New O'Day 25 owner

[Ward H]

So trying to be respectful but, this is why you don't buy a beat up old boat. You spend more time maintaining, fixing things than sailing it. You have no money for improvements and upgrades as all your money goes in that hole in the water you are pouring money in to. Someone once said to me "do you want to fix it or sail it", I personally prefer to sail. Sorry, no offense meant but.... old boats require more time, effort, and money than some are worth.

Sorry @cb32863 but I think you were being disrespectful. Oliver already has his boat and you don't know Oliver's reasons for buying that particular boat. He isn't complaining about the work he has to do, he is just sharing.

@Oliver, I blew up your picture showing the traveler and might have an idea for it. I see the cam cleat with bulls eye and also see a couple of sheaves under the shackle on the traveler car. I'm thinking what is missing is a turning block at the end of the track. Let's say you mounted a turning block w/ becket at the end of the traveler. Line would travel from the becket to the sheave on the car back to the block and up through the bulls eye through the cam cleat.
May not be the best angle for pulling the traveler across but that might do the job for you until you are ready to install a new traveler system.

For that stuck bolt, do you have a Dremel tool? They are real handy for cutting off stuck bolts.

 

[Oliver]

Sorry @cb32863 but I think you were being disrespectful. Oliver already has his boat and you don't know Oliver's reasons for buying that particular boat. He isn't complaining about the work he has to do, he is just sharing.

@Oliver, I blew up your picture showing the traveler and might have an idea for it. I see the cam cleat with bulls eye and also see a couple of sheaves under the shackle on the traveler car. I'm thinking what is missing is a turning block at the end of the track. Let's say you mounted a turning block w/ becket at the end of the traveler. Line would travel from the becket to the sheave on the car back to the block and up through the bulls eye through the cam cleat.
May not be the best angle for pulling the traveler across but that might do the job for you until you are ready to install a new traveler system.

For that stuck bolt, do you have a Dremel tool? They are real handy for cutting off stuck bolts.

Turning block.... I get it but what about tripping over all that line and hardware ? I have to take a cruise out and think if maybe I don't like my hand vise grip thing better and I need to barrow neighbors dremel.... I don't want to make bad marks in area underneath, yes, duck tape, thank you for real.

 

[JRT]

Wade, thanks for the details. I think between your pics that is the way I'll go.

And you are correct the early 25s did not have a fuel locker. The center board seems good now, but I plan to order a replacement line from DR for next winter maintenance. So they looked at my thru hole valves, they are brass, no leaks and with a lever, very easy to tell open and closed. Looks like mine were upgraded, I also found the original first person who bought her new in 1976! Basicly she has lived in the 15 nm area since new, well maintained and several people have recognized her with positive comments on how well she had been kept.

I think I'm in good shape to sail and learn this season after 5+ hours running her back and forth the past couple of weeks. Now with no leaks, functioning centerboard I feel very good about her.

 

[JRT]

Oliver, not sure if this will help you but I was looking at a larger boat that had no travler but 2 mainsheets attached to the boom. They were fixed port and starboard at the other end. Looked very cool and bonus for redundant setup if one line failed.

Here is a picture

https://goo.gl/images/HlHfBb

 

[JRT]

Is that something in the overhead ofthe cabin? For me I plan to only use VHB 3M tape to not add holes. Planning some LED replacement lighting strips to start with.

 

[Ritdog]

Oliver- it LOOKS like the standard water tank, but seeing the two taped off thingys on the top, I'd say fuel- open the cap and take a sniff! Mine was water, and mounted athwart right up against the galley bulkhead.

 

[Ritdog]

Oliver again- I would check the core where the holes mount through the transom. And get in there for a tap test. Mine LOOKED ok, but were not. The large circles in the post I made showing the transom panels were epoxy for that reason- stops water penetration.

 

[Ritdog]

I hate to disagree, but the tape is a mess- I bedded most of my hardware, winches, pulpits, etc with it and regret it- It DOES seal, but squeezes out for months.
I started a job last year with a yacht rehab firm who does VERY high end paint and FG, and they use Sikaflex- get enough on for a bit of squeezeout, clean up with paint thinner, and let it dry. You won't have to clean the squeezeout for months afterwards, and it's bomber.

 

[JRT]

Is this the product?

https://www.amazon.com/Sikaflex-Polyurethane-Performance-Elastomeric-Limestone/dp/B00461GOKY

 

[cb32863]

Never had an issue with using Main Sail's Butyl. I would definitely go that route and follow his guidelines. A lot of people here and elsewhere have used it with ease and success.

