Going to look at an O'Day 222- any things to watch out for?

[mookman]

Hey everybody, this weekend I'll be going to look at a 1984 O'Day 222. Are there any known issues I should check for besides the standard things? Also, he's asking $3,000 for it, without a trailer. It looks like its in pretty good shape, but is that a fair price? Thanks so much for any advice, although I've been sailing for years, this is the first time I'll be buying my own boat.

 

[John Binns]

Re: Going to look at an O'Day 222- any things to watch out f

I have an 84 222 that I sail in apalachee bay and its a great boat. The weakest link is the stock rudder, they are a foam filled fiberglass shell that floats. It's attached to an aluminum head that developes a lot flex in normal use. It swings up in case of grounding and there is a line that is used to keep it in the down position. The line gets easily fouled during use. there are various fixes you can find on this forum. The good thing is its hung on the transom so it easy to address any problems you might find. Mine was stock when I bought the boat second hand and i was amazed at how much it flexed in even light winds. I have made a wood core for the rudder head that has added a lot of strength and not much weight. The other thing on 84's is the compression post. From the factory there is a 1 foot offset from the mast step to the post and it is a design flaw. At some point after 84 Oday came up with fix for it which is a Stainless steal "truss" rod that goes from the cabin cealing directly under the maststep at an angle to a point half way down the teak compression post. Many 84's where retro fitted by their owners. If this boat does not have that post look very carefully at the cabin top around that area and figure on installing one yourself. Even if it has the extra post check that area, no telling how long it went before it was retro fitted. I have heard tell of problems with the centerboard which is constructed like the rudder but I have never had a problem with mine. It is a balsa core deck so check it accordingly, the chain plates are a common place for them to leak. As for price a lot depends on the condition of the boat. It does not seem too high but it would be nice to have a trailer. With the exception of stepping the mast the 222 is easier to launch than my Javalin. Good luck and if you find the boat in good enough shape to buy you'll not regret it.

John

 

[todd brown]

Great boat. This will be my forth year with my 1984 222. As mentioned, my rudder broke and I replaced with solid rudder from D and R. 600 bucks. But solid and worth it though heavy. Simple enough not to make you crazy. Sails well. Trailer would be good. Paid 3400 for boat motor trailer.

 

[OdayDave]

Excellent starter boat

I had a 222 for 11 years before trading selling it and buying an O'Day 25. I sailed it on small inland lakes and did coastal cruising on Lake Michigan and in Green Bay. It's good for single handed launching and retrieval if you have your systems in place and you don't need a huge tow vehicle to pull it. I had a Jeep Cherokee and later bought an Expedition. The latter didn't even know it was there but the Cherokee also did fine. I should have kept the Cherokee since the Expedition was a pig on gas.

As with all older boats, check the carpet-liner and the chainplates for signs of leaking. The carpet-liner will have streaks on it. I didn't have any problems on the chainplates, but as noted earlier, I did have to add the tension bar for support.

Not having a trailer up's the cost of storage if you have to rent space at a yard and in reduces one of the advantages of a trailer-sailor. I kept mine at my in-laws farm during the winter and pulled it all over the place in the summers.

These are pretty simple boats but you may need to upgrade your motor mount if you are using heavier 4-stroke engines. They also put out more torque. The late Joe Alves did many cool upgrades on his 222 that you can still access through this site.
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/member.php?u=78449 I still miss that guy.

In any case, good luck with the purchase.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25