O'Day 322 Back Story

[BoDaycious]

I am writing an article about our 1989 O'day 322, and in doing so was really surprising at the significant impact the design had on the future of sailing. I have read most of the summary details posted throughout the internet, as well as my owners manual from cover to cover, but was interested to know if anyone has any knowledge of the events leading up to the actual design and the market reaction.
For example, this was a Hunt and Associates design, but who was the actual designer that work for the company?
Was this a design Hunt came up with or did O'day say " Here is what we want to do"
Was this boat introduced in an effort to move the +30,000 O'day sailor's into an affordable "family" sailboat that could primarily be sailed without a crew, or did it just end up that way?
Who brought the Hyrokeel idea to the party? Was it something that the O'Day told them they wanted included, or did Hunt team come up with it?
Where and when was it first introduced?
As most of the sailboat dealers at the time were probably traditionalist, what was the reaction to the euro-style?
Thanks in advance for the help

 

[Pat]

I am writing an article about our 1989 O'day 322, and in doing so was really surprising at the significant impact the design had on the future of sailing. I have read most of the summary details posted throughout the internet, as well as my owners manual from cover to cover, but was interested to know if anyone has any knowledge of the events leading up to the actual design and the market reaction.
For example, this was a Hunt and Associates design, but who was the actual designer that work for the company?
Was this a design Hunt came up with or did O'day say " Here is what we want to do"
Was this boat introduced in an effort to move the +30,000 O'day sailor's into an affordable "family" sailboat that could primarily be sailed without a crew, or did it just end up that way?
Who brought the Hyrokeel idea to the party? Was it something that the O'Day told them they wanted included, or did Hunt team come up with it?
Where and when was it first introduced?
As most of the sailboat dealers at the time were probably traditionalist, what was the reaction to the euro-style?
Thanks in advance for the help

The 322 immediately followed the introduction of the 302, whcih also had the hydrokeel, which followed by about 9 months the 272. All I believe were chosen by focus groups that analized the boat color (grey), etc. in Boston Harbor. The 272 quickly became the best seller in O'days history...I believe Gruman design assoc. out of Boston did the colors & design....the 'Euro' look was just beginning to get popular (beneteau, Jeanneau's, etc.) and so the O'day designs seemed conservative to some.....The 272 had the first built-in swim platform on a production boat as
was it's keel, the frist wing keel.....on a production boat....I believe there was fear in o'Day corp. how the boats would be accepted so they were relatively consertive as O'Day didn't want to go out on a limb as a slow down had already begun in the boating industry.....it's too bad. They are great boats....you can go on-line / google and type in O'Day Corporation and read all about how this great little company was raped by individuals and banks and a few certain individuals, including it's own president that sold their souls to make a buck, all the time knowing exactly what they were doing. In my opinion, they look as good today as they did in 86, 87, and 88....they have aged very gracefully. Shame on the backdoor leveraged buyout.

 

[BoDaycious]

Thank you very much - of course this brings up even more questions - As when in did O'day go to Hunt's group and ask for a coordinated released of a new "family of boats" - Was this "series" due to the Lear purchase? Or in the works before then...

 

[RAD]

Interesting story, a few years back a friend asked what kind of boat I had and when I said Oday he informed me that it was his half brother and cohorts that ran the company into the mud....what a shame

 

[BoDaycious]

Your right about the "running into the mud" remark. I followed up on Pat's post and learned the following:
June 30, 1987, “The O'Day Corporation” stands alone as its own entity, as as Lance Funston group pays $12,066,000 to Bangor Punta Marine Products Corp. (Lear Siegler Marine) for O'Day/Cal and Prindle.
September 26 and 27, 1989, The intangible assets, including the molds, designs, name and goodwill of O'Day, were sold for $620,000.

According to Robert W. Stringer who was the head of new product development at O"day most of the molds were bought by Pearson

With those depressing thoughts I am back to figuring out the origin of the 272/302/322 series.

 

[BoDaycious]

One more legacy update...
Pearson (who had bought the O'Day/CAL molds and trademarks) went into bankruptcy in 1991
The Pearson molds and trademarks were then sold sold to Aqua Buoy Corporation.
Aqua Buoy went bankrupt before taking possession of the molds and moving them from the Portsmouth plant, which Grumman still owned.
Grumman reacquired the molds in the bankruptcy sale.
The Pearson and Cal molds and trademarks eventually were sold to a new company, formed in January 1996, called Cal-Pearson Corporation
The Cal-Pearson Corporation folded in 1998 after Bristol Yachts, who were were actually building their boats went bankrupt.
Apparently the only thing more expensive than owning a boat... Is building boats. BOAM? (Break Out Another Million)

 

[RAD]

But some Japan corp acquired a 332 mold and is building Oday's in Japan

 

[Pat]

But some Japan corp acquired a 332 mold and is building Oday's in Japan

I almost forgot the gory final detail. When Lance Funston, II or was it the III?....was setting up this leveraged buyout, where they were leveraging the company assets, even the last final President of O'Day, Mr. Mike
Dahill joined in the last minute frey to plunder the assets and make money. Even the Company President. He knew the sales were plumeting, not because of bad or unpopular products, but because the entire boating industry was suffering from falling sales....but they propped them up on paper long enough that they fooled the bankers (I believe Meritor bank of Boston) and the whole time Goldman Sach's, and the plumetors made off with the cash of a once proud corporation.....a corporation that was known in the marine industry for paying all it's accounts within 23 days and that sold more boats than any other builder at the time (73,000) couldn't pay it's final 3 debtors because the clan including the president ran off with the cash....bandits. Pat

 

[BoDaycious]

Rad
Are they actually building the boats and selling them in the US? I have seen the website, but haven't seen any 322 for sale that were built past the end of the original O'day period.

 

[Donald6425]

O'Day Japan

Rad
Are they actually building the boats and selling them in the US? I have seen the website, but haven't seen any 322 for sale that were built past the end of the original O'day period.

I think that is the name of the company; they have the master molds for a couple of the '2' series and i know that the 322 is one of them. I don't know if they have a dealer in North America though.

 

[Donald6425]

I remember reading this: 1) O'Days daughter married one of the Hunts 2) Jim Hunt, Raymond Hunts son, was President of O'Day back in the 60's or 70's.