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 I posted this in the Ask Oday owners but thought it would be nice to get an overall opinion.
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Outboard,
I have a Hunter 25.5 and have a Merc 7.5E. It has and electric start and keeps my Batt charged up. I don't use much power on my boat, not alot of electronics. But it works for me, I keep it on a mooring in New Bedford and I've never had to pull the Batt off it to recharge. As far as the Sails go, I don't think you'll need to step the mast, ask a sailloft first though.
I have a Hunter 25.5 and have a Merc 7.5E. It has and electric start and keeps my Batt charged up. I don't use much power on my boat, not alot of electronics. But it works for me, I keep it on a mooring in New Bedford and I've never had to pull the Batt off it to recharge. As far as the Sails go, I don't think you'll need to step the mast, ask a sailloft first though.
Some ideas
Some outboards do have charging capability and thats the best way to go. You can also buy a charger thats works off 115 volts assumming thats available at a slip. But if not, you can go "on the cheap". Buy a cheap car charger and after sailing awhile, just bring it home and hook it up to the charger - or if your really cheap, just hook it up to your car battery as if you were jump starting another car. Regarding the sails, not sure what you mean by fitted. Try connecting the sails and see if they already fit - if not then contact a local sail maker and let him worry about it. BTW: 9.9 hp is OK but you might get away with less. My previous Catalina Capri 22 (about 2200 lbs) was well served with a 6 HP Nissan. Roger
Some outboards do have charging capability and thats the best way to go. You can also buy a charger thats works off 115 volts assumming thats available at a slip. But if not, you can go "on the cheap". Buy a cheap car charger and after sailing awhile, just bring it home and hook it up to the charger - or if your really cheap, just hook it up to your car battery as if you were jump starting another car. Regarding the sails, not sure what you mean by fitted. Try connecting the sails and see if they already fit - if not then contact a local sail maker and let him worry about it. BTW: 9.9 hp is OK but you might get away with less. My previous Catalina Capri 22 (about 2200 lbs) was well served with a 6 HP Nissan. Roger
First Sailboat
Congrats! As a former power boater also with lots of experience with "stinkpots", let me caution you about SAILING. It's a different ballgame! You already know that there is more to SAILING than turning the key and throwing off the dock lines. You are anxious to experience the sensation of heeling on a well trimmed boat, tacking into the wind, a well executed Jibe, and a confident docking under sail. You can stumble into SAILING and "learn by doing" but you'll have more fun "doing it by the numbers". Since you already have so much experience around boats you will get lot of out of taking a course or two from your Local Power Squadron (USPS), the American Sailing Association (ASA), or US Sailing (USA). You will excell as you learn the ART of SAILING in a safe environment. We all have gaps in our knowledge base, these courses will help you fill in those gaps and make you a confident, safe SAILOR. Sorry about the lecture, but I just could not resist. As much as I thought I knew about boating, after taking some of the above mentioned courses, I realized that only luck kept me from disaster. Have fun and take your time.
Congrats! As a former power boater also with lots of experience with "stinkpots", let me caution you about SAILING. It's a different ballgame! You already know that there is more to SAILING than turning the key and throwing off the dock lines. You are anxious to experience the sensation of heeling on a well trimmed boat, tacking into the wind, a well executed Jibe, and a confident docking under sail. You can stumble into SAILING and "learn by doing" but you'll have more fun "doing it by the numbers". Since you already have so much experience around boats you will get lot of out of taking a course or two from your Local Power Squadron (USPS), the American Sailing Association (ASA), or US Sailing (USA). You will excell as you learn the ART of SAILING in a safe environment. We all have gaps in our knowledge base, these courses will help you fill in those gaps and make you a confident, safe SAILOR. Sorry about the lecture, but I just could not resist. As much as I thought I knew about boating, after taking some of the above mentioned courses, I realized that only luck kept me from disaster. Have fun and take your time.
