O'Day 25 CB questions

Barnacle Bill · Sep 26, 2011

The O'Boy 25 would be great in the Apostles weather providing (which goes for any boat). The Apostle Islands can offer a lot of protection from the wind, but you still have to be careful. But, saying that, actually, most of the time sailors up there are praying for wind, but when it blows, it can blow hard, but there's lots of shelter to be had in the many islands.
Generally speaking, the O'Day 25 is not a tender boat. It is average, I think. But adequately stable for the Apostles.
The boat very well might take more wind and seas than you will want to encounter personally, so it really has more to do with your skill level than the boat (sort of). While the boat is not considered to be an offshore quality boat, it will do fine in the Apostles. If you can handle bigger seas and heavier winds, then go for it. If not, then stay put. But, as I mentioned before, most likely your experience will probably be comfortable and on those not so frequent occasions where the wind really blows hard, you just have to watch where you go and sail more on the lee of islands where the wind and seas are not so bad.
As far as reefing....depends on how people are on the weather rail. But, sail the boat no more than about 15 degrees for best performance and so, if you have too much sail up and you are sailing on your ear, or your cigar goes "tsssst" then time to reef.
The 9.9 outboard, if long shaft, should be great for that size boat and it will do the job in less than favorable conditions (as apposed to a 5 or 6 horse....but you don't need a 15 HP either).

RichBone · Sep 26, 2011

My 25 is a comfortable, capable sailor. Not an offshore boat by a long shot but could be a coastal cruiser with close eye on the weather. I feel the rigging and the rig (single lower shrouds) is too light. After all the boat was designed as a trailerable. I like the fact that there is 1800# of lead in the keel and not dependent on the CB for stability. A 9.9 is a good fit but in rough water in needs to be mounted a little lower.
The Apostles would be a great area for sailing. Isle Royale would easily doable from Grand Portage up in the Arrowhead.

Rich

OdayDave · Sep 27, 2011

I've had my O'Day 25 (1983 CB with Yanmar inboard) for a year now. Before buying it, I had an O'Day 222 for 10 years. I have been happy with the upgrade. I loved the 222 but wanted a little more space, and more headroom. I do coastal sailing on Lake Michigan (mainly daysailing, but also some harbor hopping). In the future, I'm planning on going across to the Michigan side given the right weather window (another reason for the upgrade). Anyhow, in my opinion, the 25 sails well. The boat is pretty well balanced given the sail plan (relatively small main and big genoa) and not surprisingly, its a little less tender than the 222. I tend to reef the main when winds are in excess of 12-13 knots. I currently only have one reef point, but will get a second one in the next year or so. Since I have roller furling for the jib, I roll that up to reduce sail as the wind pipes up. I was out a couple of weeks ago in winds in the 13 knot range with gusts probably in the 15-17 range, and since the wind was coming out of the SE, waves were probably topping out at around 5 ft. The boat handled the conditions very well and the guy I had taken out indicated he was comfortable being out in those conditions. I wouldn't want waves much higher than that, but I'm sure the boat can handle bigger waves if something piped up. I've sailed all over Door County with the 222 and plan to do the same with the 25, but I also want to sail the Apostles for a couple of weeks sometime in the next few years. I've read quite a bit of "The Superior Way" by Bonnie Dahl and I've also read a couple of Marlin Bree's books so I definitely would respect the lake. The Apostles are fairly sheltered and look to be ideal cruising grounds. I would have eventually done it with the 222, and will definitely do it with this new boat.

Concerning the size of the motor, I can only speculate how the 9.9 would push the boat. I can say that the little diesel I have (1 cyl Yanmar 1gm1 model which is 6.5 hp) will push the boat at hull speed with no waves, but is considerably below hull speed if I'm banging into decent sized waves (e.g., 2-3 ft). I would think that a 9.9 would be better as long as its a long shaft to avoid cavitation in waves.

