So I just got my first sail boat and to say the least I am very excited. The feeling of freedom and the knowledge that this is just the first step towards a long future in sailing is really great. The boat is a 22’ Oday. Nothing special but it should be a great learning boat. My plans for it are the occasional trip to Nantucket or MV and other areas around the Cape. What I am looking for is some resourses on general sailing info and any tips that people have about my boat. I do have plenty of experience on the water and have been on sailboats before. I worked on a commercial fishing boat for 2 years and own a 22’ Mako w/ a 200hp merc and a sunfish. (not sure how much a sunfish counts as sailing experience) To start, how seaworthy is the 22’ Oday? This is the most important question I have. I didn’t do much research on the brand. In fact all I did was mention to a friend who owns a marina that I wanted to start looking for sailboats and 2 days later I had a free 22’ oday in excellent condition. It has new sails but they haven’t been “fitted” so I guess I have to take the sails to a sail maker and get them fitted. Do I have to take the shrink wrap off and set up the mast to get the measurements or is this something they can look up? Is this expensive? I will need to put new batteries on the boat and plan to add a GPS, stereo, electric bilge pump, lights…. How in the world do I charge the batteries though?? I don’t really want to spend much money on the boat but I would like to be able to charge the batteries as cheap as possible. I need to get a motor but I will take whatever my friend can find me. As far as I understand, a little 9.9 hp motor isn’t going to have a battery charger on it anyway, right? Any info would be a appriciated, Thanks in advance Steve
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Solar charger for your battery
Steve, Congrats on the purchase. It sounds as if the price was right (FREE). As for fitting I am not sure what needs to be fitted? Where the sails made / cut for an O’Day22? As for your battery question, the easiest and perhaps cheapest way to charge your battery would be to buy a solar charger. It will only provide a trickle charge. Best of luck! Dave
Steve, Congrats on the purchase. It sounds as if the price was right (FREE). As for fitting I am not sure what needs to be fitted? Where the sails made / cut for an O’Day22? As for your battery question, the easiest and perhaps cheapest way to charge your battery would be to buy a solar charger. It will only provide a trickle charge. Best of luck! Dave
- Jan 22, 2008
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adages of a sailboat owner
One of the adages of sailboat ownership is that a sailboat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. Another is that the purchase price is the cheapest part of the cost of sailing. Having said that, I also am the owner of a free boat, and an O-day at that, albeit a daysailer II. My brother in law had a 22 with a shoal draft keel. It was a good boat, difficult to launch and retrieve without 4 people, but otherwise managed well. With the sd keel it was a bear to tack, so you had to bear off first to gain some speed and momentum. Minor leaks at the gunwale hull to deck joint are not uncommon, and relatively easy to fix. I agree that a solar trickle (2 amp) charger is the best way to keep your battery up. Your motor does not typically run long enough to recharge typical consumption. I am assuming all you are running is lights and a radio and perhaps an electric starter on the motor. I think most owners of free boats (that are in ready to sail condition) spend $300-$500 in each of the first few years they own their free boat. After that, costs are in upkeep, paint, repairs, and less so in add on's to get it up to your standards. Congratulations, and welcome to sailboat ownership, but never delude yourself that you got a free boat!
One of the adages of sailboat ownership is that a sailboat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. Another is that the purchase price is the cheapest part of the cost of sailing. Having said that, I also am the owner of a free boat, and an O-day at that, albeit a daysailer II. My brother in law had a 22 with a shoal draft keel. It was a good boat, difficult to launch and retrieve without 4 people, but otherwise managed well. With the sd keel it was a bear to tack, so you had to bear off first to gain some speed and momentum. Minor leaks at the gunwale hull to deck joint are not uncommon, and relatively easy to fix. I agree that a solar trickle (2 amp) charger is the best way to keep your battery up. Your motor does not typically run long enough to recharge typical consumption. I am assuming all you are running is lights and a radio and perhaps an electric starter on the motor. I think most owners of free boats (that are in ready to sail condition) spend $300-$500 in each of the first few years they own their free boat. After that, costs are in upkeep, paint, repairs, and less so in add on's to get it up to your standards. Congratulations, and welcome to sailboat ownership, but never delude yourself that you got a free boat!
a few bits of info....
