Improving performance on an O'Day 192

[mahalo]

I have a stock 1986 O'Day 192. In the past I have owned and raced a San Juan 21 and a C&C 24. Both of these boats performed well going to weather. Both of these boats had adjustable jib and genoa fairleads and blocks, and adjustable backstays. They also had full beam travelers along with the usual boom vangs, cunninghams. and other sail controls.

I would like to improve the weather performance of my 192. She has fixed jib fairleads, no traveler, a fixed backstay, a Cunningham, and an outhaul. I think that adjustable jib fairleads, a traveler, and an adjustable backstay would improve her performance going to weather.

I would appreciate your input/comments.

Thanks and Keep Smilin'

 

[Jackdaw]

Looking at the 192, the first thing I would do is add a full-width traveler as far aft as you can, still clearing the tiller. Maybe even cutting a few inches off the tiller and and adding a tiller extension. Go right across the seats.

No Fractionally rigged boat can to weather well without its boom on the centerline. And there is no way you get anywhere close to that with the existing POS mainsheet system angled off the transom.

Sometimes I have hard time remembering that George Oday has an Olympic medal in sailing.

 

[Brian S]

Sometimes I have hard time remembering that George Oday has an Olympic medal in sailing.

Yabut C. Raymond Hunt designed it to be a recreational daysailer/overnighter. End boom mainsheet for maximum cockpit space.

I have thought about transom mounted traveler. It will require a raised bridge config so that the traveler goes over the tiller. Judy Blumhorst had one made up for her hotrod West Wight Potter 19. So it can be done.

Might not be a bad idea to replace the fixed jib fairlead blocks on top of the house with a minimum of 12" of pin track.

You could upgrade to a 135% genoa. This will require tracks down the side decks. I believe some have used the lifeline stanchion bases just aft of the house as a mount point for turning block for a drifter. My asym sheets go back to blocks on the "handles" and then forward to ratchet blocks at those stanchion bases.

The 192 that was used for the Small Craft Advisor review/profile from 2 years ago or so had a 3:1 v-jam cleat fiddle added to the backstay to replace the 18" wire strop to the mainsheet attachment plate. If I were rigging a traveler bridge, I'd put a 4:1 purchase on the backstay.

 

[mm2347]

Jackgaw: I have read that George Oday hated most of the boats that had his name. Early on he would take his wife (she disliked sailing anything that tipped) out on a prototype. If she could stand it the design might have a chance to go into production. I have a 222 Oday and have only started to become a sailor. One of my first improvements was an adjustable (not pins) traveler mounted as you described. I think there is nothing better I could have done. The slight disadvantage of mounting across the seat is far and away offset by the gains in preformance and after about an hour of sailing I didn't notice where it was mounted, only how well it worked.