My brother has a Siren 17 and I've seen him on Lake Superior in some awful ruff water He's single handing it most of the time.It's a good little boat...Dale

 

I have sailed on a Mariner 19' which is kind of sister ship to the O'day 19' but not the Siren. Either model looks good for handling shallow spots that you will find in the back bays on the Jersey coast.
I spent an overnight on the Mariner 19' back in my late 20's; was fun but cramped.
Longer LWL always means slightly faster sailing speeds.

For older boats that may need some tlc it is all about the upkeep, or lack thereof they may have received. It is also about you and your budget and what you are willing to undertake.

Good luck.

 

I've never seen a Siren, but I'd bet it is a good little boat and might meet your needs. I know the Mariner is a good little boat; I own one.

If you are going to tie your boat to a dock, you probably will want a boat that has cockpit drains, or you will need a bilge pump. Pre-1968 Mariners don't have cockpit drains.

Assuming all else about equal, like price, condition, trailer, motor, my deciding factors would be:

1) the level of support I get from the manufacturer and the owners' association. The Mariner has a very helpful and supportive association, good source of parts (DRmarine.com), and is still being manufactured (Stuart Marine).

2) the local population of Sirens and Mariners. For New Jersey, the Mariner Class Association lists 52 members and 3 fleets.

 

Thanks for all the responses! I'll be looking at the Mariner, it's a 73 so it's self bailing, on Saturday. I have a very experienced sailing friend who also worked in boat construction coming with me to eye it over for me. If he doesn't find anything seriously wrong that we couldn't fix ourselves over the winter than I'm hoping to have it that day. I'll keep the board posted. Again, thanks for all the help.

 

I had a Siren 17. It was a fun little boat. There's a lot of room on board for a 17 footer.

It is a very light boat. 750lbs if I recall correctly.

They are also old. I had to replace all the rivets in my mast after my jib halyard sheave popped off in a small blow. It was an easy job. The boat is small enough that most jobs are easy.

I'd get one again if I was in the market for a boat that size.

 

Eko_Eko, How did she handle tight chop? Going to "kick the tires" tomorrow on a '79 and just aren't sold if she can handle bay chop.

 

It's been six years since I sailed her, but I don't recall any issues with chop. They are light and will tend to bounce around, but not unacceptably.

There are decent videos on youtube of them sailing, if you want to get a visual feel for the motion of the boat.