I just bought a 17' Oday Daysailer II. Can somebody tell me what the capabilities of this boat are in terms of wind speed/wave height? I don't want to capsize!
Daysailer II Capabilities
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Centerboard boats can capsize, Nice thing to know is one that small can be righted easily. You have a sailing dingy and some people take them out to sail in winds that make others shudder with fear.. It's all about your abilities and planning. People race boats like yours!
[/FONT]http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3338
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
The DAYSAILER was a collaboration of Uffa Fox & George O'Day. Fox designed the hull, but the original cuddy was designed & molded by O'Day & his company. The DAYSAILER has been built by several builders and with a number of changes along the way but the basic hull design has remained the same. The DAYSAILER II was introduced in 1971 as an update to the original Day Sailer and featured positive foam flotation, two cockpit inspection/bailing ports and a self-bailing cockpit. A MKIII version was built from 1985-1990 (which is not considered class legal for one-design racing).
The DAYSAILER is still being built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company with improved self-rescuing features.
Cape Cod Shipbuilding
508-295-3550
Fax: 508-295-3551
7 Narrows Rd.
Wareham, MA 02571[/FONT]
[/FONT]http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3338
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
The DAYSAILER was a collaboration of Uffa Fox & George O'Day. Fox designed the hull, but the original cuddy was designed & molded by O'Day & his company. The DAYSAILER has been built by several builders and with a number of changes along the way but the basic hull design has remained the same. The DAYSAILER II was introduced in 1971 as an update to the original Day Sailer and featured positive foam flotation, two cockpit inspection/bailing ports and a self-bailing cockpit. A MKIII version was built from 1985-1990 (which is not considered class legal for one-design racing).
The DAYSAILER is still being built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company with improved self-rescuing features.
Cape Cod Shipbuilding
508-295-3550
Fax: 508-295-3551
7 Narrows Rd.
Wareham, MA 02571[/FONT]
This one shows what dinghy sailing can be about. Exciting stuff! Watch how easy they flip em back up after a knockdown !
http://youtu.be/nDToL593cmU Yes and this is what you happen to own. As your skills and experience increase so will the fun!
I have a 76 Daysailer II. It is a very cabable boat. I just completed the Texas 200 (6 day, 200 mile sail up the Texas coast) in mine. It was very heavily loaded and performed very well. We crossed several large bays in winds that were over 20 knots (gusts to 35 knots). Waves crossing Aransas Bay were 6 to 8 feet. We sailed with a double reefed main most of the time. My boat is on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/daddio12.../8/ii49N95XKWY from the 3rd day of the sail.
I have capsized my boat about a year and half ago. I did everything wrong the day I capsized. Totally my fault, not the boat. I wish I could of said it was a capsize test, but I can't. That said, the boat stayed on it's side. Holes in the mast from old hardware started causing the mast head to go under some. I was about a 100 yards from shore. I had trouble righting in deep water, but swam the boat (on its' side) holding on the centerboard into about 5 feet of water. Once my feet touched bottom, I got the leverage I needed and the boat easily righted. A discussion on the Daysailer forum http://www.daysailer.org/ concerning capsize recovery was to attach a recovery line near the cuddy cabin to help right the boat. A week after my capsize, I opened up the inspection ports to check the flotation and found that the previous owner had removed all of it. I have since replaced it with "pool noodles". I also sealed old holes in the mast and added about 2-feet of foam flotation in the masthead. The masts on these boats were originally supposed to be foam filled, but my mast was a replacement from a Daysailer I.
John
I have capsized my boat about a year and half ago. I did everything wrong the day I capsized. Totally my fault, not the boat. I wish I could of said it was a capsize test, but I can't. That said, the boat stayed on it's side. Holes in the mast from old hardware started causing the mast head to go under some. I was about a 100 yards from shore. I had trouble righting in deep water, but swam the boat (on its' side) holding on the centerboard into about 5 feet of water. Once my feet touched bottom, I got the leverage I needed and the boat easily righted. A discussion on the Daysailer forum http://www.daysailer.org/ concerning capsize recovery was to attach a recovery line near the cuddy cabin to help right the boat. A week after my capsize, I opened up the inspection ports to check the flotation and found that the previous owner had removed all of it. I have since replaced it with "pool noodles". I also sealed old holes in the mast and added about 2-feet of foam flotation in the masthead. The masts on these boats were originally supposed to be foam filled, but my mast was a replacement from a Daysailer I.
John
I sail my DS II (1979 model) on Buzzards Bay near Cape Cod, winds average 5-15 knots. I have owned this boat since 1996 after previously owning an O'DAY Widgeon and until recently sailed 80-90% of the time solo, my Dad has started sailing with me in recent years since selling our CAL 21 in 2008. Anyway, I have found the DS II to be reasonably capable, being fairly light (500-700# sailing displacement) she does tend to bounce around a bit, but her fairly sharp bow cuts through waves without to much fuss. She can be a bit wet (spray mostly) in a sea, but a careful skipper can somewhat learn to minimize the hard bumps of sailing in waves.
