the help.

Nicholas

 

[RichBone]

But no beer until the job is over.

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

Joe, if you really want "scary", some people roll their MARINERs over that way! YIKES!
I have never rolled my DS II over (too much work), but the easiest way to replace the masthead Spar-Fly on my Old Widgeon was to pull her up on marsh, grab the mast and pull her over until I could reach the masthead. Too much gear in my DS II to do that! The previous owner of my DS II used to roll her up on one gunwale and rest her against a cement wall to paint the bottom......... I'll stick with my method of pulling her halfway off the trailer with the stern resting on a beam between 2 saw horses.

One of the guys in my club tried to pull his Widgeon over by tugging on the main halyard at the insistence of his sailing companion many years ago. The stay had popped out of the spreader and they didn't want to let the mast down. Unfortunately, the mast bent in half on him and he had to spring for a new mast. I don't think he'll ever do that again.
I think that we have all done some foolish things like that. I know, I have. My boat was sitting on the trailer next to my house one year with the mast and boom up and I needed to remove the cap from my old pick up truck and I didn't have anyone to help me. So I swung the boom around to the side and lifted the cap off the body of my truck with the aid of my main sheet at the end of the boom and a rope sling tied through the open windows of the cap. It worked and I was lucky I guess, but it's still bad business and anything can happen when you least expect it.
If it's a small boat and the bottom needs a lot of work, I would roll it over. I rolled my Sturdee Cat boat over years ago in my yard so I could remove all the bottom paint off it. Luckily I had a 25' utility pole at the end of my driveway with a strong structure of wood cross arms on it for a basket ball hoop set up, and I was able to use a 3/8" block and tackle to lift the boat and turn it upside down on some large Styrofoam blocks that I had. I guess that we should stick with whatever method works best for us.