I am almost an O'Day owner. Not quite, but almost. I put an offer in on a boat today, and haven't heard back from the owner. It will be my first sailboat. I know the boat is old and it needs a good scrub, but the hull looked great, had fresh bottom paint, new wax job and they touched up some of the teak. Since I never owned a sailboat before, and have only been sailing once, I did a lot of reading in this forum in the past week, so when I got onto the boat today, I knew to count up all the hardware and took a good look at the lines, and I think the only two things I really need to do before the boat gets itself into the water is to change the rope that drops the rudder which looked brittle and plug the through hole in the hull that went to the sink because it is missing that piece. And, of course, I need some expert advice from the Forum. My biggest question is whether a 5 hp 4 stroke outboard is sufficient for motoring a 23' O'Day, in the lagoon. I can see from most ads that it is usually paired with a 9.9. But, alas, the boat I found only has a 5 hp. So, if that is totally insufficient, I have to invest right away and get a different one. And, my second question is whether it is better for me to take lessons in the local sailing school on their boats (one of which I am told is a 23 foot Oday) or to take private lessons in which case they will teach me on my boat. This is sort of critical, because, I don't actually know anything about sailing, yet. And, my third question is what is the best way to get stains out of sails. The boat that I have the offer on sat for years unused, and the sails were bagged and when I looked at them they have some stains from the hardware (reddish brown). But, it has four sails: mail, two jibs & spinnaker, and only one seemed to have a rust stain. I took a friend with me to look at the boat (he does own a sailboat, and has sailed since childhood) and he said they were in remarkably good shape for sails of that age. And, finally, since I am going into this a little backwards (buying the boat first; learning to sail second) do you know of any good instructional videos on rigging? I pretty much need to do that before I can get the boat back to its new home in my lagoon. Thank you!
Almost Own an O'Day
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I would say that under most conditions a 5hp should be enough, 4-strokes are said to be slightly more powerful for given HP than a 2-stroke, and unless you will be fighting a strong current or wind very often.... you don't need more than 5 hp. If you do find that more power is needed, you can always upgrade later.
As far as sailing lessons..... I guess it might be better to learn on your own boat, that way you should also be able to learn the operation of YOUR boat as well as general sailing skills. I have to admit that I'm not overly knowedgeable on sailing schools, since I have sailed since very young, my Dad taught me the basics on our CAL 21, then eventually set me loose in a small sailing dinghy. I sailed out about 20', Dad said "come about!", I did, he had me tack again near shore (where he was standng). then after a few more tacks... I was allowed to go a bit furthar each time! I have continued to teach myself ever since (still adding skills after......38 years!).
Sailing schools are good, and many have gained by attending classes, it can be helpful learning in a group also. They are usually good at training new sailers (and helping experienced sailers build skills!) and so hopefully someone who went to a school can comment. I still think it might be a big help to learn on your own boat?
As far as sailing lessons..... I guess it might be better to learn on your own boat, that way you should also be able to learn the operation of YOUR boat as well as general sailing skills. I have to admit that I'm not overly knowedgeable on sailing schools, since I have sailed since very young, my Dad taught me the basics on our CAL 21, then eventually set me loose in a small sailing dinghy. I sailed out about 20', Dad said "come about!", I did, he had me tack again near shore (where he was standng). then after a few more tacks... I was allowed to go a bit furthar each time! I have continued to teach myself ever since (still adding skills after......38 years!).
Sailing schools are good, and many have gained by attending classes, it can be helpful learning in a group also. They are usually good at training new sailers (and helping experienced sailers build skills!) and so hopefully someone who went to a school can comment. I still think it might be a big help to learn on your own boat?
Im all for lessons from a good instructor. Im not a big believer in reinventing the wheel. I have learned to excell at alot of hobbies and I always had good friends to help me along the way. Sailing was different. Didnt know a soul who sailed and certainly had no schools or clubs close by. I opted to take a full 3 day course on Boston Harbor aboard a Colgate 26. IMHO the experience was well worth while. We had a group of 3 and a great instructor. I was able to learn much more in a shorter time than would ever have been possible on my own. My first day out with the wife in our own boat was still an adventure for sure but the mistakes were minimal comparitively. If I had started at a younger age with the help of family and friends I doubt lessons would have been nessesary.
