O'Day

[Oceanlivin]

I am considering purchasing an older 22/23' O'Day to learn to sail on.
Any thoughts as to the sailability of this vessel for a novice?

[DaveH20]

O'day is an excellent sail boat to learn on, my first sailboat was a 16' Sneak box when I was 13 years old. Then I went to the O'day and even though I missed the manueverability of the Sneak box, I loved having a sailboat with a cabin, stove, refrigerator and motor.

If you don't mind my asking, where are you located. I currently live on a housebarge with 1200 square foot of living space and go cruising in my 36' cabin cruiser. Once I retire (5 years) I will sell it all for a sail boat in the virgin islands.

Dave

[Oceanlivin]

Pawley's Island, SC.
The cabin is the biggest draw for me, we want to sail to a few of the more remote islands around here and be able to spend the weekends.
5 years to retirement huh? Congrats.
we would like to retire to the British West Indies ourselves, Nevis specifically but we gotta work 20 or so more years.

[camaraderie]

This will be a fine boat for you to learn on and do some wekending in protected waters. Other similar boats...Catalina22, Tanzer22.

[Oceanlivin]

We have a large bay to learn in. Winyah Bay in Georgetown, SC.
The islands we wish to reach are not really off shore, they are more like the outer banks up in NC.
Bulls Island and the sort.
The O'Day we are looking at comes with a 6hp outboard. Is that enough engine or should I invest in a larger one?
Thanks for the tips.
Would protected waters exclude us from venturing out of the bay for awhile?

[Yesac13]

The O'Day 23 is a great boat to sail. It goes good and is shallow draft. It is a keel/centerboarder. Unlike many centerboarders, the O'Day 23 has a fairly low center of gravity due to the cast iron keel and cast iron centerboard. This lowers the center of gravity. I think some later model 23s may have had a lead keel with a fiberglass centerboard which would be even better. Good interior, at least for the size range. Some older versions has a pop-top which increases standing headroom. But those are rare.

The O'Day 22 is not worth it. Nice looking boat, looks similar to the 23 but only has a short keel, no centerboard. Doesn't sail very well as compared to the 23.

In short, get the 23.

Just don't expect to trailer either of them often. They are not true trailerables, you would need a hefty truck to haul them around, especially the 23.

The Catalina 22 with a centerboard, in my opinion are the better trailerable sailboat if you choose to go that way. Its much lighter than the O'Day 23 and will sail better than the O'Day 22.

That's my 2 cents.

- Yesac13

[Bob1112]

There are different models of the O'Day 22. I owned the 1984 version (O'Day 222), which was alot of fun when I was young, and it was the boat that I learned to sail on. Note however that the early rudder stock had bending problems, and the deck-stepped mast was retrofitted with an in-cabin strut to beef it up. See if the fixes for these items are found in any boat you are thinking of buying. Also, a few modifications can be done to improve sailing performance.

[sanjuan2R]

Bob1112:
What modifications would you suggest on the O'Day 22? How easily are these modifications accomplished? Just curious . . .

thanks

[Jackburn]

Oceanlivin:
I have an O'Day 222 and find it easy to sail. I A good boat for learning to sail.

You ask about the 6 HP motor. I have a 6 and find it to be plenty HP for the 22. That said, my old Johnson 6 HP is showing signs of its age. I have it in for repairs in mid-season. Not good. I am looking at 8 HP and 9.9 HP Yamaha as a new replacement. The 6 HP weighs 56 lbs. The new 8 and 9.9's are around 85 lbs. I have been advised not to go to the 85 lb motor because it is too heavy for the motor rack and stern. Any body think the O'Day 222 would not hold an 85 lb. motor?

[LandLocked66c]

We just picked up a 23' pop top a couple of months ago. It needed some work, so I can't say how it sails yet. I will tell you it'll be the most comfortable over a weekend without a doubt! It's a big little boat!

Here's the link to our O'day - http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...has-begun.html