1976 O'day 22

[jowaterm3]

I'm new to this forum business, but here goes: I'm thinking of buying a '76 O'day 22. I know some have movable keelboards and some "built into the hull solid non-movable keels. (This one has a built in or all part of the hull)
What is the advantages and disadvantages of these designs?
Thanks

[BigZ]

With the swing keel you can raise keel up to make it easy to get on to a trailer or to get close to shore. It is usually lighter than a fixed keel and has extra maintenance points at the pivot and at the winching device. Swing keels may require some type of housing in the interior of the boat that will take up some space. The slot that the keel fits into also has to be kept clear of gunk and growth. Usually the rudder will also have a type of pivot arrangement so it can be at the same depth as the keel.

The fixed keel usually will have more mass than the swing keel and might have a better foil shape. A fixed keel boat should be a bit more stable than a swing keel, and have fewer maintenance issues. But with the fixed draft depth, which is usually deeper than that of a raised swing keel, you have more of an issue when trailering and can’t get as close to the shore when you want to mess about on dry land.

I think the O’day fixed keel on the 22, sort of shallow draft long chord keel is meant to get the best compromise of low maintenance and easier trailering. Typically, a deeper draft with shorter chord would sail better, but you would would then have the issues of trailering, etc.

[mstern]

For this boat, the centerboard makes a big difference in how it sails. Without the centerboard, the stub keel does not provide much lift when going to windward, and it makes it difficult to pinch up close to the wind.

The centerboards on the Oday trailerables (22, 23, 25) are really simple affairs, and require the least amount of maintenance of any system used by the big boys. That being said, they still do require some maintenance.

My two cents (adjusted for inflation): if you like the boat (and I think it is every bit as good a boat as the Catalina 22), find one with a centerboard: it sails better than the stub keel model, and its just as easy to trailer.

[SubdriverMC]

I have a 1978 22' shoal draft (18" keel/2' total draft) and it's an absolute great boat to sail and does very well pinching. I have a sailing friend who designed Morgan yachts for 35 years and he was very excited and surprised about her sailing abilities.

There is no maintenance other than painting the hull. If you decide to buy a trailer I bought a rebuilt one. The profile is quite a bit different than a Catalina's.

I live in Florida so I can sail year round.

In 12 to 15 mph winds I can usually cruise along at hull speed. It's also self-righting and self bailing with positive bouancy. There are no bilge pumps in the cabin. The keel has a locker cover so you can inspect the area as required.

I have a 6 hp Merc on mine that does everything I need. A 4 Hp would probably work just as well. I use about 3 gallons of gas a year. I do recommend using non-ethonol gas which can usually be bought at the marina. It's worth the little bit of extra money.

A retired Navy Admiral had it down at Siesta Keys for 30 years prior to my buying her. The O'Day is good for lakes, bays, and coastal cruising.

Regards,

SubdriverMC

[OtterGreen]

i have a 23ft Santana. it is a little different but i second the swing keel! around here venturing 4 feet outside the channel you can end up in 2-3 feet of water. last weekend 2 boats were aground and yelling for me to tack, i was going to run aground. i sailed by asking if they needed help and they said a friend would haul them off followed by.. how much do you draw?!?... 12 inches rudder and keel up! ... oh.. only real maintanance to worry about is the keel pin which i will be replacing this winter, and at anchor if you dont haul up the keel to the max you get " keel slam" from the rocking from which i have been told can leed to premature pin failure. just inspect it every haul out and you should be good to go! my old boat required a winch which was a real PITA and if the cable snapped which it did, was a nightmare to fix. on this boat we have a fiberglass centerboard which is hauled with a small diamater line and locked in by a cam.

[jowaterm3]

Thanks for all your input. That clears up a lot on fixed keel or swing