Is this a good first boat?

[Slingerland]

Hello! I am a new participant here. Long story short, my 14 year old son and I have developed an interest in boating in general, and sailing specifically. We live in central Arkansas, near several lakes.

I have found an O'Day 22 foot boat for sale. It appears to be a 222 but I haven't had the opportunity to go see it yet. I am wondering if this is a good boat to learn on... is it forgiving? Is it high maintenance, or rugged?

I see this being a day boat in Arkansas lakes: not a lot of high winds/waves and always in visible sight of shore.

Thanks!

Howard

 

[Slingerland]

Forgot to attach photo:

 

[Joe11688]

Howard,
If this boat is an O'Day 222 and it sure looks like one, it's not only a great boat to learn on but it's a keeper. It's a boat that you're going to hang on to for many years to come provided you don't get "big boatitis" and you'll wind up kicking yourself like my friend Walter did when he sold his.
These boats have keel/centerboards and the keel weighs in at 800 lbs so it's a great boat to learn on because it's pretty stable and forgiving for it's size. Also, you can sail her with just the Mainsail with a decent wind and take her through the tacks. Some boats don't respond too well without a head sail, but this one will. I generally sail my 222 about 30 miles every week out on the bay and spend at least two days on her. I don't see these boats as high maintenance. I leave my boat on a mooring at our yacht club so I need to apply anti foul bottom paint to the hull about ever two seasons.
The rudder blades on some of the O'Days including the 222 have been known to break. I went through two and wound up buying a solid blade off Rudy at D&R Marine and haven't had a problem. If you can get the VIN numbers off the upper right hand side of the transom and post it for me, I can give you more information on the year and month that the boat was built. One other thing that needs mentioning is that there should be a 1" metal tension bar in the cabin that supports the mast from the square post on the galley cabinet. O'Day didn't install them on some of their O'Day 222s for some reason. This is called a mast tension bar and it's needed. Check the boat out good especially the rudder blade for cracks. These are rugged boats and they will cruise just about anywhere that their big sisters will go. A good one is worth hanging on to.
Joe

 

[Slingerland]

Thanks, Joe!

I've spoken to the owner briefly, and will be speaking with him again tomorrow night. The boat's price is low, but it will need some work. He mentioned the mast collar has been welded by the previous owner. In addition, the tiller will have to be replaced, and looking at the photo it may be the rudder is missing as well.

Can you think of any other questions I should ask? If I read the specs correctly, the boat and trasiler should weigh in slightly below 3500 lbs, which is the maximum my Ford Explorer will tow.

The price he is asking for the boat, motor and trailer is low, in fact it is lower than the price of a trailer where I live. He lives a long way away from any water, so he doesn't have much of a market. If I tow it to my home, worst case analysis is that I could resell it and break even.

My concern at this time is buying a money pit, especially since I have never owned a sailboat before. (I've worked on cars, but never boats.) There is a 22' Catalina for sale locally, with a good history and that needs no work, but is twice the price. On the other hand, it could be a long-term restoration project with my son and we could piece it together over a couple of years.

Thanks again!

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks, Joe!

I've spoken to the owner briefly, and will be speaking with him again tomorrow night. The boat's price is low, but it will need some work. He mentioned the mast collar has been welded by the previous owner. In addition, the tiller will have to be replaced, and looking at the photo it may be the rudder is missing as well.

Can you think of any other questions I should ask? If I read the specs correctly, the boat and trasiler should weigh in slightly below 3500 lbs, which is the maximum my Ford Explorer will tow.

The price he is asking for the boat, motor and trailer is low, in fact it is lower than the price of a trailer where I live. He lives a long way away from any water, so he doesn't have much of a market. If I tow it to my home, worst case analysis is that I could resell it and break even.

My concern at this time is buying a money pit, especially since I have never owned a sailboat before. (I've worked on cars, but never boats.) There is a 22' Catalina for sale locally, with a good history and that needs no work, but is twice the price. On the other hand, it could be a long-term restoration project with my son and we could piece it together over a couple of years.

Thanks again!