Good luck with the decision,

Dave

RECESS · Sep 28, 2011

They sail quite well with the centerboard in the up position going into the wind. We often sail close to the beach and do so with he centerboard up. They are not tender at all. I have heeled mine over too far and they round up into the wind, it is not a very smooth action but they do what they were designed to do. We reef around 12 knots, but that depends on how gusty it is also. Not sure tere is a max wind speed if you have a good sail inventory. Iusually do not sail if the winds are out of hand. I have been caught in 30kt winds and sailed her back to the river. I can say it was not a enjoyable sail but better than motoring. The bow further up in the water more when motoring and they can get pushed around more by waves than if you sail them in bad conditions. We take ours 20 to 30 miles offshore to fish and I never feel like I a putting my family in danger. We only venture that far out on 1 to 2 foot days or flat conditions. It is 5 to 6 hours to get back in so we pick those days carefully in case it builds while we are out. No experience with Great Lakes sailing. We have had a Honda 10 four stroke and now a Tohatsu 9.9 and hit hull speed approaching 1/2 throttle. You need that other half when powering through storm waves and chop or bad current. She runs forever on a tank of gas.

Extremely easy to repair and modify. Full line support of O'Days at D&R Marine on line and Rdy is great over the phone.

Good Luck

sPk · Sep 28, 2011

I bought an O'Day 25 c/b in 2005 sailed it on Lake Minnetonka for a few years before moving it up to the Apostle Islands where I keep it now. I know of at least three or four O'Day 25's that are currently sailed there. Lake Minnetonka provides convenient sailing but after a while, I wanted more. The 4-5 hour drive to Bayfield each weekend is a significant investment but the sailing is great. So far, the boat has handled everything that the lake has thrown at it (but I often have to the shelter of an island). I have sailed it throughout the islands, to Silver Bay on the MN North Shore & to Black River in MI. That being said, I choose my days to go out into the open lake carefully.

I just upgraded from a 7.5hp 2 stroke to a 9.8hp 4 stroke. It has plenty of power with the upgrade. I usually run it no more than 1/4 throttle. Summer winds tend to be light & fickle so the 150 roller fuler I put on a couple years ago is a great addition. In general, sailing in the islands provides very variable conditions as the islands channel & bend the wind & waves.

All in all, it is a good sail boat and the sailing in the Apostle Islands is great. I just competed in the Trans Superior race on another, much bigger boat. We had some storms in the open water that made me very glad that we were on a 40 foot, 27,000lb sailboat rather than the O'Day 25.

Hope to see you up there.
sPk

Ritdog · Oct 3, 2011

my wife and I got a 25 last fall, and after a total rehab from bottom up, we are very happy with it- Sails well, is roomy, cozy at night, and is comfortable to live in. We are in Portland Maine, In July we went to Boothbay harbor, about 30 miles. Had a 15-20 knot wind out of the NW - turned left out of the harbor to 090, and did 4.7 -5.2 knots all the way to Small Point with a reefed jib only - it was great. It sails well, heels well, and is FUN. The 9.9 we have (Mercury ) moves it right along. We had to motor back all the way from Boothbay ( zero wind) - nine hours, - and just cruised right into the mooring. Enjoy!

Xan · Oct 20, 2011

Great boat

I have cruised the Apostles twice (not in an O'Day) but can see no reason why the 25 wouldn't be a great boat for anywhere on the lakes, given you and the boat are properly prepared. I sailed my O'Day on the open ocean, Atlantic shelf, deeper waters around Oahu and in trade winds. After I sold the boat her new owner sailed inter-island in the Hawaiian chain. The hull shape takes waves quite well, and the moderate displacement and conservative design make a safe boat. Indeed the capsize ratio is less than 2.0, which is adequate for offshore.
The caveats are:
*Rig must be updated. The 5/32 is too small and I have seen O"Days loose their rig due to failures here. The wire needs to be 3/16 and all tanks/chainplates need to be upgraded accordingly. This is not a huge or expensive job on such a small boat.
*The hull deck joint is not strong enough for serious punishment. It needs to be reinforced with machine screws and nuts, nut just self tappers!
*Rudder hardware should be the stoutest you can find. My rudder actually split and had to be glassed over. I would have eventually upgraded to the more modern design had I held onto the boat longer.
*Sails: Double reef is essential. I have sailed to weather in 35 knots with a double reefed main alone in this boat. A storm jib is a worth addition.

Otherwise, with prudence of course, the O'Day 25 will make a great coastal cruiser. I do miss mine and would happily care for one again should the circumstance arise.
Some of the boat's adventures in Hawaii are documented on the "Hawaii Cruising Society" website.
http://hyccruisingsociety.com/trip of firsts.html

O'Day 25 CB questions

cb32863

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Barnacle Bill

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RichBone

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cb32863

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OdayDave

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RECESS

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sPk

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cb32863

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Ritdog

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Xan

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