ODay 26

[agprice22]

Hi All; I am considering the purchase of an '84 ODay 26. She seems in fine shape for her age. I am an experienced sailer and can repair, maintain, and upgrade my boats. Any quirks, foibles, or problems with this model that you know of? It will be kept in the water during the season and pulled every Fall. How does the centerboard hardware hold up? What kind of speeds do you get out of them?

What do you especially like about this model? What would you ALWAYS fix / change / upgrade?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Ward H]

CB should be the same as my 80 25'r. Not much hardware on the CB. It pivots on a nylon (?) pin held in by nylon wedges. the CB weighs around 60 some lbs and is fiberglass so no rusting. Just check the rope pendant for wear and the shackle connecting the pendant to the CB. Some will swell up a bit and stick. I sanded mine down a bit where it was rubbing the trunk.
I understand the 26 is basically the same as the 25 but with some minor improvements, one being the rudder does not extend below the keel as it does on the 25.
Just look for the usual deck leak culprits and check bulkheads for rot.
I get 5 to 6 knots as reported by GPS in 15 knot winds and I am not an experienced sail trimmer.
I assume it is diesel? l know of two 26 diesels and the owners love them. One is now for sail as the owner has medical issues. I know she had to change out the fuel tank a couple of years ago. It started leaking through pin holes.

 

[agprice22]

The boat in question is an outboard. Is a 9.9 four stroke powerful enough? Where we will berth is about 1/4 mile down a channel where the wind blows direct ahead and pushes swells as well. I currently sail a C22 w/ a 4 hp outboard, and it gets a little marginal in terms of headway at times!

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Brian S]

You can always get a high thrust prop for more oomph if you need it. Bigger blades (Mickey Mouse ears) and lower pitch.

Brian

 

[Ward H]

The 78, 79 and 81 O'day 25 brochures show a max 15hp and recommend a long shaft OB. My 25 came with a 9.9 high thrust XL shaft. I never need to go above 50% throttle and normally run a bit under that. Know that I am not in anything more than heavy chop and have no current to worry about. I have motored through some stiff winds with no issue.
The XL shaft does allow the motor head to be higher, which is nice given the high freeboard of the 25/26.
I have also read several times that a good guide is 2hp for each 1,000 lbs displacement. With the 25/26 being at 4,800 lbs the seems to be a good fit.

The only complaint I have read about with the 25/26 is the positioning of the turning blocks for the head sail sheets. Some have said the single deck mounted standup block is in the wrong position and the genoa track along the cockpit is too far back. I don't have enough experience to know what I am missing so I happy with mine. I run the 135% genny sheets through the front blocks and it works for me. Of course I am still only on my second season of sailing and first with this boat.

 

[Joe11688]

My friend Ray owns an 86 O'Day 26 and the only issue that he found with this boat is that the stern sits a little higher in the water. He wound up curing that problem by moving some weight around down in the cabin. I've noticed that the 86 O'Day 272 has this issue also.

 

[RichBone]

There's 1800# of lead in the keel and this makes for a comfortable sail. It feels like a big boat. Before I got my 25 I didn't know you could have a cooler in the cockpit under the seat. WOW. Love it.

 

[haebby]

Have been sailing an O'Day 26 for over two years now. We just love it. Noting about the boat we don't like. Very easy to sail and forgiving. This size and layout are perfect for our family. Great boat!

 

[kdssail]

I have had my 26 for 5 years and having a catalina 25, oday 22, catalina 28 this is a great boat. It fits me well and I single hand it almost all the time, I have 2 tracks (one by the windows and one by the cockpit), I use a 150 roller furled head sail and the sheets really need to be between the 2 tracks so I use a block at the end of the front track with a small line to a block that the sheet runs through, I can pull in or let out the small line and change the angle of the sheet to the clue. The rest of the 26 is great, interior has enough room for a good weekend or even longer and the 30" draft lets me go shallow if I want. My inboard is not the easiest to get to.. I am 5'10" and 220 and I SQUEEZE into the hatch to turn the thru hull and do engine maintenance, doable but tight. Trailer weight is @6000 depending on"junk" I keep on board and it trailers nice. its a nice boat so enjoy..

 

[kdssail]

more info... read past posts abut lowering mast and vang tab, mast compressing at step causing cracks, other posts will answer most all your concerns

 

[John Stevens]

Andrew,

Check for a depression under the mast step. The 26 rig is slightly forward of the compression post and I found a few of the 26's I looked at show a big dip under the mast step in the cabin. The rig on the 25 is directly over the post. They changed the rig slightly forward on the 26, I believe the boom is a different length also. They did this to correct(better) the helm balance.

I've had mine for 3 years and really like it. I sailed a Precision 18, 23 and a bunch of daysailers before the 26 but the Precision line (keel/centerboard) is much like the 26.

Some differences you find from the Catalina 22 to the 26: The freeboard is very high on the 26 which gives you the room in the cabin, it can blow you around in a marina a bit compared to the Catalina, I noticed a difference from the P23 to the 26. At just 3 more feet, the 26 is twice the weight. You'll find it slower to take off when motoring and it will continue to move much more than the Catalina when you take it out of gear for docking, something you'll get used to.

I have a 15 hp longshaft on mine but I don't need much more over half throttle when motoring, although I do run it full at times to keep it clean. The 15 came with the boat, it's a 2 stoke and very well maintained so it's not something I'll replace, the weight is probably the same as a 4 stroke 9.9. I think the 9 will do just fine for you.

Bottom line: great boat, big enough for some coastal cruising yet somewhat trailerable. As for the trailering, personally I wouldn't "daysail" this boat. I leave it in a marina for a few months at a time during the season, try some different locations, then put it on the trailer during the off season. I also have a DS1 that I use for local daysailing, great combination.