I am the proud and happy new owner of an old Dolphin Sr sailboat!
I just found her yesterday; the guy with the Super Snark wasn't returning my calls, so I checked a slightly different area on Craigslist and found a "15 foot sailboat with trailer" in the St Louis area listed for $325. One phone call, and over 100 miles later, and she was mine for $300 even! Yay! She trailers fairly well, except for an oscillating vibration that starts to become noticeable over 60 mph - on the other hand, driving at 60 with the trailer may have actually improved my gas mileage, so no complaints, there!
This morning, I put up the sail with her still on the trailer (I just REALLY wanted to see her all dressed up), then put the sail and mast back in their bag, and pulled her off the trailer in the grass. Once flipped onto her deck, I inspected some cracks in the hull, and decided they could be dealt with (for now) with a dose of liquid epoxy.
A few hours went by, and I got tired of waiting; I wanted to Sail! I flipped her back over and loaded her back onto the trailer. I strapped her and the sail-bag (?) down, invited my mom along (not sure if I was inviting her in case of emergency, or just so I could show off!), and was off to a local conservation lake.
My first time sailing (ever! not including a time many years ago when I was on a sailboard) started off a bit slow, but then... I was moving! I crossed the little lake fairly quickly, began a turn, stalled, started to move again, "Boom!" caught an underwater tree with the daggerboard, barely moving again when "Boom!" caught another underwater tree with the daggerboard. Looking around, I could see yet another tree just under the surface of the water... she was too far into the wind (light breeze, really) to make headway... I experimented a bit, pushed the sail around and against the wind, and found that I could back the boat, if a bit clumsily. For the rest of the 2 hours I was on the lake, I stayed on the side without the trees!!
I sailed with the sail high on the mast; I've watched a few videos, and seen some pictures, so I realize that most people keep the sail a bit lower, so they have to duck each time it swings by; I didn't see much point in doing so, in such light winds. She heeled just a bit, going up and across the wind; I know she couldn't have been moving very fast, but to hear the swirling water behind, feel the boat heeling a few degrees in the wind, and the wind itself in my face - I guess I'd have to describe it as being an amazing experience.
Finally, it had been about 2 hours, and my mom asked if I was ready to go. Yeah, yeah - I'm 39, but still no reason not to invite my mom to spend a while at a nice little lake. Somehow, I did not feel that so much time had passed, but was feeling ready to come in. I used my newfound skills to tack in to the boat ramp, and hopped out just before the daggerboard hit bottom. Now I learned, the hard way, why to be careful not to let the daggerboard drop into it's slot! It tends to jam itself in there - luckily, some other people were nearby, and helped me to lift the boat a bit in the water, and bump the daggerboard back up out of it's slot.
Loaded back onto the trailer, sail and mast bagged, daggerboard and rudder in the back of the explorer, it was time to head for home. That pair of hours on that little lake were a real pleasure.
Next weekend, we're off to a reunion at Lake of the Ozarks - and we're taking her along with us! It'll be interesting to see how she performs on a larger lake. The waves will likely get my attention focused fast!
She an old boat; she's been through a lot. She has fiberglass patches on several spots of her hull. I epoxied a couple of cracks, myself. The mast is bent, just a tiny bit. None of that matters to her, though - she took to the water eagerly, obviously after far too long sitting on dry land. She didn't take on a bit of water, either - I pulled the plug while still on the loading ramp, and there was nary a drop. I'll keep her in the water. I'll keep her in the water as much as I'm able. Hopefully, I'll also find some time, now and again, to scour down her decks and repaint; perhaps even enough time, somehow, to properly repair the old fiberglass repairs. They hold, just fine; they're just very obvious. I'd just like to be able to show her, eventually, in the glory and shine she had when she was a new boat on the showroom floor.
Oh, and the Snark guy? He did call back. He called back about 20 minutes after I picked up my new (old) Dolphin Sr. Too bad for him - and good for me! I think I got the right boat for my needs.
Until next time, old 3274 and I are signing off.
-Mathew
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