Oday 25 newbie

[Jammin jr]

First post here. Looking at a 25 and think I am going to buy her. Shoal keel model with a trailer and outboard engine. Not perfect, but not all that bad either. She has been well used and has a good deal of dock rash on her sides and bow. Price seems OK at 3800.00. 7 sails as well. I'm going to have the owner raise the mast so I can check out the rigging and chain plates. Any other things I should be on the look out for?

 

[cb32863]

No matter what, buy new sails. The ones that are coming with it are probably done. Check the bulkheads and make sure there is no rot. Is an issue with O'Day 25's as the chain plate penetration leaks if not properly maintained. Check under the mast plate as that can leak as well and once you get water in the balsa core, it rots. Check the decks to make sure they are not soft and around the toe rails as well. Make sure the centerboard drops and raises easily. Don't mean to sound doom and gloomy but, I owned one and had all of these issues. Yes it is an inexpensive cost right now for the boat, even with any issues but, you need to ask yourself when you are looking it over. Do you want to sail it or work on it? Everything can be fixed but, it takes money and time to do so. Good luck.

 

[Jammin jr]

Thanks for the advice. I will have to replace the keel rope. That I am sure of. I am going to look close at the deck and the bulkheads as well. I plan on sailing the lake this summer and do some work on the water, then haul it home and work on it until it gets too cold out and see how far I get. My friend has a huge hoist at his place to lift the boat so I can replace the keel pendant.

 

[cb32863]

Welcome. Hopefully it works out for you. Not sure if you know but, Rudy over at D & R Marine, http://www.drmarine.com/, is your go to for pretty much all things O'Day and WardH on here has a nice 25 himself that he has done a bunch of things to it, he is a great resource. Like any boat, they all have their "personalities", just be sure this one's is a fit for you.

EDIT: As for sails, shop around. Get quotes form everywhere you can. I got mine for my 235 from Somerset Sails in Barker New York. Also, most lofts farther north are looking for work as the water is frozen. Might get a better deal.

 

[Jammin jr]

Well that didn't work out. Just to much wrong with it. Seemed no matter where I put my hand, it had to be fixed.

 

[Hydro Therapy]

Stay positive, another one will pop up.

 

[cb32863]

Well that didn't work out. Just to much wrong with it. Seemed no matter where I put my hand, it had to be fixed.

Keep looking at different boats. Don't lock yourself in to a specific one. Lots of good ones out there from multitudes of builders.

 

[Ward H]

Yep, lots of boats out there looking for good owners. Just got to weed out the bad ones. One thing to note is if you need a trailer, get it with the boat because finding one to fit your boat without modifying it yourself could be costly.

 

[Jammin jr]

Looking at a Hunter 25 Cherubini in the morning. Lots of cool mods on it like inboard engine, wheel steering and bolbus keel.

 

[Ward H]

Good luck. One thing to consider, wheel steering in a cockpit of the size of a 25 takes up a lot of room that you cannot regain when at anchor or in a slip. With a tiller you can move it out of the way.
If the owner changed the keel, I would also be wary about how that affects the way the boat sails. I'm not even sure what a blobus keel is. You might want to check that out before committing.

Have fun!!!

 

[Jammin jr]

Thanks Ward. I'll keep that in mind for sure.
The keel is the original keel but has been shortened and had a bulb of weight added to the bottom of the keel to make up for the weight lost by shortening the keel. It sort of looks like the keel of a race boat but not as sleek.

 

[Jammin jr]

Well it looked real good so it followed me home. I'll be over at the Hunter forum if you are interested. Thanks for the advice.