O Day 23

[DJ MKE]

I just completed a basic keel sailing course. I'm looking at purchasing an O Day 23. This boat is rigged with a furling jib and main sail, which is what I trained with. I do plan on attending more advanced sailing courses. Is this a good beginners boat? I do plan on sailing myself at times. Is this rigging good for sailing alone? Any help from experienced sailors is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, DJ MKE

 

[Ward H]

DJ,
I think the O'day 22s, 23s and 25s would be make a great beginner boat. Now, whether that particular one your looking at would depends on condition and whether you want to sail or fix up a boat first.
We looked at all three and chose the 25 due to the cabin space. I took my ASA 101 course on a 23.
"This boat is rigged with a furling jib and main sail" Do you mean it has a furling main sail? I don't have experience with furling mains but have heard they can be problematic.
A furling jib is great for solo handling. I don't think a furling main is needed on these size boats. On my 25, I can head into the wind, drop the main and tie up enough to keep it under control until I get back to my slip.

Enjoy!

 

[DJ MKE]

Ward,
I meant a furling jib and a standard main sail. Thanks for your input

 

[Scott On Eagles Wings]

23-2 was our first boat and it was great for us as beginners. Still love it 10 years later. Furler makes singlehanding much easier and safer. God's Peace

 

[Indysailor]

I just completed a basic keel sailing course. I'm looking at purchasing an O Day 23. This boat is rigged with a furling jib and main sail, which is what I trained with. I do plan on attending more advanced sailing courses. Is this a good beginners boat? I do plan on sailing myself at times. Is this rigging good for sailing alone? Any help from experienced sailors is greatly appreciated! Thanks, DJ MKE

I own a 23 with the same set up. It's a very simple, uncomplicated rig, very good for learning to sail. It heels relatively quickly because the shallow keel holds the ballast rather high, but with 1200 lbs of lead it does stiffen up. And it's a forgiving boat, you might try falling off while close hauled sometime to get a feel for how it will react when heeling more severely. Eventually, the rudder will lose it's bite and the boat will round up into the wind, a nice feature that will help a new sailor out. I sail solo quite frequently; it's nice to have your main halyard leading aft to the cockpit, but not absolutely necessary. I suggest learning what you can about using your sail controls to change sail shape. Small adjustments help with performance and handling stronger winds and in addition reefing the main on this boat makes a big difference in helping to keep sailing under control.