I don't know Howard, but I think that I would still take the O'Day 222 over a Catalina 22. Not that I don't like the Catalina 22. When I bought my boat new at the Boston Boat Show in 1986, the dealer at the boat show also had the new Catalina 22s as well the O'Days and I liked the Catalina a lot. I especially loved the cabin interior on it, but the Catalina 22 is a swing keel and requires a flat bed trailer. The O'Day on the other hand is a keel/centerboard and the hulls on those boats are strong enough to take a complete roller trailer. I was planning on trailering my sailboat, so I opted for the O'Day 222. I feel that I made the right choice back then even though I didn't have the right vehicle to pull it back then. You can't really use a Plymouth Horizon or a six cylinder column shift Chevy pick up to pull it up the ramp. I was able to tow it with the pick up to get it home, but that was it. I wound up buying a Delta 88 Olds to tow it and that car worked out fine.
Your Ford Explorer should be able to pull that boat up a ramp with no problem. I'm pulling mine with a 2001 GMC Sierra pickup truck with a 4.8 L eight cylinder engine. If you buy this boat, bring your grease gun with you just in case the wheel bearings give you a problem on the way home.
I'm not sure I follow you on the "mast collar". Is this a mast extrusion for one of the spreaders? Does the mast have internal halyards like mine?
I would check the stays and turnbuckles to make sure there is no broken strands or cracks in the turnbuckles. Check the Chain plates and check the "L" bracket that hold the chain plates in the cabin on the bulkhead. Make sure you have the Main sheet blocks and you should have a boom vang with it. There really isn't any way of checking the centerboard. So you're going to have to take his word that it's good. The rudders on these boats are a bit pricey but if you need one, Rudy at D & R Marine
http://www.drmarine.com/ can sell you a solid blade tip up rudder similar to mine that will last the life of the boat. I'm using an O'Day 25 tiller on my boat. I lowered the pintles on the rudder head to acquire the needed room for this tiller and it worked out great on my boat.
If the hull is in sound condition, I think that this boat is worth buying and fixing up. Good luck Howard!
Joe

 

[SailingSully]

I have a 1984 222 that I learned on as a kid in California. I'm now 33, in Texas and keep it on the lake near me. I have had no problems with it just general maintanance and she is happy.
Just this past weekend I redid the hull paint which probably was last done 1990.
As a christmas present a few years ago my parent baught a new trailer for it custom made by Pacific Trailers. This past year I replaced the forward hatch because the plastic was cracked on it. I have found everything parts wise from sail slugs, new teak, and the hatch from DR Marine. So if you decide on the O'day rest assured there is a great place online to get all your O'day parts!!
Good Luck!!

 

[Slingerland]

Thanks, everybody!

To illustrate the lesson of "if you snooze, you lose" the O'Day has been bought by somebody else. But I'll keep looking!

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks, everybody!

To illustrate the lesson of "if you snooze, you lose" the O'Day has been bought by somebody else. But I'll keep looking!

Howard,
Keep your eyes open for an O'Day 23 built from 1974 on. The earlier O'Day 23s had cast iron keels with huge issues. After that, they started making these boats with lead keels and these issues ended.
Joe

 

[upei1]

Trinnka, I have a '65 O'day Tempest with a cast Iron keel. Can you tell me about some of the issues with them. I just picked the boat up at the end of this season and i am going to put her in the water in the spring....Thanks, Upei1

 

[Joe11688]

Trinnka, I have a '65 O'day Tempest with a cast Iron keel. Can you tell me about some of the issues with them. I just picked the boat up at the end of this season and i am going to put her in the water in the spring....Thanks, Upei1

Gee I really don't know anything about the O'Day Tempest except that it has a full keel which shouldn't be an issue whether it was constructed with lead or iron. I think that you're going to enjoy sailing her this spring. Good Luck!
Joe

 

[Shoaldrafter]

Upei1

Trinnka, I have a '65 O'day Tempest with a cast Iron keel. Can you tell me about some of the issues with them. I just picked the boat up at the end of this season and i am going to put her in the water in the spring....Thanks, Upei1

Upei1 (gee how do you say that?)

Welcome to the O'Day forum provided by Captain Herring. Low and behold all the questions asked and answers to them can be found in the archives. Imagine all your questions that you have not imagined already aske and answer to those question.

Learn to use archives then ask specific questions. The general forum for O'day owners has more viewers and any question asked here can be asked there.