Good luck with your new boat and have a great time sailing. Its a great sport that turns into a way of life quickly
jimmyb
Good luck with your new boat and have a great time sailing. Its a great sport that turns into a way of life quickly
jimmyb
And, I suspect, this also may open doors to many new ways to spend my hard earned money, because, it seems when I registered for this forum, they sent me a $20 shopping coupon. I guess they figured I would be needing to buy lots of stuff.
I have a 4hp 4stroke on my Oday 23 and it works fine for my purposes- motoring in and out of the marina and getting to a cove when the wind dies to let the kids swim. The 4hp moves the boat along pretty well. The previous motor was an 8hp 2stroke, which could get it to hull speed at about 3/4 throttle. We chose the 4hp because it has an integrated tank and is light enough for my wife to raise (58lbs).
My boat is on an inland lake and our motoring needs are relatively low. My choice would probably be to have more horsepower and an extra long shaft if I were somewhere where the motor may help me out race an incoming storm in rising seas.
My boat is on an inland lake and our motoring needs are relatively low. My choice would probably be to have more horsepower and an extra long shaft if I were somewhere where the motor may help me out race an incoming storm in rising seas.
My boat (not that I actually own it, yet) will be sailing on turbulent & choppy Barnegat Bay in NJ. So, I am heeding your advice and looking on Craigslist for an extra long shaft motor. In thinking it through, I realized I can put the one motor up for sail, and then off-set the cost of buying one that's more HP. I think this should be a priority, because I am familiar with this Bay, and it can be really rough when there are barely any white caps at all. But, I am telling myself that the hull itself will be a good deal (if my offer is accepted), and that I have to suck it up and open my wallet. I know there are other things I need to get for the boat (such as a winch handle; battery; all new cushions; sink faucets and plumbing parts; new head, and I don't know about electrical work, yet, since it doesn't have a battery. I gotta remove the wasps nests (three tiny, dormant ones) The interior was trashed. The guy at the Marina was pretty honest, telling me that they fixed leaks in the side windows (took them out and resealed them) and that must be the cause for the missing cushions - since the ones in the V-berth are still there though awful smelly. The boat is dry now - and while i know it is a little bit of a project, I am hoping not to put too much money into it because I have to pay for lessons or that boat is just going to look pretty at the dock.
Can u take a look at my photo album "the rebuild" on my profile page to see some trouble spots u might want to look for?. Also u may want to look at some of the threads asc. with that period regarding same. U can find those by looking under my "stats" and looking at threads started by emergpa. Go to the oldest ones. ur boat sounds like a project boat of a more in-depth kind and u should get an idea of what u r getting into.Mary and Joseph said:
Keith
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Joseph,
Hold off on the winch handle. I have one in my cabin that has been collecting dust for years. I may have used it two or three times since I bought my 1986 O'Day 222 new. The fact of the matter is, these boats are small enough to where you really don't need a handle for the winches. Most everyone I know has lost them overboard and they're too expensive to replace.
I suppose that taking a sailing lesson is good advise to follow. I'm self taught myself, and I started learning when I was in my mid 40s. I went down to the public library and drew out some books on sailing and this is something that you can do right now before you take your first lessons, if that is your intention. A Coast Guard or US Power Squadron course in piloting and safety, is also recommended.
I think that you'll find, the O'Day 23' sailboat with it's keel/centerboard under normal wind and sea conditions is more forgiving than a small centerboard daysailer. Not only that, but it's a very capable cruiser for a small sailboat.
One particular little gadget that helped me to learn how to sail is the Davis Windex at the top of the mast. You may already have one on this boat but if you don't I recommend it highly because this wind indicator can literally help in teaching you how to sail. It shows you the direction of the wind in relation to your heading. Actually, there's more to it than that with apparent wind as a factor but I don't want to confuse you with a bunch of techy talk. Besides, I'm not good at explaining it anyway.
