A Little Off The Top - Cabinless 17' DS

toddco · Sep 11, 2011

I would think your best bet would be to find another and salvage the top. I bet you could find one with a bad bottom. The other thing to keep in mind is scrap lead is going pretty high. If you scrap one remember there should be a couple hundred pounds of lead in the keel.

Ray Bowles · Sep 11, 2011

To attempt to reconstruct a cabin or graft a cabin from another boat is simply way too much work on that boat. It would probably cost more than buying another used O'Day 17DS.
I am not sure if your boat has a deck stepped mast but most boats of that size do. How did the PO treat the mast mounting. Did he leave a structure the same height as the original mast mount or did he drop it down to the new deck level? Has the standing rigging been modified? The questions about the mast structure are currently the most important question in my opinion. It is, after all, a sailboat and the mast is everything.
Get back with these answers and we'll go from there. Good luck with your new hobby.
Ray

kloudie1 · Sep 11, 2011

Get a canvas shop to shetch up a folding cover kinda like a dodger.. with a couple of bows, it would look pretty good and could be waterproof depending on the material..Welcome aboard.. Ya gonna love sailing !!

Joe · Sep 11, 2011

In the drawing the mast appears stepped to the roof of the cuddy cabin. How is your boat's mast set up? I think you could easily fabricate another roof with plywood and fiberglass... but it might be worth your while to find a complete boat to investigate, measure, photgragh and compare before you make your decisions.

By the way...... look at the drawing closely and tell me what's wrong with the way the running rigging is depicted in this "factory" manual.

chuckwayne · Sep 11, 2011

Day Sailers came with either a keel stepped mast (mast step on hull stiffener and just a hole in the cuddy) or a tabernackle hinged step on the top of the cuddy with a support down to the hull. The deck is just attached to the hull on a flange so if you found a good deck it would be easy to switch.
Yes, Joe, the rigging is....interesting

31seahorse · Sep 12, 2011

Hello arswann, RE: the DS17. I would enjoy the boat as it is assuming (you know how that can turn out) it is safe to sail. You probably won't hurt it with the rookie mistakes we all make. Plan on using it as a sandbox or flower planter in the yard after you are done with it. Then find a boat that suits your needs.

RE: Joe's picture......Tacking would be more complicated with the jib sheets lead as they are in the picture. I think I've tried that!

Phil

I should also mention that we have enjoyed several O'Day boats. Best Wishes as you enjoy sailing.

Charles · Sep 12, 2011

Build a new top

I think that building a new top with plywood covered with fiberglass or canvas might be your best bet. Finding a wreck with an intact cover would be hard; cutting it off and setting it on your hull would be quite tricky. And the wreck might be half the country away, whereas plywood is at your nearest lumberyard.
Did your neighbor tell you why the cuddy cabin was removed?

Bill Roosa · Sep 12, 2011

I would caution against using another boats parts. What I've found is that while the molds would appear to provide some standardization on the location of the individual bits there is some variation. This would make it a real headache trying to get the preverbal round peg in the square hole.
If you can rig a canvas cover that works you could overlay it with fiberglass…… note that fiberglass is transparent and whatever color canvas you use will show through. You could paint to remedy this though

CaptDanS · Sep 12, 2011

I see you are in Ossining,NY King Marine in Verplank has a number of 17 Daysailer bare hulls. If your rigging, sails and other equipment is good you might consider just replacing the hull. King is a boat junkyard so the prices are generally very good.
Dan Sheehan AMS

Al1653 · Sep 12, 2011

I recently saw a Hunter day sailer with a canvas cuddy cabin top and was impressed by the utility of the idea. A canvas top with bows for support would look good, and would provide an accessable area for stepping your mast and dry storage. It would probably be cheaper than adding a rigid cabin as well.

Snotter · Sep 12, 2011

It would be relatively easy to build a female plywood mold and to lay-up the cabin in fiberglass and then trim and attach it to the boat.

