Calling all O'Day Daysailer 1 Experts

[jimshipsky]

Just bought an O'Day Daysailer 1 built in 1956. She was named Nancy Lee, and raced off Cape Cod and Salem, MA. Some readers may know this particular boat? There are several things I don't understand about it. Some are original; some may have been added by various owners.
Thru-fittings on coamings
I downloaded an owner's manual that illustrates how to run the jib-sheets: across the top of the cuddy (inside the shrouds) then to blocks on the inside of the coamings, thence to fairleads and cam-cleats mounted on the centerboard trunk. Fine. Altho I fail to see why the blocks on tracks on the coamings can be adjusted fore and aft about a foot. Can't see what difference that could make. However, there are original metal fittings in the coamings that are located such that one might run the jib-sheets thru them then outboard to original cleats. As if maybe the blocks in tracks were not original equipment in 1956. However, that routing would seem to induce a lot of friction at the thru-coaming fittings. Maybe they are for something else entirely? Any ideas? see photos

There is a jam cleat on the centerboard trunk that I fail to see the point of, since the jib-sheet hardware includes two cam cleats.
Fittings on mast
There is a pair of fittings on the mast just above the tangs for the forestay and shrouds. One port, one starboard. I have no idea what these are.

Masthead
There's a fitting at the masthead where the mainsail cable halyard exits the sheave. I think half may be broken away. I have no idea what purpose this would have served.

Mainsheet rigging
There is a bridle at the stern referred to as a traveler. I have seen similar arrangements on older boats. There are no controls. The boom will always move leeward of the centerline of the boat. My hypothesis is that early designers believed their boats would sail better. or safer this way. I owned a Town Class boat with a brass "traveler" shaped like a towel bar. That practice seems to have ceased.
But aside from the so-called traveler is the mainsheet rigging. The manual shows the bitter end fastened to a becket on a block on the end of the boom. Then down to a traveler block, then back up to the block on the boom end, then forward to a block sort of mid-boom, then down to the mainsheet block-with-cleat. I'm calling this a 2-part tackle, giving a mechanical advantage of 2:1' This puzzles me. My Cal 21 has a 5-part mainsheet tackle, and in winds above 20 mph, that's not enough for me to sheet in. I have to bear up to depower the sail before I can sheet in. So how can a 2-part tackle be sufficient?
I admit I have yet to sail this boat and maybe I will discover that for unknown reasons a 2-part is all that is needed. I'm skeptical. Won't be hard to convert to a 3-part or more tackle.

Any information you can offer will be appreciated.
Thanks,
jim

 

[jssailem]

Mainsheet rigging

NAME	CAL 21	Daysailer
S.A. Fore:	97.75 ft² / 9.08 m²	41.40 ft² / 3.85 m²
S.A. Main:	97.75 ft² / 9.08 m²	102.50 ft² / 9.52 m²
S.A. Total (100% Fore + Main Triangles):	195.50 ft² / 18.16 m²	145.00 ft² / 13.47 m²

There is very little difference in the mainsail areas of these two boats. The goal in a 16ft boat is to have the rigging light in weight.
The displacement of the Cal is 2 times that of the O'Day. The O'Day should be a more nimble boat. You are correct about the 2:1 mechanical advantage of the present rig. There is nothing wrong with adding a lightweight dual block. Rostan and Harken make excellent lightweight blocks for pocket yachts. I am not sure it would be needed based on the sail plan. I would be inclined to take the boat out on the water and see how she sails before I would spend money. My first expenditure would likely be a new suit of sails.

This is the only image I found for a DaySailer.

It shows the Jib inside the shrouds and over the deck cabin down to what I would suspect is the adjustable swivel block on the inside of the coaming.

 

[jimshipsky]

Was something omitted from the reply above? I see a chart with two unlabeled columns and don't understand what it intends to communicate.

 

[jimshipsky]

OK, I get it. The chart compares my Cal with the Daysailer. 195 SF vs. 143 SF. Not significantly different.

 

[PaulK]

The jib sheet leads adjust fore & aft for different wind strengths. You want the sail to luff all along the luff evenly when you head up or ease out the sheet to get the most out of the wind. If the jib luffs at the top first the lead needs to be moved forward, to flatten out the sail at the top more. If the jib luffs at the bottom first, the lead needs to be moved back, to flatten it out more at the bottom. Generally for light wind the lead should be forward and in heavier wind the lead should be back. if there is another Daysailor on your lake you will see what a difference it makes to have the jib leads in the right places.