 

[Ward H]

What @cb32863 said. I try to only use it around the bolts/penetrations so very little gets squeezed out of the hardware edges. When it does I clean it up on a warm day and that's it. I imagine if you bed hardware in cool weather, it will leak out a bit when warmed up but I haven't had that happen.

 

[Oliver]

I put tubing up around my outside stay wire, it stops old line from turning into pillow stuffing. Polyurethane I believe. I like it. It also is not so ruff on main when it is way out on sides.

 

[Brian S]

I put tubing up around my outside stay wire, it stops old line from turning into pillow stuffing. Polyurethane I believe. I like it. It also is not so ruff on main when it is way out on sides.

I dunno about the 25, but my 192 jib (completely different boat design, for sure) sheets best between uppers and lowers. But it's just a 110%. If you're running a 135 or 150, yeah, it probably has to sheet outside the uppers, so long as the clew goes back to the shrouds, or aft past the shrouds. Ward, what do you do?

Oh, yeah, and I'm a running rigging snob, too. Life's too short to deal with old, worn out running rigging. I love my New England Ropes Salsa sheets. Ugly as hell, but durable and beautiful hand feel, runs through mainsheet fiddle blocks like a dream. Hobie 16 racers use it to run through their crazy 8x or 10x purchase mainsheet blocks...

 

[Jackdaw]

I dunno about the 25, but my 192 jib (completely different boat design, for sure) sheets best between uppers and lowers. But it's just a 110%. If you're running a 135 or 150, yeah, it probably has to sheet outside the uppers, so long as the clew goes back to the shrouds, or aft past the shrouds. Ward, what do you do?

Oh, yeah, and I'm a running rigging snob, too. Life's too short to deal with old, worn out running rigging. I love my New England Ropes Salsa sheets. Ugly as hell, but durable and beautiful hand feel, runs through mainsheet fiddle blocks like a dream. Hobie 16 racers use it to run through their crazy 8x or 10x purchase mainsheet blocks...

Salsa is great, as it Swiftcord.
It makes sense to balance VLS (very low stretch) cordage with appropriate sail material. Much of the advantage of VLS sheets will be lost on dacron sails, which stretch much more than laminated sails.

 

[JRT]

Man I had to look up Salsa Sheets, for a minute I thought this was some weird sailor thing about soaking sheets in salsa for protection and performance

 

[Brian S]

Man I had to look up Salsa Sheets, for a minute I thought this was some weird sailor thing about soaking sheets in salsa for protection and performance

Life was simpler when all I knew was double braid polyester...

 

[JRT]

Well after a couple of successful sailing adventures I'm looking at my lines too. I have 3 areas to address near term, topping lift line, boom vang line, and figuring out how to setup a reefing line.

Also I really appreciate all the help and recommendations from the experienced sailors here. I plan to try and get to them all, but of course there has to be priority and some cost controls in place. God knows I still haven't paid my taxes this year so I need to figure out that bill...

 

[LeeandRick]

I finally read all 7 pages of this thread. Entertaining and informative.

John you may (will) put more money into your boat than it will return when you sell but it is like travel, nothing in hand but what an experience. I've been sailing for 50 years, what's a vanguard line?

One other observation from this thread. Anyone that is on a forum discussing boats that have not been produced in over 30 years must enjoy working on boats. It may appear to be sickness to some, but to us it's a fun hobby. Working on these things does limit my sailing time to 2-3 days a week every week of the year. Since I've done about everything I can do to my O'Day, I bought a 1975 S2 to work on. Is this fun or what? I'm going to grind a little FG this morning and go sailing this afternoon. Life is Good!

 

[JRT]

Sorry that was suppose to be a boom vang line. I know there are better options but I think a single new line is the cheapest for now.

 

[Ward H]

Ward, what do you do?

@Brian S I run my jib sheets outside of the shrouds. My jib is furling and estimated to be a 95%. Even when furled I kept the lines outside of shrouds. It would rub the shrouds slightly when furled but not when full out. With the positioning of @Oliver s jib car track, I would think they can go outside but he is on the boat and I am not.
The pic is of my jib, which has been replaced with a 108%. The 108 comes back past the shrouds by about 12" so the sheets do not touch.

Edit: I like Samson Trophy Braid for jib and main sheets. Good feel, easy to grip and not too costly. I switched to low stretch halyards but don't feel I need low stretch for sheets.