Mast support on oday 222

[Rickcuadra]

Hi all, I'm am new to sailing and have recently purchased
An o'day 222. I have notice in pics I have seen on line that there is a metal support inside the cabin from the bulkhead to under the mast step, the boat I purchased does not have one..should I be concerned? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Brian S]

Rick, there should be some additional support. The wood post in the cabin doesn't line up underneath the mast step. Joe "Trinkka" Alves posted about this in the past. His profile was here: http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/member.php?u=78449 Not sure if he had pics of the metal he added or not in his photo albums. If it's not in his photo albums, if you do a search on his posts on his 222, you will come across posts where he discussed it.

 

[Igetit]

I owned a 222 for a few years, and learned that some model years included the brace while others did not. More support is probably better, but it's absence doesn't mean your boat is missing a vital part.
Check your cabin top for spider cracks over the bulkhead and don't over tighten your side stays. It's normal to have a little slack in the leeward stay on that boat, especially on a close reach in heavy air.

 

[OdayDave]

I think they started adding these in 1986. My 85 222 didn't have it and so I added it. The issue is that the mast step is forward of the compression post. After I added this, I found my stays were a little too short (maybe 1/4 inch) at their previous settings so the deck was definitely sagging a bit. There was no evidence of water intrusion as the cause of the sagging so I think the issue is a structural one and I think you would be well advised to add the tension bar. It was a pretty easy modification if you can find someone to weld up a small stainless plate to a piece of stainless tubing. I also found it to be a useful handhold in the AM when I was dragging myself out of the V-berth.

Dave
former 222 owner
s/v Lagnaippe
O'Day 25

 

[Rickcuadra]

Thanks to everyone, I will definitely look into add the extra support but can relax a bit in the mean time.

 

[Sunbird22358]

It is strange, the original Sales Brochure in 1984 showed a strut, but most (if not all of hte early 222s did not have a support directly under the mast step. I found Joe's pics and drawing as well as another owner's version.
The last pic is from 1984 brochure.

 

[Wood Jigger]

O'Day 222 Mast Support

I just picked up a 1984 O'Day 222 that does not have the mast support. There was water leakage through the chainplates, and some rot is evident as well as a sloppy attempted repair. I'm planning to replace the material in the bulkhead and add a mast support. Can anyone tell me the wall thickness of the SS tubing used for the mast support? Perhaps measuring the thickness of the flattened lower end would be close enough.
Thanks
Wood Jigger

 

[Brian S]

Here is how one 222 owner rebuilt his bulkheads and added a support for the mast step: http://forum.trailersailor.com/post_gb.php?id=1409157#1409157 He bent the tubing to provide more head room when getting up from laying down.

 

[RickKane]

Wood Jigger, I did finally notice your question about the tube thickness I used for the mast support. Using Defender's current listing, it would be the 0.065" wall thickness. Hope this helps.

 

[Wood Jigger]

Rick,
Thanks for checking for me. I was lucky enough to have a local machine shop fabricate one per the drawings on this thread.