Oday or Hunter?

[Jotun]

I am shopping for a new (to me) boat in the 26-30 range and am between a couple of Oday models and a couple of Hunter models, all of the mid 80s vintage. Anyone have any advice? With Oday as a company gone, are they bad boats to buy?

[captain conrad]

Dont buy an ODay or hunter If you want a nice boat look at Catalina

[sailingdog]

Cape Dory 25D is a good solid boat, as is the Contessa 26, or the Pearson 28 triton....

O'Days aren't necessarily bad boats just because the company has gone out of business.

What kind of sailing do you want to be doing? Where are you going to be sailing the boat?? These questions may have more bearing on whether the Hunters or O'Day are appropriate than anything else. If you don't have an idea of what you'll be doing with the boat...it is hard to say what kind of boat would be suitable.

[Surfesq]

Here is what I would recommend. Go to www.yachtworld.com and just look at boats in your size and price range. Then narrow down your choices.

[sakajote]

Hi--Odays were very good, solid coastal and inland boats. I would prefer a solid used Oday over any Hunter, new or used. As to the Catalinas, they are much improved over the early days in 1970's. When we added Catalinas to the lines we sold (including ODays) in the late 70s, the fit and finish of the Catalinas were quite poor. What I have seen in later models is much improved.

Again, only my opinion, but assuming coastal or inshore sailing is your plan and a used boat is your choice, out of these three I would recommend the ODay. But there are others of note--Tartan, Sabre, C&C, Cape Dory to name only a few.

Good Luck!

[captw3]

Pearson is a good solid boat in the size you are looking at. look realisticly at how you will use it, where you will keep it, draft or bridge clearance issues and what you want to pay. go to your local marina and talk to owners of boats you like the looks of. Theres a reason so many newer Hunters are for sale. There is a butt for every seat, mine's in a Pearson P-28-2 and liking it fine. Find out what fits yours.

[Jotun]

Thanks for the input everyone. I selected the Hunters and the Odays after looking at a lot of boats and liking the looks of those two brands. They fit the criteria I am looking for. But what I was seeking in this post was advice on the stuff you can't immediately see--handling, wear, etc.

[Faster]

I would think that the Odays fall into the same categories, generally, as Rangers, Cals and other reasonably built boats that are no longer in production. There's no reason not to consider them in your quest for a new boat. Most boats sold in numbers were well-enough built to sell and if they are still going strong 20 - 30 years later that should be some comfort to you. I think that the specific history of upkeep and condition is more important than the brand in many cases as you search for a used boat of that vintage (assuming the design is sound in the first place and suits your intended use).
While I'm not a huge Hunter fan, at least in the mid to late 80s they still looked like sailboats.

[Ronbye]

I would look at what type of sailing you would want to do and how much comfort you want/really need. In our area the boat of choice by many people is a C&C 27 to a C&C 30. They are good for racing, cruising and are quite comfortable. In our club, C&C 30's seventies vintage is popular.

[PBzeer]

One thing to always keep in mind....it's YOUR boat. So not only must it be in good shape, have good characteristics....it also should be something you are proud of (in a good sense). Use the info you gain here, but always remember, it is your boat, and you are buying it for you....not someone else. There's not much sense in buying a great handling, built,setup, boat, if it isn't pleasing to you. The technical side is important, but so is the aesthetic side as well. Quite often, once you get out and see them in person, the boat will choose you. If the O'Days and Hunters appeal to you, that's half the search.

In your size range, I would take a look at the Pearson 28-2. These were built from '85 to '89, are well built and sail well. Good luck in your search.