The books explain that you should know the direction of the wind by letting it hit you in the face and that's all well and good. Me,-- I want to know where the wind is by looking at my wind indicator. My wind indicator is mounted to a 12" extension that is faced aft and this gives me a better view of it from the cockpit.
Watching the wind indicator really pays off when you're sailing down wind because it can let you know ahead of time of wind or course changes that can cause an accidental jibe.
So much for that.
When I first started learning to sail I just used my Mainsail without the Gennie until I got the hang of it. Actually, under normal conditions with winds about 10 knots, you can leave the mainsheet snubbed off on these boats and just concentrate on steering a straight course on a beat. When you come about, the boom will come over by itself. Also, you'll learn how to steer up into the wind in strong puffs, rather than letting the mainsheet off. You don't want to do that on a small centerboard boat though. With a small boat you would keep the sheet in hand at all times and let the sail off in a strong puff.
My O'Day 222 moves along well with just the mainsail and I still have perfect control in sailing into tight spots. I suspect that the O'Day 23 has these same sailing qualities but having never sailed one, I don't really know for sure.
I'm hoping that your deal on this boat comes through for you. I'm told by Rudy Nickerson of D&R Marine http://www.drmarine.com/ that the O'Day 23 is one of the best boats that O'Day ever built and he should know because he worked at the Fall River O'Day factory for a number of years.
Rudy bought out all the O'Day molds and parts from that factory when they went out of business and he can get you anything you need. He also has parts for Pearson and large supply of rudders, dagger-boards, and tillers for the Sunfish. Welcome to the forum and Good Luck!
Joe
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I've got a Merc 3.3 lovingly nick-named "the Beast" on my 25', and when my sail ripped in half a month ago in gusts bordering on gale.... that little thing got us back to the slip safe and sound. For sure your 5'er ll do the trick.
Emergpa1 - I surely hope the boat I am looking at isn't in the condition that the My Girl was in. If it is, I can guarantee you that I won't invest time in resurrecting it. So, I thinking I have to make sure that there's no rot inside, because it seems that there is a considerable amount of plywood on this fiberglass boat. I checked for soft spots, but now that I've seen your photos, I am thinking I will head back to the boat yard and check again. Your photos are testimony to how well engineered the hull of these boats must be, because why would one put such effort into restoring it otherwise? I hope that the interior of my little 23' can one day look as good as yours does.
Captain Trinnka - If what you're saying is that the guys at O'Day thought the 23 was one of the best that they ever made, then I consider myself lucky for finding it. The Marina knows nothing about it, and it sat for years at the yard before they were able to settle title. Maybe it was somebody's baby at one time, because I know they recovered the paperwork, including original owner's manual in a blue O'Day clutch. And, it had a whole quiver of sails, and that 'whisker' for the spinnaker.
I am sure I will need things, so I will definitely check out the marine supply shop you recommend. And, I love to shop. (ps. you are speaking with the Mary half of Joe&Mary)
And, don't fret about technical discussions on wind and what not. I need to learn. I have been watching videos on YouTube and from Netflix and I totally forgot about my local library. That will be a great resource. Thank you for mentioning that.
Gabriel - I will try the little engine. It's good to know that the boat will push along under the engine that small, but what I'm really interest in is how you replaced your sail. And, if my boat proves to be as bad as Emergpa1's, would you think I could sell the sails?
Captain Trinnka - If what you're saying is that the guys at O'Day thought the 23 was one of the best that they ever made, then I consider myself lucky for finding it. The Marina knows nothing about it, and it sat for years at the yard before they were able to settle title. Maybe it was somebody's baby at one time, because I know they recovered the paperwork, including original owner's manual in a blue O'Day clutch. And, it had a whole quiver of sails, and that 'whisker' for the spinnaker.
