Anyone know of a 322 that circumnavigated? (or at least crossed an ocean)

[Capn Mike]

Hello,
I own an O'day 322, and I absolutely love it. I especially love the interior layout.

But my long term plan is to circumnavigate. I have plans to strengthen most of its structure, such as glassing on the keel, and adding extra shroud lines.
BUT my main concern is how it will handle in rough sees, and especially that big fat spade rudder on the back. I'm worried about how much strain the rudder can handle in rough seas. I can strengthen the cable steering system, but I can't do much about the design of the rudder.

So I'm curious if any one else has sailed a late 80's model 322 in rough seas? (mine is 1988)
Did you have any major problems afterward?

btw, it's ok to tell me that circumnavigating my O'day is a really bad idea, or even a really stupid idea. I'd rather be told that than to find out on my own.

 

[Ted]

Okay, I'll oblige you. It's a really bad idea to do a circumnavigation in an O'day 322. Read the following thread and if you still decide to make a circumnavigation without a careful examination of your keel stub, I think it might actually be a stupid idea. Sorry to be so blunt but I want you to stick around and share your adventure here rather than read about it in the newspaper.
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/oday-302-loses-keel-check-yours.109869/

 

[Rick D]

Well, I'm sure it can be done. Having said that, I watched a guy with a Catalina 30 spend two years changing chainplates, doubled up rigging, adding all the bells and whistles the cruising books say below, etc. He suffered a hull-deck failure about 1500 miles south along the Mexican coast. Lost the boat. I think the lesson is that one should not assume they are adding strength to a boat or rig before consulting with a Naval Architect if the purpose is long-range cruising. Well, maybe even if not. There have certainly been many Cat 30's sailing this same route basically stock. There are stouter boats out there if that is your concern, for reasonable dollars in your size range. Probably the best deals are those which have already been fitted out, often especially if they are located outside the US (if you pay cash). They often have big dollars in gear that basically adds nothing to the value. Good luck!

 

[the_alpine]

No. I bet you could work your way down to central america and be ok, but these boats are not really designed for long passages.

 

[Jackdaw]

By the time that YOU'RE ready to do a lap, you'll come to the conclusion that the O'day 322 is not that boat for that all on your own.

 

[kito]

Maybe watch "The Perfect Storm" again and ask yourself if you were caught out in the middle of the Atlantic during such a storm, would you or your O'day be ready for it?

 

[Pat]

I'm not certain I would want to go thru the " The Perfect Storm" in any boat.....The O'Day 322 was designed to be a good
'coastal cruiser' and I believe they have been successful at that. I recently read of a very famous boat builder's prize boat which lost it's keel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while making a passage to Europe so I'm not convinced I would want to cross the Atlantic on any boat I've been on....and this includes some very nice sailboats...

 

[the_alpine]

Here's a good blog that a couple kept while cruising in their 322:
Sailing the Tangueray

 

[Pat]

What a great post above; Sailing the Tangneray....more than I can read tonight since it's now 11:00 p.m....will read it tomorrow....boy what a life...thank you for posting.

 

[Kings Gambit]

IMHO, the purchase of this boat suggests that you really have not done much "long-term" planning for a circumnavigation. Otherwise, you might have planned to buy a boat better designed to do so, etc.

 

[Pat]

But as evidenced by the blog, it's one heck of a nice coastal cruiser.....Our friend Jeff had his 302 in Ft. Myers and it too was a heck of a nice coastal cruiser.

 

[PatTormey]

I have a 322 and would never attempt a transatlantic in it. During my Navy years I've crossed a few times and I'll tell you my aircraft carrier "Intrepid" took a beating. If you want to convince yourself you have the right hull in your oDay322 just look at the size of the cockpit drains and imagine your life depended on them. ;-)
There are Blue Water hulls out there designed for the job.

 

[AndreNJ11]

I have owned my O'Day 322 for eight years and absolutely love it. For Chesapeake Bay and coastal cruising in settled weather it is great. It is ABSOLUTELY NOT the boat for world travel.

Among the problems: Spade rudder, fin / wing keel - very narrow chord length keel attachment with only 4 bolts, bulkhead attached in many areas with only phillips screws (which come loose), shroud chain plate attachment to hull liner is weak, flat bottom hull which will pound in a seaway, and many more shortcomings.

It is a fabulous boat for what it was intended--- bay and coastal cruising with an eye on the weather.

 

[Capn Pete]

Related question: How about taking a 322 across the Stream from Florida to the Bahamas?

 

[Franklin]

Related question: How about taking a 322 across the Stream from Florida to the Bahamas?

Pick a good window and yeah, you can do that in a bathtub. I saw a Hunter 280 with a VERY weak hull do it so yeah. When I say weak, I mean I could feel it flex when I put my hands on it when I was in the dinghy.

 

[Franklin]

People said the same thing about my Hunter 376 and here I am on the other side of the world now 5 years after leaving Texas. For the most part, it really is the captain/crew and not the boat, but with that said, I am pretty sure my boat is a lot better built than the Oday 322 based on what AndreNJ11 said.

You can sail around the world and never see anything worse than 10 foot waves and 30 knots true wind if you are smart. However, sometimes that 10' ocean swell comes at you sideways when you are on a broad reach and that puts a lot of pressure on the rudder and steering gear.

I have seen boats smaller than mine out here and not all are blue water boats, but not many. My boat at 37' is pretty small for a cruising boat these days and I personally would not go smaller. I remember meeting a couple of young guys in Panama sailing a very small, old cheap boat across the south pacific. They were taking the southern route too via Pitcairn. We were supposed to meet up in Tahiti but I never saw them again and still to this day wonder what happened to them.

summary: the idea you have to have a blue water boat to sail around the world is not accurate. Lots of production boats make the trip, but I would go bigger. Boats 35'+ are built for the ocean. Any production boat smaller is risky.

 

[Franklin]

And when I say 'smart' I mean it...along with being a student of weather patterns and routes: typical conditions like swell, current, winds and when to go. Make smart decisions based on research, not hear-say. Example: the west to east crossing of the Atlantic can be avoided. Many make that trip every year but sometimes they get cocky and make a mistake and leave too early or too late. Case in point, two years ago 4 boats needed to be rescued out near Azores Islands on May 4th. On May 4th they should have been in Bermuda stocking and and thinking about leaving, not on the other side. Decisions decisions decisions....where to go and when to leave port and when to stay - that is what makes good captains.

 

[the_alpine]

Franklin has it right.

A 322 can cross the stream even in crappy conditions, but there's no reason to ever cross the stream in crappy conditions.

http://www.sailingthetanqueray.com/...-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=29

 

[AndreNJ11]

I agree. The 322 would be a fine boat for a Bahamas cruise as the Tangueray log (above) shows (two different owners, each spent a season cruising the Bahamas her), and the boat now lives in the Bahamas with it's latest owner, also a contributor on this site. Any reasonable boat can make the Gulf Stream crossing with proper weather planning.

YouTube couple Wes and Kate "Wicked Salty" did it for a season in an Ericson 30+.
https://www.youtube.com/user/WickedSaltySailors/videos

This gentleman "Sumner" did it in a MacGregor 25 as a senior citizen. I really admire him and his zest for life.
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015 Bahamas/2015-Bahama-Main-Menu.html.

 

[Golden Road]

IMO the only short coming is the keel stub strength. Some of the later build O'Days were dreadfully deficient in this area. I would only be satisfied once the keel was dropped and examined. That said, it is not just O'Days that face this problem, as regardless of impacts or lack thereof, or structural build, internal corrosion of keel bolts will be a greater and greater problem as time goes on. If you own an externally bolted keel beware.