Need help identifying 14 foot O'day

[ErinM32]

Hi,

My dad and I are trying to restore an older O'day day sailer. We haven't been able to find a number on the hull or any indication of what style boat it is. It measures 14 feet LOA and about 5'2" across the berth. I think I've narrowed it down to either the Gannet or the Javlin, but am not quite sure. The mast has a plate which indicates it was made in England by Ian Proctor/Metal Masts, LTD out of Warsash, Southhampton and has a serial number that looks like 0b3.

Any advice on how to narrow down what it is and when it was made? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ErinM32]

*beam

 

[Indysailor]

Looks like it's a Gannet:

http://www.iheartodays.com/model_gannet.html

http://sailboatdata.com/view_builder.asp?builder_id=51

And it looks like you've quite a rarity, there.

 

[ErinM32]

Thank you for confirming it's a Gannet. It must be a rarity - we can't find much information beyond the websites you referenced. Do you know anything more about the boat? Any idea where we might be able to find original paperwork or parts?

Thanks again.

 

[Indysailor]

I only know what I found on those websites. The best source for information regarding O'Day boats is probably Rudy Nickerson at DR Marine. I didn't see any parts categories on their website for a Gannet, but since he worked at O'Day Rudy may know a little something about them and it would be worth a try to call him. As for finding replacement parts, my guess is that you'll be on your own a bit, but as long as the hull, centerboard and rudder are intact you shouldn't have much trouble bringing the boat back to life because other parts like rigging, blocks, etc. are likely to have been from major suppliers of the era. Parts are parts, so to speak.

If you need help with repairs to the hull or otherwise, you've already found a great place to ask questions. Most of us have spent time keeping our old boats seaworthy and you won't find a more knowledgeable group than right here for advice.

 

[ErinM32]

Thanks again Indysailor. We'll definitely try calling Rudy at DR Marine. We have a lot of repairs to make on it, so it's good to know this is a friendly forum. We're starting with the hull and when we have that in good shape, will make our way up to the deck and rigging. From what I can tell, the centerboard and rudder look pretty good. Lots of work ahead though.

 

[Sunbird22358]

The GANNET was O'DAY's version of an International 14. I don't know how many were built, but I would guess not too many! I found a description in one of my library of old sailing books (The Sailboat classes of North America, 1963). There was a picture, but it wasn't worth scanning.

The article says 110 had been built up to the time of the book, does anyone know how long the Gannet was in production? I'll keep looking and post any info I find.

 

[ErinM32]

Thank you! The summary you posted confirmed what the previous owner said about it... very stable and a good boat to learn on. I'll be interested to hear if you find anything else.

 

[Patrick H]

For what it's worth: In the early 60s I discovered a little book that fired my imagination about sailing. It was something like a little "Golden Book" on sailing; a little instruction book with photographs and the demonstrator, photographed boat was, I'm pretty sure, a Gannet. There were a number of photos of the boat and I was smitten. I have a copy somewhere, but damnme, where?

 

[Sunbird22358]

I think I have that same book! Actually, I'm on my second copy....I started "reading" the first copy as a little kid (well, looked at pictures, I was probably less than 5 years old) and the book wore out (must have been a book my Dad bought for himself and I "comandeered?") I finally found another copy in a used book store about 10 years ago.... I"m guarding that copy like gold! The book is too fragile to scan individual pages.

 

[GZboat]

Has anyone heard of a Gannet being offered with a cast iron keel? I just bought a boat in Belize C.A. and it looks for all the world like a Gannet hull, but with a bolt-on iron keel. At first I thought it was a Javelin, but it's clearly not. It has a much plumber bow than a Javelin and a aft deck, which Javelin's lack. It has no cockpit benches, only a very substantial thwart just forward of midships. The rigging instructions for a Javelin specify a 6-bolt keel and I saw only 4 keelbolts on this boat. Finally, the specs I've seen for a fixed-keel javelin include 3' draft, but this boat won't draw more than 30". Any ideas about what I've got? Any help would be much appreciated.
Greg Zane

 

[Sunbird22358]

Pictures??
I thought maybe Cape Cod Mercury, but they have seats.
The 14' OMEGA (AKA CAPRI 14 or CAPRI 14.2) was offered with a keel version, but again..they had seats in hte cockpit as did the LIDO 14 that I think also had a keel option. Neither the Omega or Lido had an afterdeck though.

Keel model of the JAVELIN had a 2' Draft, Mercury has 29" Draft.

I think a picture of your new boat might help us ID her for you?

 

[GZboat]

Absolutely I should have taken pictures while I was in Belize, but I didn't. I thought I knew what I had until I got back and really started looking at photos. I'm back in Florida now and won't be back in Belize for several months. Oh well...... I know the keel Mercury very well, it's one of my favorite boats. In fact, I bought this in part because of it's resemblence to a keel Mercury, but I'm certain it's not a Mercury. I found a copy of "Sailing A Golden Handbook" on Amazon.com and bought it for a big investment of $5.50. I'm hoping the pictures in it will allow me to tell if I have a Gannet hull, especially pictures of the cockpit layout. Thanks for the help.
Greg
P.S. Looking carefully at the original poster's 4th photo, the forward end of the centerboard trunk and cockpit, remove the centerboard trunk and you have my boat exactly. Same mast step, same little swing-arm mast retainer on the aft end of the foredeck, and the forward bulkhead in the same location. The only difference is my forward and aft bulkheads have waterproof hatches, but I bet they are later additions. If the Gannet has no seats, that's the hull I've got, but with an fixed keel, maybe a Javelin keel? Maybe this was someone's personal project? Hmmm...... Now I really can't wait to get "Sailing" and see more photos of Gannets!

 

[Sunbird22358]

Here is a picture of the GANNET interior from that book. No seats! I assume the skipper and crew sat on the side decks. It is entirely possible that a few (well, at least one?) GANNETs were built with a keel instead of the CB as a custom order or maybe a previous owner modified the boat? Anyway, this boat just might be an old O'DAY GANNET with a keel.

 

[GZboat]

Now I'm very glad to have ordered that book, and anxious for it to come. Thanks for posting that picture. Remove the centerboard trunk from that photo and you have the cockpit of my boat, exactly. I'm pretty confident I know what I have now, a Gannet hull with a cast-iron fixed keel. Now if I can find a picture of a Javelin keel maybe I'll know where that came from too. Whether it was an O'Day experiment, a custom factory order, or a one-off modification by a previous owner I doubt I'll ever know. But at least I know what I have and know it to be a very rare bird. Thanks for all your help.
Greg
P.S After seeing this line drawing of a keel Javelin, I'm pretty sure my boat does not have a Javelin keel. Mine is a swept fin foil with a distinct bulb on the bottom. So now the question becomes where did this keel come from? Hmmm.......

 

[GZboat]

So I got my copy of "Sailing" in the mail today. What a great little book on the basics of sailing and boat handling! No doubt about it, I've got a Gannet. Now only the origin of the keel is a mystery. Thank you for all your help with identifying the boat I bought, and thank you for hooking me up with this book too. They seem to be readily available at Amazon.com if anyone else wants a copy.
Greg