O'day 25 - Gonna Buy One

cb32863 · Oct 22, 2018

I owned one and dealt with all the issues so this is not coming from a non-experienced point of view. The chain plates will leak, that will cause your bulkhead to rot, not good as the rig can come down. Under the mast step rots as well, again, not good. Under the toe rails will rot too. These are old design, not very good sailing boats that have seen much better days. Look elsewhere. There are much better built, better sailing, just plain better boats out there. I strongly suggest you keep looking for something that fits your needs better. Good luck, hope you find a boat that works great for you. Sailing is amazing, especially on a good boat.

cb32863 · Oct 22, 2018

Also, the centerboard trunk swells and the board won't drop. I wouldn't take one to the Bahamas either. Not the kind of boat for that. As I said above, do more research and find a great boat for what you want to do. A lot more out there.

Ward H · Oct 22, 2018

Welcome to SBO!
We sailed an O'day 25 for 5 seasons. Great boat for a first keel boat. Easy to sail, easy to maintain and simple systems. Ours had an outboard. We installed a Yamaha T9.9 with electric start and power tilt. I felt having an outboard helped to keep the systems simple. Note that newer 25s have a built in locker for holding the fuel tank. Keeps it out of the cockpit. Ours also had an anchor locker at the bow.
The 25s have a cored deck and leaking chain plates do allow water to run down to the bulkheads where the CPs are attached. Check for wet decks and leaking chain plates. Look closely at the bulkheads for signs of leaking and especially signs of rot where the CPs bolt to the bulkhead.
I've read posts where owners have replaced rotten bulkheads. If a boat is in very good shape except for needing new bulkheads it may not be a deal breaker if the price is right and you don't mind a project.
Rotten plywood in the transom sounds like a much bigger project requiring someone who can fit and doesn't mind working in tight places.
Look out for a stuck or missing centerboard. I've read where owners have boat their boat without pulling it out of the water for inspection only find the board is stuck in the trunk or is missing the trunk had been glassed over. While our 25 sailed fine with the CB up, we had a lot of side slip trying to sail up wind.

With an inboard I imagine you will lose a lot of storage space. Their are two inboards in our marina. Both owners love them. One had to have a leaking diesel tank replaced. I liked the idea of and outboard because when the OB that came with our boat failed, we simply bolted on another OB. Not quite as simple with an inboard.

I would not consider the O'day 25 a easy trailerable boat. I've read that the mast weighs 65lbs but I think that is bare weight. With rigging it weights a bit more. It took to beefy guys to lower it with another person guiding the furling system when I lowered mine. I chickened out and had the yard raise it.
There are systems guys have rigged to make it easier to lower and raise the mast but that just adds complexity I didn't need or want.
But then I hated trailering our first boat, a 17' Newport, so much we only had it one season and bought the O'day.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions.

The only other advice I can offer, it's always better to spend the money on a boat in the best condition you can afford than buying a cheaper boat that needs a lot of work. I'd rather be sailing than working on a project boat. And there is always work to be done on a boat anyway.

Jackdaw · Oct 22, 2018

If you plan on moving your boat with the trailer, then only buy a boat with a trailer. Otherwise you will spend more on the trailer than you do on the boat.

And a note of caution. If you are now just ‘finally in a position to afford’ an Oday 25, you need to realize that this is just the very beginning of your spending. Beyond simple upgrades, we’re talking about maintaining a 45-year-old boat.

Jackdaw · Oct 22, 2018

Oh, diesels are an absolute joy on a boat that size. In particular if you will really cruise and not just day-sail. But make sure it’s in good shape, and also check that the model still have spares available. I have a friend that has a small but dis-continued diesel, and every time something breaks it has to be fabricated. Not fun not cheap!

JRT · Oct 22, 2018

So great advise and caution already, this subject seems to come up a bit. There were a ton of O'Day 25s built and a ton of them are in just terrible shape. I think in the case of Ward and I we both got fairly good 25s to start with, but it is easier to find bad ones. Mine still needed work but no CB replacement, no bulkhead replacement, no compression mast replacement, no transom repairs. I needed to redo the electrical, which was amazing rats nest or hell, rebed all deck penetrations and still need to rebed the rub rail (Winter / Spring project). I do like my 25 and it was in the best shape of the boats I looked at because it was well maintained by it's long term owner.

