New to me O'day 20 - need advice

[rwilliams125]

Hi all,
I brought home an O'day 20 last weekend and now I'm getting nervous! It's generally in good condition. Hull needs to be painted as it has lots of marks and is generally faded, but it is very solid.
What I'm concerned about is the mast and rig. They were replaced at some point with a 25' mast that is also too wide to fit in the mast step. The PO rigged up a piece of treated lumber that they fit inside the mast and that connects to the mast step. Some of the rigging is also homemade with loops and 'crimp swaged' connectors to hold everything togehter.
The mast also doesn't have any spreaders or backstay! It doesn't look like it ever had spreaders.
I didn't realize all this till after I brought it home. Should I sail it as is? Ship a mast form the East coast? Turn around and sell it again?
Thanks,
- Ryan

 

[mjp83]

I would be seriously worried about sailing with such a set up.

However, the reason for a lack of a back stay is that one some smaller boats, the main sheet and its trim line took the main force of the wind, and actually keep the mast from going over.

I did not want to take any chances, and on my 73 mariner I ordered all new stays, just to ensure the mast not going over. Rudy at DRMarine can get the parts for you. You could try to rig up your existing mast with factory stays, but it would be a major trial and error undertaking. I would not do this.
My second choice would be to look at a used mast with hardware to fit on your boat. Just be aware of the investment. I have looked into it myself, and it will get pricey. There is a breaker yard in the north east which may have what you need. If you got the 20 for a deal, keep it and go with a good used replacement rig.

If this is too costly, sell it. At this point, if you did not get the boat at a good price, can you go back and ask for cash back? Sorry this happened to you, I have seen many boats on CL for cheap, but they have been stripped of mast, hardware and sails, and it is unlikely they will ever be anything else than a yard ornament. What a shame, those ignorant smelly powerboat thugs.......how could they.