I owned a 1990 O'Day Daysailer 3 for the last 25 years. This boat provided me and my family with some amazing sailing fun over these years, especially on Lake Michigan each summer.
Several weeks ago when hurricane Helene hit central Indiana one night with sustained winds of 35-40 and gusts of 60 MPH, my boat broke free from its dock, blew down the lake and hit some large rocks. The many holes in the boat filled both the cuddy and bilge with water. However, thanks to the built-in floatation under the seats it never sank completely, and we managed to salvage the boat a few days later and get it back on its trailer. The damage was much more extensive than we thought a huge gash running from the bow down the midline of the hull even past the centerboard slot. It also had several holes in other places in the bottom and a gash in the side where I could put my hand through the hull into the cuddy. So ... last week I left it at the county dump.
All this to say the following to the O'Day Daysailer Owners Forum members: Nothing on the boat was damaged other than the hull. Mast, boom, sails, rigging, rudder, and motor were all unaffected. I salvaged everything off the boat that I could and have a lot of equipment available in good condition such as the mast/boom, rudder, and motor. I also have a custom-made trailer that I had built for this DS 3 that is now not needed. So, if you need any of these things for your Daysailer or know someone who does, please contact me through the forum. I also removed some smaller parts as well, so don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need something for your DS.
Happy and safe sailing to all you Daysailer enthusiasts!
Several weeks ago when hurricane Helene hit central Indiana one night with sustained winds of 35-40 and gusts of 60 MPH, my boat broke free from its dock, blew down the lake and hit some large rocks. The many holes in the boat filled both the cuddy and bilge with water. However, thanks to the built-in floatation under the seats it never sank completely, and we managed to salvage the boat a few days later and get it back on its trailer. The damage was much more extensive than we thought a huge gash running from the bow down the midline of the hull even past the centerboard slot. It also had several holes in other places in the bottom and a gash in the side where I could put my hand through the hull into the cuddy. So ... last week I left it at the county dump.
All this to say the following to the O'Day Daysailer Owners Forum members: Nothing on the boat was damaged other than the hull. Mast, boom, sails, rigging, rudder, and motor were all unaffected. I salvaged everything off the boat that I could and have a lot of equipment available in good condition such as the mast/boom, rudder, and motor. I also have a custom-made trailer that I had built for this DS 3 that is now not needed. So, if you need any of these things for your Daysailer or know someone who does, please contact me through the forum. I also removed some smaller parts as well, so don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need something for your DS.
Happy and safe sailing to all you Daysailer enthusiasts!