I'm not sure why you are against a fixed shoal draft in FL. I lived in FL, Miami, Daytona Beach and Gulf Coast, a good depth finder and charts will fix that problem. Any ad that says "has original sails in great shape" means they are not, so plan on buying new sails. I look at outboards as a worn out item and figure replacement it into the budget too. The cheap one looks worn out, original sails are good for making into fabric buckets which is what I did with mine this year. The other 2 look over priced for the age unless they are mint which I have my doubts from the pics. If you comfort is $6k, + $2,500 for trailer then look at nicer newer boats in the $10k range.

JRT · Oct 22, 2018

Here is a 2004 Catalina 250 in Miami, add is terrible, but would be worth it if $9k

https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/73290

Justin_NSA · Oct 22, 2018

Great advice on O'days. Also Jackdaw's advice on the financial undertaking you are headed for.
Expand your search area,. There are better options out there.

JRT · Oct 22, 2018

You could go to the Bahamas on a 25, I know of one SBO member who built and set up his 25 just for that. My wife would say no based on her comfort level right now. She loved the idea of sailing but until we had ours had never been on one. She doesn't like how tender the O'Day is and I've learned to adjust to comfort which means slow and very light wind with her. This could change as the plan is for her to take lessons next year with our club instructor, who is female and knows Amy's issues, and will hopefully give her better comfort and instruction.

MacGregor would be my go to boat for your requirements in FL also, much easier to trailer and people travel farther and live on them comfortably in the islands.

Roland5048 · Oct 22, 2018

I understand your need for a swing keel if you are keeping the boat in Crystal River but if you are in Hernando Beach you can easily get by with a four foot fixed keel. I'm just twenty miles south of HB and get by very nicely with a four foot draft.
If you are going to cruise the west coast here for any length of time you will quickly outgrow that 25 footer. Unless you have no other alternative then keeping it on a trailer, I would opt for something in the 30 foot range. Not much more boat to handle but will make your passages much more comfortable and can easily make the trip to the Bahamas as long as you have the experience. Also, the step up to that 40+ footer you're going to need to cruise and live on in the Caribbean won't be such a major leap. An older, reasonably appointed 30 footer, (and there are tons of them around), should only set you back no more than 10 - 15K but, as @Jackdaw stated, that is just the beginning. Start saving those boat bucks. If you have a dock where you can keep her, so much the better. A marina will set you back about $300 a month but you won't have to go through the hassle of rigging her every time you want to go out. Just look at all the boats rotting away sitting on rusted out trailers. Good luck and take your time looking. If you do find something else that strikes your fancy, come back here for reviews. Pics help, also.

cb32863 · Oct 22, 2018

jamieFL said:
CB,

All boats of this age will have issues. The trick is to find one with as few as possible, know what they are ahead of time, and be able to deal with them.

The main issue I have is "no sailing experience". If you had $6-$8k what boats would you be looking for given my requirements?

1. Trailerable
2. Not too small to take a week long trip for two people.
3. Near 6 ft headroom.
4. Should draft with center board or swing keel.
5. No water ballast.
6. Bonus points if capable of sailing to the Bahamas on a good day.

I'm trying to be smart about this and not rush into anything. 1. Choose a boat model. 2. Find one in good condition. 3. Take care of maitenance needs. 4. Sail.

Sent from Samsung tablet

Yes they will, and I was sharing with you my experience and the experience of others on a boat that you said in your OP that you were going to buy and not consider any other boats. I have replaced bulkheads, re-cored the deck under the mast step and re-sealed the toe rails. Among other things.