Ol Dave · Sep 12, 2011

Am I missing something here?
He's your neighbor ... he gave it to you free ... He will see the changes you are making ... he liked it the old way or he wouldn't have done the modification in the first place. Don't you think that hurt his feelings a wee little bit? I doubt he'll give you anything else if you "mess" with something he obviously is emotionally attached to.
I wouldn't do for that reason alone ... but then I live in "the south".

"You must remember, that in the south the past is not forgotten ... Hell, it's not even past."
William Faulkner

Ross · Sep 12, 2011

You can make any style top you fancy on that boat. I have always thought that the semi circular thatched shelters on Sampans as neat and very functional.

Joe · Sep 12, 2011

Ol Dave said:
Am I missing something here?
He's your neighbor ... he gave it to you free ... He will see the changes you are making ... he liked it the old way or he wouldn't have done the modification in the first place. Don't you think that hurt his feelings a wee little bit? I doubt he'll give you anything else if you "mess" with something he obviously is emotionally attached to.
I wouldn't do for that reason alone ... but then I live in "the south".

"You must remember, that in the south the past is not forgotten ... Hell, it's not even past."
William Faulkner

Hey Ol Dave........ I think his neighbor is smiling, big time, 'cause he just got rid of a boat he couldn't sell.... problem solved. That sounds pretty "southern" to me.

Sunbird22358 · Sep 12, 2011

Well, your boat is no longer considered a "DAY SAILER" by the Class Association, so you really can't hurt the resale value any further. The DSA does not allow any modification to the deck design.
I'd say put some thought into the boat over the winter and by Spring you can start rebuilding. I doubt it would really be worth restoring to "factory" specs, but either a canvas cover for the area (problem of fitting around the mast though?) or a plywood version of the cuddy could work, it would not have to be exactly as original. One consideration, depending on when in the 1977 Model Year this boat was built, the Centerboard is held down by a line that runs through a block on the inside of the cuddy, the block is mounted to the inside of hte cuddy top directly above the forward end of the centerboard trunk. If this boat is an early 1977 model (built prior to October 1, 1976) the centerboard down line will not be affected. If built after 10/1/76 then you will need to restore a mounting location for that block. (picture below of how this looked stock)

Seems to me the previous owner would have been better off just modifying the mast by splicing in a hinge at deck level (parts are available from D&R Marine or most spar makers). The mast is a bit interesting to step/unstep with the thru-deck setup!

31Seahorse, what do you mean by saying that the jibsheets as rigged ithe picture would make tacking difficult?? Most if not all Day Sailer II boats have been rigged that way since 1975 or so, my 1979 model is rigged that way and I have no trouble tacking..... I did need to angle the camcleats a bit further aft to accomodate single-handing, but with a crew the factory setup works fine. The earlier Day Sailers had the jib sheets running through adjustable blocks on the inside of the cockpit coamings and lead to cam cleats on the top of the CB trunk (I had that setup on my old 12' O'DAY Widgeon and it works pretty good, except the jibsheets may be a tripping hazzard as people move forward/aft in the cockpit. The O'Day Javelin is rigged the same way as the DS II.

Toddco, there is no lead in the DS II, no keel either. She is a Centerboard boat.

justsomeguy · Sep 12, 2011

Joe said:
In the drawing the mast appears stepped to the roof of the cuddy cabin. How is your boat's mast set up? I think you could easily fabricate another roof with plywood and fiberglass... but it might be worth your while to find a complete boat to investigate, measure, photgragh and compare before you make your decisions.

By the way...... look at the drawing closely and tell me what's wrong with the way the running rigging is depicted in this "factory" manual.

Lazy sheet on the foresail is routed aft of the mast?

Joe · Sep 12, 2011

justsomeguy said:
Lazy sheet on the foresail is routed aft of the mast?

bingo!....... You could run sheets inside the shrouds depending on the lead angle, but behind the mast?

Sunbird...... did you really rig your jib sheets like that?

justsomeguy · Sep 12, 2011

I've tried to run sheets sorta that way on a spinnaker, once.

However, 31Seahorse did get it right first.

A Little Off The Top - Cabinless 17' DS

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