In the meantime, face Mecca, aka, the Pacific Northwest, and thank Captain Herring, your host.

Ed K
O26

 

[Sunbird22358]

The TEMPEST has a FIN Keel, and it is cast-iron, bolted on.
I'm familiar wit the Tempest, but not enough to really give first-hand advice about what to look (out) for. I can list general things like checking the state of rust on the keel, how are the keelbolts, is the outboard well still used or did a previous owner add a outboard bracket to the stern, condition of any wood inside the boat (bilge and cabin), not sure how the inboard rudder was constructed, but some boats (newer O'Days and others) have had issues with the connection between rudder shaft and the blade (inside rudder, is it solid wood or fiberglass, foam core?). I'd want to check for any soft spots i nthe deck, especially around hardware (I think the deck core o nthe Tempest was plywood given the era of those boats). Finally, a close look at all standing rigging would be in order. If you are not confident in your own knowledge, a trusted sailing friend or even a marine surveyor is worth consulting.

 

[upei1]

Thanks guys for the responses....I'm sorry, I am not trying to take over the thread with my keel question about the tempest. Trinnka said that there were issues with the cast iron keel on the earlier O'day 23's, and since mine is a similar material keel, my interest was piqued.

Sunbird22358 and Shoaldrafter, thanks for your responses! All info helps.

The keel appears to be in decent condition, as well as the keel bolts. I have a family member who is in the survey biz. Unfortunately, he is at one end of the country and I am at the other. There is a small gap between the keel and the hull (skeg?). He says that it was probably run aground at some point in her history. It is time next spring to take the hull down to the gel coat and get it repainted and in the water. I'll know much more then. I am not planning to "restore" the boat. I just want to learn as much as I can about taking care of it, and becoming a better sailor on her.

The outboard well was/ is still being used, there was a Tohatsu 8hp 2 stroke in there, which I have just removed to have it worked on.

BTW, it is pronounced "oooh - pay" Long story, for another time

Thanks again for your help everyone!

 

[Shoaldrafter]

oooh - pay

Thanks guys for the responses....I'm sorry, I am not trying to take over the thread with my keel question about the tempest. Trinnka said that there were issues with the cast iron keel on the earlier O'day 23's, and since mine is a similar material keel, my interest was piqued.

Sunbird22358 and Shoaldrafter, thanks for your responses! All info helps.

The keel appears to be in decent condition, as well as the keel bolts. I have a family member who is in the survey biz. Unfortunately, he is at one end of the country and I am at the other. There is a small gap between the keel and the hull (skeg?). He says that it was probably run aground at some point in her history. It is time next spring to take the hull down to the gel coat and get it repainted and in the water. I'll know much more then. I am not planning to "restore" the boat. I just want to learn as much as I can about taking care of it, and becoming a better sailor on her.

The outboard well was/ is still being used, there was a Tohatsu 8hp 2 stroke in there, which I have just removed to have it worked on.

BTW, it is pronounced "oooh - pay" Long story, for another time

Thanks again for your help everyone!

---------------------------- // -------------------------------

oooh - pay said, "The outboard well was/ is still being used, there was a Tohatsu 8hp 2 stroke in there, which I have just removed to have it worked on."

One of most reliable engines ever made... Jackpot.

Ed K
O26

 

[srojoetoo]

OD 222 forward hatch replacement

I have a 1984 222 that I learned on as a kid in California. I'm now 33, in Texas and keep it on the lake near me. I have had no problems with it just general maintanance and she is happy.
Just this past weekend I redid the hull paint which probably was last done 1990.
As a christmas present a few years ago my parent baught a new trailer for it custom made by Pacific Trailers. This past year I replaced the forward hatch because the plastic was cracked on it. I have found everything parts wise from sail slugs, new teak, and the hatch from DR Marine. So if you decide on the O'day rest assured there is a great place online to get all your O'day parts!!
Good Luck!!

Hi there once agin

Did you have any problems with hatch replacement? Source?

tia

tom c

 

[upei1]

Thanks for input on the engine shoaldrafter. a guy down at one of the marinas here told me that it is also a fairly easy engine to work on also. So for me that translates into "I can do a lot of the maintenance myself" Which makes me and my wallet VERY happy.