 

[jimshipsky]

Oh, of course! You're right! Thank you.

 

[PaulK]

Was thinking that the masthead fitting looks like it could have been a support for a Windex that broke off. In that case it would be pointing up though, and it obviously points aft. In that case it could be there to simply block the main halyard from going too far up and getting jammed in the sheave.

Still thinking about the two padeye-type things on the mast. They don't look strong enough for a trapeze. You could use something like that for a flag halyard, but then they should be closer to the masthead. Lazyjack attachment points? Are there any extra fittings on the boom that would correspond to that? Seems a bit much for a 19' boat.

 

[jimshipsky]

I think you're right about the black plastic fitting at the masthead--that it is to prevent the braided line-to-cable joint from jamming in the sheave.
About the fittings in the coamings: now I think the jib sheets went out thru them and were cleated. There was no adjustment for tensioning the foot vs. leech. Then the tracks with sliding blocks were added later, as were the fittings on the centerboard truck. Those fittings look like a jury-rigged afterthought. Like there was not intended to be any hardware mounted atop the trunk. Nor bolted to the thwarts.
As to the fittings on the mast above the tangs, here is a better photo:

I think they are designed to have a line enter one side and pass thru. They are attached to the mast with only two small sheet metal screws, so they are not intended to take much force. FWIW a previous owner flew a spinnaker, altho I don't see how these fittings would have anything to do with that. Lazyjack lines is sounding right to me.
Thanks for pondering,
jim

 

[shemandr]

I think the cam cleats on the centerboard trunk exist so that crew can trim the sheets from the high side. They are not oriented so the helmsman could easily trim the sheets. The wooden cams and eye seem original to me.
I don't think the holes in the coaming would work to run sheets from the jib track block on the inside of the combing to the black plastic cleat outside the combing. There would be way too much friction and that black plastic cleat is not the type of cleat used for a jib sheet. It is almost certainly not original. But the deck is reenforced there for some reason.
So I think the jib sheets are meant to run as described in the OP, thru the block on the track, thru the eye on the centerboard cam cleat and then thru the wooden cam. I can't see if that run would be fair or not.
On the masthead, it looks like the left side (in the photo) is missing a sheave, and there is a hole for an axle in the aluminum masthead fitting. I can't see what the left wire halyard is laying on. The block-like hardware on the right side of the masthead maybe a combination of a sheave retainer and fair lead. I'm guessing that to replace it you would need to make it.
The black plastic cleat outside the combing, the hole in the combing and the black plastic eyes (?) on the mast remain a mystery to me.
From the pics of parts of the boat that I can see it looks to be in remarkably good condition.

 

[jimshipsky]

Many thanks. Can't believe I failed to notice the sheave missing from the masthead. It's been missing long enough that the cable is wearing a groove into the masthead fitting. I will see if I can find a sheave and pin. I've been focused on making new floorboards, refinishing the mahogany coamings, sanding and painting above and below the waterline, fixing numerous neglected parts. Only now examining the rig preparatory to my maiden voyage.

I'm guessing a very early setup had the jib sheets go out the coaming holes to an outboard cleat. But as you point out, this would require crew to cleat on the lee side. sailboatdata.com says Daysailers were first built in 1956. So my boat is one of the very first built. Maybe that arrangement was quickly replaced by the hardware on the centerboard trunk. I found two manuals online. The one from O'Day Corp is pretty darn early--the phone number has no area code. That manual shows the hardware on the centerboard trunk.
I'm looking forward to sailing this boat. Would today but for the forecast: Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

 

[jimshipsky]

Unbelievable! I was removing the white resin sheave from the masthead fitting to get accurate dimensions for ordering a new sheave. When I released the halyard tension TWO sheaves fell out of the fitting! Apparently the axle pin had fallen out years ago, long enough for the cable to wear a groove in the aluminum casting, but the sheave remained trapped inside the fitting. I'll replace the stainless Phillips machine screw with a smooth pin, but for now I have both sheaves operating!

 

[kappykaplan]

but for now I have both sheaves operating!

Whoo hoo!!!