O'DAY NEVER, ever, not even once, NEVER, and I mean NEVER!!!! built a single boat with a swing-keel!! They built centerboard boats, Keel/Centerboard boats, shoal keel boats, fin-keel boats, several wing-keel boats, even a few designs with dagerboards. But they NEVER built a swing-keel boat, NEVER. O'DAY made a strong point as to why their K/CB boats were better than their competitors' swing-keel designs, that was a BIG selling point in the late 1970's to early 1980's.
The 22 always had the keel molded as part of the hull and had lead ballast inside the keel, originally 600# for the shoal-keel (1'11" draft), then when they changed to a keel/CB in 1979 the ballast was upped to 700# of lead in the keel (shallower keel requred more weight for the same stability). In 1980 the rig was changed from the original short, masthead rig to the taller fractional rig and ballast was again increased to 800# of lead inside the keel. Obviously, the weight of the boat increased each time the ballast was increased (although..... O'DAY didn't always update those figures!)
The original 1971-74 O'DAY 23 did have an iron keel in which was housed a fiberglass centerboard. This keel was bolted on, not molded as part of the hull. One big improvement with the redesigned 23 introduced as a 1977 model was the keel now being molded as part of the hull and the switch to lead ballast inside that keel.
The MARINER and RHODES 19 both had the option of a cast-iron fin keel (3'3" draft) or a 165# cast iron centerboard, the CB model of the MARINER also had 200# of lead glassed into the bilge for added stability (this was a so-called "ballasted centerboard" design, not a swing-keel since the centerboard was not the only ballast and weighed less than hte inside lead ballast, a swing-keel has all or at least the greatest major part of it's ballast in the retractable keel, very little in the hull.) A swing keel usually requires a winch to raise/lower, a CB can often be raised/lowered using a simple line tended by had, no winch needed. When you retract the keel on a swing-keel boat, the center of gravity also rises since the weight of the keel is being raised up closer to the waterline level. A centerboard or keel/CB can be raised/lowered with only the minutest chnage in COG, since the CB weighs little compared to the weight of the boat. (Ballasted CB boats, like the Mariner come close to being exceptions to that rule......when the Cb is as heavy as the 165# one in the Mariner/R19, but she is still considered to be a CB boat.)
The early years for the Mariner there was a small crank device to raise/lower the CB, but she was still a centerboard boat. The 1971-74 O 23 had a crank to raise/lower the CB due to the CB being raised/lowered from the cabin, in the later years of that design, I think the crank was eliminated? and hte Cb just had a cleat on the post in the cabin. 1975 and early 1976 models of the 25 also used this crank setup, but the CB only weighed about 40-50# so was still a CB not a swing-keel, since that weight was very small compared to the 1525# of lead in the keel itself. None of these crank devices really had that much mechanical advantage as would be needed to raise a 350# to 600# swing-keel.
It is funny how O'DAY never mentions in the brochure page below that the K/CB design O'DAY's draw more water so may require more depth of water to get on/off the trailer than a swing-keel boat......... I'd still prefer the K/CB! That after owning a retractable-keel boat for 38 years, loved the way she sat low to the ground while hauled out (keel-up draft of less than 12"), loved the way she effectively became a fin-keel in hte water with the keel locked down, almost the best of both worlds! Still, I envied the shoal-draft of a K/CB boat, the lack of a keel trunk dividing the cabin, the ability to adjust the balance of the sailplan by raising/loering the CB. Finally, the nerve-racking task of raising/lowering that 360# keel in hte spring and fall..... sure was getting real old after many years. Maybe someday...... when I can afford to replace my DS II....... I'll start looking for one of those O'DAY K/CB designs!
