Welcome Aboard s/v Daydreamer's Home Page

All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.

from "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom"

T. E. Lawrence

There are a lot of different live-aboards and blue-water cruisers out here enjoying this wonderful life but we all share one common feature, a boat of some kind. Deciding what constitutes the "right" boat -- and what are the right compromises to make in setting up that boat -- can be the subject of endless pondering and discussion. Clearly, good choices can yield a boat that is a joy to live aboard, that is safe and reliable and comfortable. Poor choices can result in frustration and frequent breakdown and cause a cruise to come to a premature end.

We certainly made a few bad choices when we started out, most notably an unreliable generator which caused no end of grief, and we had to replace an HF radio because the initial one wasn't up to snuff. Coming from the relative isolation of Alaska, we held off installing some of the equipment and systems until we had a year or two's experience and a better idea of what other cruisers had done. Most of the systems and modifications we've made have worked out well.

This web site is really just all about one particular cruising sailboat, including its design, modifications, systems, and major refits. We may later expand the site to include a cruising log but for now we're concentrating on the more technical aspects of our experiences in setting up and maintaining a cruising sailboat. You'll find the following pages here:

Yep, Daydreamer is now for sale and this page presents summary info of interest to any prospective purchaser. You'll find here an overview, sailplan, equipment lists, a dozen photos or so and, of course, price and location info.

On Cruising in Mexico: We're currently basing Daydreamer in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, which is a wonderful cruising ground. This page discusses what makes it so great.

Pricing & Options: We'd like to sell Daydreamer as a fully-found turn-key blue water cruiser but recognize that some potential buyers are not looking for a boat to go cruising and don't want to bear the cost for fitting a boat out for this purpose. See this page for a discussion of the various pricing and equipment options that we can work with.

About Daydreamer: A page about the boat's design in both general and specific terms, including hyperlinks to previous out-of-water surveys.

Exterior Pictures: Just shy of a dozen exterior shots ... unless otherwise labeled, all photos are current.

Interior Pictures: Pictures of the interior living spaces.

Compromises & Beauty: I was recently asked if there was anything I'd change about Daydreamer. After a bit of pondering, I emailed back a long answer. I decided that I liked what I had written, so it's included here.

Operating Manual: An operating manual for all the systems and equipment onboard Daydreamer. There's a lot of detailed material here but it's probably most valuable as in-hand reference material when onboard.

Hints: Almost all cruising boats have some minor modifications to improve safety or comfort or convenience. This page discusses many of the smaller modifications we've made to Daydreamer over the years, generally things that can be accomplished in a short time and at relatively low cost.

Projects: This section of the web site covers either major installations, refits/repairs, or modifications that call for more extensive discussion. It's here you'll find our take on;

	Refrigeration: Refrigeration is an often discussed and cussed subject amongst cruisers (it's one of the big three, along with 12v power management and autopilots). We designed our refrigeration from scratch with built-in redundancy to be extra dependable. It has proven to be superbly reliable, will keep meat frozen rock-hard for months on end, and can make two trays of ice overnight. Best of all, and a true test of onboard refrigeration, we were able enjoy ice cream when we crossed the equator! See how we did it here.
	Deck Rebuild: We had a few deck leaks when we purchased Daydreamer and they only got worse with time. Eventually we had to replace the plywood and balsa core. This page presents a series of photos of that nasty bit of work.
	Computers Onboard: How to best install and use computers onboard a boat seems to be an ongoing topic on internet discussion forums. We've been living with computers onboard for about 8 years and are now on our third generation. Time and technology marches on but, for what it's worth, this page covers our current installation and the thinking behind it.
	Watermakers: We put our watermaker together from a kit and were able to both save a chunk of change and make some very beneficial modifications when we did it. Here's how.
	AIS (Automatic Identification System): Almost all ships now continuously transmit information about who they are, what they're doing, what direction they're headed, and how fast they're going. This is AIS and it's required by international agreements for ships over 300T. We've installed an AIS receiver onboard Daydreamer so we can see what they're up to and do a better job of staying out of their way. This web page is a discussion of the current state of the art from one user's point of view.
	"Pox" Fix: We developed pin-head sized osmotic blisters all along the waterline. Rather than do a small patch, we decided to do a full peel and relamination to prevent future problems. This page presents a discussion and a series of photos on how that went.
	Engine Rebuild: After 23 years, our Lehman 4D-61 developed an internal water seal leak. Here's a photo record of the rebuild.
	Replace Fuel Tank: Pin-hole corrosion leaks eventually caused us to replace both fuel tanks. It was a great learning experience and this page provides a detailed outline of how we proceeded with the replacement tank design, fabrication, and installation.

This web site was started to support our efforts to sell s/v Daydreamer, our cruising home since 1995. The idea was to run some smaller advertisements in appropriate magazines and newsletters as well as "Boats for Sale" web sites and refer anyone interested to our website. We'd have all sorts of information about the boat here, hopefully enough to satisfy the most demanding shopper and pique their interest. And, in concept at least, we'd hoped to provide enough detailed information about the boat and its systems to serve as a knowledge base for any new owner, sort of a computerized "owner's manual."

But as we began to develop a structure for the website, we also began to see that we had some things to share with a much broader audience ... anybody, active cruiser or wannabe that was seeking ideas and information about some of the ways one might set up the various systems on a cruising boat.

Over the years, we've discovered or developed a variety of tips that can make living aboard easier and safer ... certainly other cruisers have found them helpful. Most of the hints herein and many aspects of the systems are unique to Daydreamer but time has proven their utility so feel free to duplicate them as you wish. Also, other yachties may be facing some of the same repairs/refits we've had to do and might find our approach and solutions helpful.

About the boat: Daydreamer is an FD-12, an unsinkable 50 ft. cutter-rigged sailboat of medium displacement, long fin keel and skeg-hung rudder. We bought Daydreamer from the original owner in 1988; she's been a faithful companion ever since and taken much of our attention (and money). As you will see reflected in much of the rest of this web site, she's on the largish side and very high in comfort features.

Who we are: Dianne & John Olson, now both in our mid 60's. We've been cruising and living aboard together since 1995 and have been sailing together for well over 25 years. Back in our working life, Dianne was an elementary school teacher and John was an engineer. So wherever we go, Dianne goes off to visit a school or two and John dreams up yet another modification to the boat.

Where we've been: Our 15+ year cruise started in Alaska, where we had lived for almost 20 years. We had been sailing Prince William Sound there since the early 1980's on weekends and summer vacations. In 1994 we sailed Daydreamer across the Gulf of Alaska and down the Inside Passage to Washington state, where we spent the next year, off and on, upgrading many of her systems. We headed down the west coast of the USA in August, 1995, joined up with the Baja-Ha-Ha II, and wound up spending the next 5 years in Mexico. 2001 saw us make the classical coconut milk run to New Zealand via French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga. After 1-1/2 years in New Zealand, we made passage via Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to Australia. After 4+ years in Australia, we were pushing Aussie Customs' cruising permit time limits, so we shipped Daydreamer back to Mexico on Dockwise in 2008 and will be winter cruising in Mexico -- until some lucky buyer takes Daydreamer away from us first.