Steve, as a previous owner of an O"Day 22 (1973)...I have since moved up to and O"day 28 I can tell you that as a first boat it was the greatest!!! It was easy to understand sail trim on ( if you have the centerboard version you'[ll be better...mine was a short shoal keel which didn't point too well) IT could stand up in a strong blow ( it would round up into the wind if it was THAT STRONG) and fairly comfy for a few days away.... If you want email me offline and I will be able to give you some advice on the 22....another really good way to understand this boat is to join the Oday discussion group sponsored by sailnet.com there are hundreds of O"Day sailors on it Mike C. O'28 "Da Capo" maestro73@optonline.net
Steve, as a previous owner of an O"Day 22 (1973)...I have since moved up to and O"day 28 I can tell you that as a first boat it was the greatest!!! It was easy to understand sail trim on ( if you have the centerboard version you'[ll be better...mine was a short shoal keel which didn't point too well) IT could stand up in a strong blow ( it would round up into the wind if it was THAT STRONG) and fairly comfy for a few days away.... If you want email me offline and I will be able to give you some advice on the 22....another really good way to understand this boat is to join the Oday discussion group sponsored by sailnet.com there are hundreds of O"Day sailors on it Mike C. O'28 "Da Capo" maestro73@optonline.net
Congratulations Steve!
Steve, Welcome to the club! You will find this site to be a great resource for your boat. I sail an O'Day 222 with a swing-keel. While it is a slightly updated design, I suspect that it is similar in most respects to your boat. With the centerboard up, it probably sails much like the shoal keel design (i.e., the centerboard swings up into a short keel). I can't point as high with the CB up, but it is still quite stable. The boat loves breezes in the 10-15 knot range and is a blast to sail in the 15-20 knot range with a reef in the main, and jib rolled up a bit(I have a 135 jib on a CDI roller furler). Concerning seaworthyness, I mainly play around on inland lakes with the occasional week on Lake Michigan, usually in the Door County area. I am comfortable doing coastal cruising on it but typically stay within 5-10 miles of shore and watch the weather. It handles 3-4 foot seas fairly well but I personally wouldn't want to push the limits too far beyond that. Others may be able to comment on whether it is adequate for the areas you want to sail. Personally, I like keeping the shore within sight. The boat is fine for a couple of people for a week, but it gets a little tight for more than that. If you have more people onboard for an overnighter, they should be good friends. I don't have a lot of problem loading and unloading now that I have installed trailer guides to center the boat on the trailer. For me, it's a two-person job at most. One person could do it, but another set of hands is best. The primary drain on my batteries are the radio/cd stereo, lights, and VHF. I have a portable GPS, so it doesn't drain the battery. I will probably add a depth-meter/fishfinder next year since the rocky shoals can get tricky on Lake Michigan. Regarding battery power, I took the cheap way out and bought a second backup battery. Since I'm on a mooring, shore-power is not an option. I simply swap batteries from time to time, and take the spare home to recharge when necessary. The solar panel is another option that I may consider in the next year or so. My boat wasn't free, but the price of admission wasn't prohibitive (about $4k). I have probably put $3k into it since buying it a few years ago. Overall, it has been worth every penny and I have no regrets whatsoever. Again, welcome to the club! Dave s/v Hakuna Matatta
Steve, Welcome to the club! You will find this site to be a great resource for your boat. I sail an O'Day 222 with a swing-keel. While it is a slightly updated design, I suspect that it is similar in most respects to your boat. With the centerboard up, it probably sails much like the shoal keel design (i.e., the centerboard swings up into a short keel). I can't point as high with the CB up, but it is still quite stable. The boat loves breezes in the 10-15 knot range and is a blast to sail in the 15-20 knot range with a reef in the main, and jib rolled up a bit(I have a 135 jib on a CDI roller furler). Concerning seaworthyness, I mainly play around on inland lakes with the occasional week on Lake Michigan, usually in the Door County area. I am comfortable doing coastal cruising on it but typically stay within 5-10 miles of shore and watch the weather. It handles 3-4 foot seas fairly well but I personally wouldn't want to push the limits too far beyond that. Others may be able to comment on whether it is adequate for the areas you want to sail. Personally, I like keeping the shore within sight. The boat is fine for a couple of people for a week, but it gets a little tight for more than that. If you have more people onboard for an overnighter, they should be good friends. I don't have a lot of problem loading and unloading now that I have installed trailer guides to center the boat on the trailer. For me, it's a two-person job at most. One person could do it, but another set of hands is best. The primary drain on my batteries are the radio/cd stereo, lights, and VHF. I have a portable GPS, so it doesn't drain the battery. I will probably add a depth-meter/fishfinder next year since the rocky shoals can get tricky on Lake Michigan. Regarding battery power, I took the cheap way out and bought a second backup battery. Since I'm on a mooring, shore-power is not an option. I simply swap batteries from time to time, and take the spare home to recharge when necessary. The solar panel is another option that I may consider in the next year or so. My boat wasn't free, but the price of admission wasn't prohibitive (about $4k). I have probably put $3k into it since buying it a few years ago. Overall, it has been worth every penny and I have no regrets whatsoever. Again, welcome to the club! Dave s/v Hakuna Matatta
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