I am sure I will need things, so I will definitely check out the marine supply shop you recommend. And, I love to shop. (ps. you are speaking with the Mary half of Joe&Mary)
And, don't fret about technical discussions on wind and what not. I need to learn. I have been watching videos on YouTube and from Netflix and I totally forgot about my local library. That will be a great resource. Thank you for mentioning that.
Gabriel - I will try the little engine. It's good to know that the boat will push along under the engine that small, but what I'm really interest in is how you replaced your sail. And, if my boat proves to be as bad as Emergpa1's, would you think I could sell the sails?
Mary and Joseph,Mary and Joseph said:Emergpa1 - I surely hope the boat I am looking at isn't in the condition that the My Girl was in. If it is, I can guarantee you that I won't invest time in resurrecting it. So, I thinking I have to make sure that there's no rot inside, because it seems that there is a considerable amount of plywood on this fiberglass boat. I checked for soft spots, but now that I've seen your photos, I am thinking I will head back to the boat yard and check again. Your photos are testimony to how well engineered the hull of these boats must be, because why would one put such effort into restoring it otherwise? I hope that the interior of my little 23' can one day look as good as yours does.
Captain Trinnka - If what you're saying is that the guys at O'Day thought the 23 was one of the best that they ever made, then I consider myself lucky for finding it. The Marina knows nothing about it, and it sat for years at the yard before they were able to settle title. Maybe it was somebody's baby at one time, because I know they recovered the paperwork, including original owner's manual in a blue O'Day clutch. And, it had a whole quiver of sails, and that 'whisker' for the spinnaker.
I am sure I will need things, so I will definitely check out the marine supply shop you recommend. And, I love to shop. (ps. you are speaking with the Mary half of Joe&Mary)
And, don't fret about technical discussions on wind and what not. I need to learn. I have been watching videos on YouTube and from Netflix and I totally forgot about my local library. That will be a great resource. Thank you for mentioning that.
Gabriel - I will try the little engine. It's good to know that the boat will push along under the engine that small, but what I'm really interest in is how you replaced your sail. And, if my boat proves to be as bad as Emergpa1's, would you think I could sell the sails?
I think if the cost is low, and if the boat will rig ( all the parts r there such as stays, mast, winches, the sails will raise) then the boat needs to be yours.
The boat can still be plenty good for sailing without being perfect. And the repairs r easier than they look if u do need to do them.
U have to start somewhere and all sailboats have problems.
Grab the lifeline stanchtions and wiggle them a bit and look at the base and see if the deck flexes or if a little water oozes out. If so then she probably has water intrusion into the deck core. If the mast is down check if the tabernacle is loose. If so then she probably has water intrusion into the core. Has the boat been covered? Inside, check the nuts and washers and backing plates on the mounting thru bolts of the lifeline stanchions and bow and stern pulpits to see if there is any water staining indicating leaks. Check the chainplates and see if any water has leaked in and rotted the bulkhead. If water has gotten in then there probably has been water intrusion into the core (it is more likely the chainplates would let in water than anywhere else because deck hole where they go thru is a harder place to keep sealed). Maybe the owner has kept up on keeping everything caulked. If so, great. But all of the things I mentioned were problems on my boat. No boat is going to be perfect. I maybe should have run away from my boat but I bought it and spent a year and a half rebuilding. Now I have been in every nook and cranny and have seen just about every bolt and fastener on PRONTO. I know the boat and am confident to take her out. If you buy this or another boat (especially of this vintage) you need to spend some time going over and over and over her. Because no matter how well you think you know the boat something will break or leak or rear its ugly head. At first I wouldn't go too far afield until you've proven her soundness and condition. You won't anyhow since you're going to be spending time learning. Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned the rigging and spars. Is she a salt water or fresh water boat. The stays and shrouds and swaged ends need to be inspected. Don't worry if you find problems here, the rigging can be easily replaced by St. Rudy- I mean that in a good way. Truly, we O'day owners are blessed with such a great resource. Don't worry about some staining of the sails. the important thing is if they're in good shape. Be careful cleaning them. They can also be replaced. Get an instructional video and a book or two. Netflix might have something. There's a wealth of info online. Duh. Read, read, read. The more you learn the less you know. There's a million things to learn. You can get into as deep or as shallow as you like. Is it worth it. Duh. I've been sailing 31 years and I just spent a year and a half and too much money on PRONTO. Sailing isn't for everyone and that's a good thing. You'll belong to a "special" class of individuals. Not many will ever have the opportunity to experience it. The vast majority know nothing about it. I feel privileged and blessed to have sailed. It'll grab you or it won't. Hopefully both of you. Joy of sailing and being on the water.