As for what to buy? Well, finding a trailerable boat with 6' of headroom will be a stretch but, can be done. Depends on your definition of trailerable. Jackdaw's First 260 is on a trailer but, that is not an easy boat to launch and get the mast up. My First 235 is only 23' but, I am not a fan of trailer launching that either. When I had my O'Day 25, that was work to get in the water. Even with a crane and a gin pole to get the mast up. Boats are a compromise. Maybe look at what some of the others have already suggested. A Catalina 25 with the swing keel could work well for you but, I would not call it a trailer-sailer. You can obviously trailer it but, Its a big boat on the trailer.

As for staying as week on a boat, that is a personal comfort level thing. Do you like to tent camp or do you want a camper? Similar situation. I could probably do a week on my 235 by myself but I doubt the first mate would be OK with that. So if you are looking at a "camper" as opposed to tenting it, you will need something bigger. But, bigger and trailers as we al have mentioned, pose their own issues.

Then there is the sails. You will want new sails, just budget for it. Old sails are never "good enough". That is usually stated by someone who has never sailed with new ones. It's a world of difference and makes sailing your boat a pure joy. And that's what this is about, the joy of sailing your boat. Do as much research as you can and learn, learn, learn. You will find the one that is for you and then you will enjoy sailing. Trust me, sailing your boat is an order of magnitude better than working on fixing issues that you need to fix.

JRT · Oct 22, 2018

@cb32863 is spot on the new sails, my O'day had original, I thought were good enough too. This year I have a new sails and new outboard and the comfort and quality of time has gone way up. That said I've spent almost what the boat cost originally in sails and an outboard, but my interior and structure were in good shape.

Jackdaw · Oct 22, 2018

jamieFL said:
CB,

All boats of this age will have issues. The trick is to find one with as few as possible, know what they are ahead of time, and be able to deal with them.

The main issue I have is "no sailing experience". If you had $6-$8k what boats would you be looking for given my requirements?

1. Trailerable
2. Not too small to take a week long trip for two people.
3. Near 6 ft headroom.
4. Should draft with center board or swing keel.
5. No water ballast.
6. Bonus points if capable of sailing to the Bahamas on a good day.

I'm trying to be smart about this and not rush into anything. 1. Choose a boat model. 2. Find one in good condition. 3. Take care of maitenance needs. 4. Sail.

Sent from Samsung tablet

This is not a bad list, and the fact that you are asking advice puts you ahead of 95% of most people at the same place in the process.

But here's the trick. Its a not a good list, because its built of of mechanical things, but not things that might actually be important to you (and your crew).

How important is performance? (upwind, downwind, light air, heavy)
How important is safety in a seaway?
How important is motoring performance?
How important is sleeping accommodation?
How important is cockpit comfort?
How important is lines coming aft?
How important is the ground tackle layout?
How important is a marine head vs portapottie?
How important is a good galley layout?
How important is the ability to keep ice/refridge?
How important is how it lays on a mooring?

Right now you don't have the answers, mostly because you didn't know those were questions. But don't worry, you will soon after you get your first boat and face the issues first hand. Then you will know what's really important for YOU. So I say buy a boat (maybe even an oday 25) and find out whats important to you. Then you wont have to ask others for the answers you now have figured out for yourself. But I'm guessing there will be a 80% chance that it will NOT be the boat you expect.

JRT · Oct 22, 2018

I'd find the newest, best condition boat that meets your needs. If a trailer is a requirement then only look at boats with trailers to start with and go from there.

I have no experience with trailering a sailboat, mine is in a slip 30 min from my house. With in 15-20 min of arriving at the boat we can have it cleaned up and underway. The biggest issue I have is the lake has tons of spiders so we spend our arrival time washing her and spider web removal before leaving.

Also don't get me wrong, I like our O'Day 25 for what it is and have had a good experience with it. I also have a better idea of what I want for the next boat and a little bit more experience so I think the O'day 25 has served me very well.

David in Sandusky · Oct 22, 2018

If you really want a trailerable 26 footer, the older MacGregors are a good place to start. The Hunter 260, and similar Catalina offerings joined MacGregor in this space. Most of these boats have water ballast, though.

But they will meet many of your other criteria.