Congrats
My fisrt boat was a 22 O'Day. I sailed Second Wind for over five years and learned much about sailing. I had a seven HP motor on it and worked fine. Take the recommended courses, you'll learn lots from them. The more knowledge you have the more seaworthy you will be with any given boat. Make friends and have someone teach you, even if it is only for one day. Find someone who can match your power needs with batteries and get the best batteries you can manage. That way your batteries won't let you down. Battery chargers are not all that much, if you have acces to power at the dock, get one. Have a great time! Paul
My fisrt boat was a 22 O'Day. I sailed Second Wind for over five years and learned much about sailing. I had a seven HP motor on it and worked fine. Take the recommended courses, you'll learn lots from them. The more knowledge you have the more seaworthy you will be with any given boat. Make friends and have someone teach you, even if it is only for one day. Find someone who can match your power needs with batteries and get the best batteries you can manage. That way your batteries won't let you down. Battery chargers are not all that much, if you have acces to power at the dock, get one. Have a great time! Paul
Save a lot of time and trouble
Congratulations. In addition to any courses, I recommend having an instructor with you on your boat. Take a sailing lesson or two on your boat from someone who knows what they are doing (not necessarily just some dock-mate) and you will increase your learning curve and avoid a lot of hassles. The O'Day 22 is a fine boat. As with any 22 foot boat (save a Pacific Seacraft Flicka and some others) it has inherent limitations due to its size and construction. There may well be an O'Day 22 owner's group, try a Google search. The Catalina 22 owners group has lots of good information for a boat the same size (www.catalina22.org). You luck, and welcome aboard. Stu
Congratulations. In addition to any courses, I recommend having an instructor with you on your boat. Take a sailing lesson or two on your boat from someone who knows what they are doing (not necessarily just some dock-mate) and you will increase your learning curve and avoid a lot of hassles. The O'Day 22 is a fine boat. As with any 22 foot boat (save a Pacific Seacraft Flicka and some others) it has inherent limitations due to its size and construction. There may well be an O'Day 22 owner's group, try a Google search. The Catalina 22 owners group has lots of good information for a boat the same size (www.catalina22.org). You luck, and welcome aboard. Stu
Battery Charger
Your outboard CAN run a charger. I had an 8hp Evinrude Sailer on my Catalina 25 that used to charge my battery (only one). If the 9.9 doesn't have one, kits are available to install one.
Your outboard CAN run a charger. I had an 8hp Evinrude Sailer on my Catalina 25 that used to charge my battery (only one). If the 9.9 doesn't have one, kits are available to install one.
Seaworthy?
It looks like you have a lot of good advice I would second about lessons, a "mentor", outboards, etc. How seaworthy is an Oday 22? If you have followed this site at all, you will have seen the innumerable threads where it has been argued back and forth if the skill of the sailor trumps any "seaworthy" qualities of the boat itself. IMHO, the Oday 22 is no more or less seaworthy than any other production 22 foot sailboat. If you were lucky enough to get one of the later models that has a centerboard in the stub keel, so much the better. I have always thought of Oday as roughly similar to a Chevy: nothing fancy, and well-made. Assuming you have a high tolerance for motion sickness and long slow trips, you can take the 22 to MV or Nantucket. This is not a fast boat, nor does it have a particularly comfortable motion in a real sea. I myself wouldn't take the boat on that type of trip unless I had a perfect weather window, but that's just me. This is not a boat for the ocean. However, the price was right, she's a terrific little daysailer/weekender that is perfect for sheltered waters -- go enjoy yourself!
It looks like you have a lot of good advice I would second about lessons, a "mentor", outboards, etc. How seaworthy is an Oday 22? If you have followed this site at all, you will have seen the innumerable threads where it has been argued back and forth if the skill of the sailor trumps any "seaworthy" qualities of the boat itself. IMHO, the Oday 22 is no more or less seaworthy than any other production 22 foot sailboat. If you were lucky enough to get one of the later models that has a centerboard in the stub keel, so much the better. I have always thought of Oday as roughly similar to a Chevy: nothing fancy, and well-made. Assuming you have a high tolerance for motion sickness and long slow trips, you can take the 22 to MV or Nantucket. This is not a fast boat, nor does it have a particularly comfortable motion in a real sea. I myself wouldn't take the boat on that type of trip unless I had a perfect weather window, but that's just me. This is not a boat for the ocean. However, the price was right, she's a terrific little daysailer/weekender that is perfect for sheltered waters -- go enjoy yourself!
New Boat
Right foot, left foot, brother rat. Check the boat out system by system and don't be in a big bloody rush. Then when you take her out for a shakedown you won't get the surprise of your life on the water. How do we eat a twelve course meal? One bite at a time. Best of Luck! Jim
Right foot, left foot, brother rat. Check the boat out system by system and don't be in a big bloody rush. Then when you take her out for a shakedown you won't get the surprise of your life on the water. How do we eat a twelve course meal? One bite at a time. Best of Luck! Jim
Solar charger
Never sailed a 22 but I learned to sail on an AquaFinn which is just like the Sunfish. Of course it counts! The only thing I'd add is to go solar with the battery charger. I have an O'day 25 with only one battery. I have a flexible solar charger that sits on the cabin roof and anchored to the handrails. I do strictly say sailing with Music and GPS haven't taken the battery off the boat since I put the charger on 2-3 years ago. Good and hot every time. Enjoy, Mike
Never sailed a 22 but I learned to sail on an AquaFinn which is just like the Sunfish. Of course it counts! The only thing I'd add is to go solar with the battery charger. I have an O'day 25 with only one battery. I have a flexible solar charger that sits on the cabin roof and anchored to the handrails. I do strictly say sailing with Music and GPS haven't taken the battery off the boat since I put the charger on 2-3 years ago. Good and hot every time. Enjoy, Mike
Solar
Steve: I agree w/Mike - spend a hundred bucks on a maintence, worry and headache-free solar charger. Check out the attached link... Good luck, Drew
Steve: I agree w/Mike - spend a hundred bucks on a maintence, worry and headache-free solar charger. Check out the attached link... Good luck, Drew
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