ODay 27 for $500? Decent boat?

[BarryL]

O'day Comments

O'day boats are typical production type boats. Very similar to other boats like Catalina, Hunter, Newport, S2, Ericson, C&C, Cal, Pearson, etc. I have owned a Catalina 22, Newport 28 and I now have an O'day 35. I have looked at many many boats, and to be honest, in the basic coaster cruiser / racer sloop type, there just isn't that much differene between the boats.

IMHO, any of those boats would be fine for your needs. More important than the manufacturer is the condition of that particular boat. Since you are looking at the low end price wise (nothing wrong with that), there will be a great deal of difference between individual boats.

If your budget is really low stick to boats closer to 25' than to 30'. You will get a nicer boat for the money. If you can increase your budget, a bigger boat will be more comfortable and faster than the smaller boat, but costs increase fast!

Good luck,
Barry

[ccollins0601]

Hi,
Just saw this thread. I'm the one who bought that O'Day 27 7tiger7 saw. Some o'day 27s were designed for an outboard, not inboard, and this is one of those. So the engine's not a huge deal. there's a fist-sized hole in the foredeck (looks like a stanchion or bow pulpit base got ripped out). I'm thinking of building an anchor locker up there when I fix this.

I can't tell much about whether the deck is in good shape or if there's deck rot because it was below freezing when I saw the boat. But otherwise the hull, rig, interior, etc looks pretty solid to my non-professional eyes. It came with a lot of equipment as well that seems to be in decent shape (sails, anchor, VHF).

This is my 2nd boat - have a '76 Aquarius 23 (trailerable skiff keel c/b sloop) I'm looking to sell now. So I'm not totally new to this and am hoping it turns out to be a good deal with the right amount of sweat equity.