Being a centerboard boat the DS II CAN CAPSIZE, however..... taking a few precautions should prevent this. First, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS.. sail with the mainsheet in your hand, use the camcleat to hold the tension, but KEEP the mainsheet in hand!! The DS II will recover from a near capsize if you release the sheet when hit by a puff or gust. I have used this technique to stay upright in both my DS II and the Widgeon, and Buzzards Bay is know for being windy. SEcond, add a tiller extension, it need not be all that long (mine is about 24-30", I need to measure it!) but it wil llet you sit on the side deck when it is windy, it is amazing how much that adds to the stability! Third, don't be afraid to reef! The first reef is to sail without the jib, using hte main alone. You will need to raise the CB a bit (I raise mine about 1-2" of the up cable) to rebalance the center of lateral resistance (basically, the center of the CB) to the now further aft center of effort (basically, center of sail area). Fourth, tighten the outhaul, and using the halyard and downhaul, tighten the luff of the sail, this "depowers" the main and reduces heeling. I had a local sailmaker add a set of reefpoints to my mainsail, this allows me to reduce the area of the main and extend my sailing to stronger winds while reducing stress on the boat and me. The DS II was origninally set up for roller-reefing of the main, but that required a reefing claw to allow the mainsheet block to be disconnected from the boom and then reattached (sort-of) after rolling in a reef. Truth is... it never really worked that well! The sail would bunch up at the gooseneck and not reef smoothly. Reefpoints work much better and allow a better sail set as well as stil lallowing use of a boom vang to keep the boom from lifting (pivoting up) in strong puffs. That was actually one more tip that I meant to add earlier! If your boat doesn't have a boom vang, GET ONE! The vang will keep the boom level as yo uease the sheet, and makes downwind sailing much less stressfull! It also takes some of the load off the mainsheet since it allow the sheet to now only pul lhte boom in and let it out with out having hte vertical pull lifting the boom (I find it much easier to pull in hte sheet when hte vang is properly set (not complicated, I just tighten the vang enough to prevent the boom from lifting more than about a couple of inches max at the vang attachment to the boom).
So, is the DS II a capable boat? YES, if sailed like the centerboard boat she is! As you gain experience, you will begin to feel more confident in hte boat. The DS II is not an ocean-crossing boat, nor a boat to sail (stock) offshore, but for coastal sailing or lake sailing..... as long as you sail her within her limits (or is that your limits...... still trying to figure that out myself!) you will find her very capable. If you have specific questions, let me know! (click on my screen name, "Sunbird" above if you wish to e-mail direct to me) Oh, I also have created an expanded version of the DS II Owners Manual, if that might help in any way..... I do ask for $10 to cover printing and postage, e-mail direct is best to request a copy.
Being a centerboard boat the DS II CAN CAPSIZE, however..... taking a few precautions should prevent this. First, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS.. sail with the mainsheet in your hand, use the camcleat to hold the tension, but KEEP the mainsheet in hand!! The DS II will recover from a near capsize if you release the sheet when hit by a puff or gust. I have used this technique to stay upright in both my DS II and the Widgeon, and Buzzards Bay is know for being windy. SEcond, add a tiller extension, it need not be all that long (mine is about 24-30", I need to measure it!) but it wil llet you sit on the side deck when it is windy, it is amazing how much that adds to the stability! Third, don't be afraid to reef! The first reef is to sail without the jib, using hte main alone. You will need to raise the CB a bit (I raise mine about 1-2" of the up cable) to rebalance the center of lateral resistance (basically, the center of the CB) to the now further aft center of effort (basically, center of sail area). Fourth, tighten the outhaul, and using the halyard and downhaul, tighten the luff of the sail, this "depowers" the main and reduces heeling. I had a local sailmaker add a set of reefpoints to my mainsail, this allows me to reduce the area of the main and extend my sailing to stronger winds while reducing stress on the boat and me. The DS II was origninally set up for roller-reefing of the main, but that required a reefing claw to allow the mainsheet block to be disconnected from the boom and then reattached (sort-of) after rolling in a reef. Truth is... it never really worked that well! The sail would bunch up at the gooseneck and not reef smoothly. Reefpoints work much better and allow a better sail set as well as stil lallowing use of a boom vang to keep the boom from lifting (pivoting up) in strong puffs. That was actually one more tip that I meant to add earlier! If your boat doesn't have a boom vang, GET ONE! The vang will keep the boom level as yo uease the sheet, and makes downwind sailing much less stressfull! It also takes some of the load off the mainsheet since it allow the sheet to now only pul lhte boom in and let it out with out having hte vertical pull lifting the boom (I find it much easier to pull in hte sheet when hte vang is properly set (not complicated, I just tighten the vang enough to prevent the boom from lifting more than about a couple of inches max at the vang attachment to the boom).
So, is the DS II a capable boat? YES, if sailed like the centerboard boat she is! As you gain experience, you will begin to feel more confident in hte boat. The DS II is not an ocean-crossing boat, nor a boat to sail (stock) offshore, but for coastal sailing or lake sailing..... as long as you sail her within her limits (or is that your limits...... still trying to figure that out myself!) you will find her very capable. If you have specific questions, let me know! (click on my screen name, "Sunbird" above if you wish to e-mail direct to me) Oh, I also have created an expanded version of the DS II Owners Manual, if that might help in any way..... I do ask for $10 to cover printing and postage, e-mail direct is best to request a copy.
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