Newbie saying hello(Mod Alert- help needed)

[CPseudonym]

Newbie saying hello

Note to Mods: I searched to no avail to find an introduction page for new members and decided to post here. Please merge or move as needed. Thank You...

I am new to this forum and sailing in general. My name is Craig and I look forward to learning from this seemingly vast knowledge base at my fingertips. The subject boat that I will take possession of next week is an O'Day 20 shoal keel on a trailer. No mast as it was stolen by scrap metal thieves from the current owner. My admiral and I will begin restoration in the driveway and with a little luck and a lot of sweat/money hope to splash a good specimen of an O'Day 20 no later than 2013.

I pray that I will become a responsible member of this community and the sailing fraternity at large soon. Feel free to post or PM me tips any tricks of the trade that I have chosen for my new chapter in boating. I have been an avid power boater and look forward to familiarizing myself with the art of sailing.

We will primarily be looking at local lakes and possibly Monterey Bay or SF Bay as our anticipated home cruising day sailing grounds after the restoration is complete. Between now and then sailing instruction and re taking of USCGA classes are planned.

Pictures and more complete bio's will be forthcoming. If anyone reading this can assist me in navigating this site or connect me with one of the mods I would really appreciate it.

Thanks to all in advance and I look forward to meeting and interacting with you on an ongoing basis.

Craig

*edited title* Thanks for the help Stu.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Craig,

Welcome to our wonderful world, glad you found us.

The "Welcome Mat" is really this "sticky" topic on each of the forums: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/announcement.php?f=65&a=6

The structure of the site is found on the tabs at the top, and while pms and emails are nice, we've found we all learn a lot more if we post Q&As right here for all of us to learn from.

Monterey Bay is a great place to sail, and we've had many discussions with folks with smaller boats who sail there and have a good safe time.

Look forward to hearing about your progress in your restoration.

Stu

 

[Joe11688]

Welcome to the site Craig and congrats on the purchase of your O'Day 20. It's just the right size for trailer-sailing and cruising. For modification ideas you can check out my "Picture Album" on this site under "Trinkka." We have different model O'Days but you may be able to pick up some ideas that you can use on your boat. As far as specific O'Day parts go, there is a fellow in my area who has most of the O'Day gear. His name is Rudy and you may want to check out his site. http://www.drmarine.com/
It's a shame about the mast getting stolen but you may be able to buy a used mast and spars that came off another boat similar to yours or buy new spars of the same height and length of your old spars. If you go that route you must make sure that the mast tabernacle is centered in the same spot on top of the cabin as your old mast tabernacle. Outside of that, if you have any questions as you go along with the restoration, just post them on this site and someone will surely offer you the assistance needed. Good luck!
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

When searching for a new mast and boom be sure that you have the correct rigging specs, the O'DAY 20 was originally rigged as a masthead sloop (1973-75) and later as a fractionally-rigged sloop (1976-78). Mast was 22'4" on the masthead rig, boom was 8'4". On the Fractional rig the mast was 27'0" long and boom was 9'6". Extrusion section appears to be the same on both rigs, 3.75" x 2.25" oval shape (DWYER Masts DM-375) for the mast. The boom was smaller, 2.75" x 1.75" (DM-275).

I know of a couple of East Coast sources for spars, but West Coast.... not sure. Steve Seals Spars may be a good source, not sure if he would have any used spars. Check marine consignment/surplus stores. O'DAY did build the 20 briefly in Costa Mesa, (I think??) so they must have had a West Coast source for spars. Joe mentioned D&R Marine here in Massachusetts, Rudy may know of the West Coast spar supplier, since he was parts manager for O'Day in Fall River, MA.

 

[kpgraci]

Welcome Craig.

As a newbie myself (been sailing a little over a year now) I've gotten a lot of ideas and inspiration from this site, I'm sure you will to.

Sounds like you're jumping in with both feet, that's the way to go. There's no teacher like actually doing it, and you'll have triumphs and defeats no doubt, that's all part of the fun.

Splash by 2013, huh?, if I waited for my boat restoration to be complete I'd never go sailing...she's the ugliest boat at the marina, but she floats and gives me a lot of joy, so I work on her as I can.

Looking forward to some pics and progress reports.

 

[CPseudonym]

Thank you folks for the links and kind words. drmarine.com seems to be the go to place for much of what I'll be needing, I hope to extricate myself from there with my credit card intact soon. Shipping a mast and boom 3,000 miles would certainly take a bite out of my budget so before pulling the trigger on larger items the plan will be to shop locally if possible.

Any west coast supplier links would be appreciated, West Marine is the only source I am currently aware of. A reliable sail loft is another source of interest to us. (Hope it's not as much of an oxymoron as cheap boat yards)

The pm's I was referring to Stu was an anticipated mod edit and relocation of my first post. I agree wholeheartedly with you as to posting questions and getting replies on the forum to spread the accumulated knowledge among as many folks as possible. I am one though that likes the forum search features to hopefully keep posting redundancies to a minimum.

kpgraci couldn't agree more with you, boat restorations are never done. However I like the idea of long time windows to get the largest items behind me while the boat is stored in the driveway. Restoration in the slip sounds like more work to me. With my restoration skills this little boat may turn into a gem or a true turkey.

 

[OdayDave]

Hi Craig -

Welcome to the community. This is a great place to find the expertise to tackle any project, big or small. I had an O'Day 222 (similar boat to the 20) for 10 years and upgraded to an O'Day 25 last year. I've leaned on the collective expertise of this group all along the way. I learn something every time I login.

I would check with the resident O'Day guru, Rudy at D&R Marine (www.drmarine.com) about the missing spar, and the specs for a replacement. Phone calls work better than emails. Also, check out the boat info tab for other owners who have tackled specific projects. The online store on this site for good deals on a lot of great stuff for your boat. Also, it's a great place to sell a boat. I sold mine in just 3 weeks on the site last spring.

Good luck with the 20.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[25yearslater]

Welcome aboard Craig. Hope your recycle goes as well as mine. There is a wealth of information here. Do contribute as you see fit as someone will be able to use something. Information can always be modified to fit a particular situation. Well wishes, Joe.

 

[Capn Pete]

Welcome aboard, Craig. This is a great site as far as knowledge base and a community of folks ready and willing to share what they know. Doesn't matter if you're a newbie or an oldie.

Other than DR Marine for O'day-specific parts and information, I prefer Defender Industries in Connecticut for generic sailing stuff. Their prices almost always beat West Marine (whose don't?) and they don't charge sales tax on out-of-state orders. And don't forget to check the chandlery on this site as well. We all have to do our part to keep odayowners.com viable, right?

Good luck with the restoration.

Pete
s/v EmmieLou (O-322)
Little Silver, NJ