Rich
Rich
Hello Mary and Joseph from another Mary and Joseph combination aka 25yearslater. I/we are in the process of restoring our newly aquired Oday 27. The folks posting here have been in and out of these boats for years and their advise is second to none. I have pirated a good deal of their ideas while engaged in my endeavor. If you are interested the "And so it begins" thread under bigger boats is a mini book being created by myself and other Oday owners detailing the restoration process and other considerations from a novice point of view. The hull is the biggie. If that hull is good the other stuff is quite repairable and not horribly difficult. Best wishes as you move forward in your adventure.
Check out the thread, "O'Day 23 in Brazil" in the O'Day Daysailers forum for a great read on these boats. I never knew that they were building this boat in Brazil. The Brazilians liked these boats so much that they put an O'Day 23 on their stamps. Who' da thunk it?
Yes. I got a little scared. So, I went to look at another boat tonight. I am very fortunate that there's a dozen or so boats in my town for sail right now. I saw a very pretty, well maintained full keel 1982 Hunter 25' with pretty much everything. New cushions, roller furling, 9.9 -4 stroke, radio, and it was clean. No wasps. And, I could stand up in the galley. The keel makes it heavier than the O'Day, I think, and I am guessing that is both a plus and a minus. A plus because on the turbulent bay, the boat wouldn't toss me around as much, but a minus because it might be sluggish in light winds - which is what I am hoping to sail. In winds stronger than 16 mph I will likely head off and do my other thing. So, yes, you scared me; but no, you didn't scare me off. I am tough. And, now that I am armed with all your good advice, I will go back and push and poke at the O'Day and then decide, because ultimately, I am not looking for the prettiest boat out there - I am looking for the one that best suits our situation. Provided it doesn't have rot issues, if I invest time and money in the O'Day, it would be just as nice looking as the Hunter I saw, for about the same price, and could be a better sailing vessel for me.
M & J,
If you do become O'day owners (as I'm hoping), then consider making the trip up the shore to Jersey City in July for the owners' rOnDAYvous. (See the sticky at the top of this forum for details.) You'll get a chance to get up close and personal with a whole lot of other O'day owners, from small boats to big ones, who are as friendly and helpful as the day is long, and always willing to welcome a newbie to the "club."
I have no doubt a 23 could make the trip. Let me know if you're interested.
Pete
s/v EmmieLou (O-322)
Little Silver, NJ
If you do become O'day owners (as I'm hoping), then consider making the trip up the shore to Jersey City in July for the owners' rOnDAYvous. (See the sticky at the top of this forum for details.) You'll get a chance to get up close and personal with a whole lot of other O'day owners, from small boats to big ones, who are as friendly and helpful as the day is long, and always willing to welcome a newbie to the "club."
I have no doubt a 23 could make the trip. Let me know if you're interested.
Pete
s/v EmmieLou (O-322)
Little Silver, NJ
Okay so the marina accepted my offer, and I am going to go back down later this week to poke and prode it for soft spots. And, provided that there aren't any, it looks like it might be the one. I liked the Hunter. I did, 'tis true, but the O'Day was a little better suited for teaching me to sail, I think. If I knew what I was doing as far as sailing, maybe I would go with a larger boat, but I don't know anything - I don't even know if I'll like sailing - so I am going with something that is smaller - both in size and in initial investment. So, I am super excited!
It's a great boat to learn on- very forgiving, easy rig to understand. Just stick with lighter winds until you feel like you have gained confidence. No shame in motoring in when the weather turns.
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