O'Day 26-Which year is best?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dick Lemming

I'm looking for an O'Day 26 to buy and I noticed that the 1984 year model was 480 lbs heavier than the 1985 and 1986 models (5280 lbs.) Can anyone tell me why O'Day lightened the weight of boat and what affect that has on its handling and performance? Which boats are best- the 1984 model or the 1985-86 models?
 
J

John

New Ownership

Dick, I'm not 100% sure but I do believe that the ownership of O'day changed somewhere around 1985 and that the new owners were more interested in making money then in the quality of the product. This info comes from a friend who used to work for O'day. The lighter weight can be accounted for by some new manufacturing methods which were implemented at the recomendation of "effeciency experts". I expect to get some negative feedback from very happy owners of O'days in the later model years but my experiece is that lighter means less material and perhaps a less robust hull. Draw your own conclussions. John
 
D

dave

1984

i had a 84 and loved it. it was shoal draft once they switced to wing keels that lightened the overall weight
 
J

Jonathan Sherlock

84

I have an 84. I sail it on a fairly windly lake about 10 miles in from the ocean. I love the boat. I've had it 1 1/2 years. That's news to me about the weight. I just assumed all 26s were the same weight, the 4800 lbs listed on this site. Anyone else know if this is true about the weight difference?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.