I am looking at getting a bigger sailboat and have found a 1989 Oday 280 for a fair market price. I have not seen the boat yet (this weekend) and wanted to get as much information as I can before stepping foot on the deck. I have looked at the reviews and found nothing but good reviews from people that currently own a similar boat. Bless their hearts. What I would like to find is information from people who have owned or have knowledge of the PROS and CONS of this boat. It looks good on paper, but............... Any information would be valuable. Thaks in advance.
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Am I asking the wrong question?
I have had 85 people look but no responses. Am I asking the wrong question? I am really wanting to hear from people about this boat, ODay 280. The model I am looking at looks nice and has nice lines / style. I just wanted some information before I go looking at the boat to help me make a sound decision. Any information is what I am looking for, good or bad. I read the reviews but there were only three. I have tried to get as much information as I can before asking for help. Thank you.
I have had 85 people look but no responses. Am I asking the wrong question? I am really wanting to hear from people about this boat, ODay 280. The model I am looking at looks nice and has nice lines / style. I just wanted some information before I go looking at the boat to help me make a sound decision. Any information is what I am looking for, good or bad. I read the reviews but there were only three. I have tried to get as much information as I can before asking for help. Thank you.
Grant, boat, old boats are old boats...
It is hard to say what is good and bad because all boats have been neglected in some way. Hopefully your previous owner (PO) was good to their boat. Some leaks in stanchions or deck fitting can be hard to deal with. I think anyone here would say, unless you know boats and what to look for, have the boat surveyed. The first thing is for you to see and sail the boat to make sure it is what you are looking for. Check out the boat with out commitment, then come back with specific questions. Take your time an be objective about your overview of the boat. You are buying a used boat. Look close yourself to make sure a survey is worth it. If the boat fails your expectations, don't waste the money on a survey. Like you said, the owner love their boats and there are good ones out there. Weigh the cost. I have bought good boats and dumped twice what I paid for them into rehab. I hope this helped r.w.landau
It is hard to say what is good and bad because all boats have been neglected in some way. Hopefully your previous owner (PO) was good to their boat. Some leaks in stanchions or deck fitting can be hard to deal with. I think anyone here would say, unless you know boats and what to look for, have the boat surveyed. The first thing is for you to see and sail the boat to make sure it is what you are looking for. Check out the boat with out commitment, then come back with specific questions. Take your time an be objective about your overview of the boat. You are buying a used boat. Look close yourself to make sure a survey is worth it. If the boat fails your expectations, don't waste the money on a survey. Like you said, the owner love their boats and there are good ones out there. Weigh the cost. I have bought good boats and dumped twice what I paid for them into rehab. I hope this helped r.w.landau
do your homework first
Grant.. read all you can about the boat. Did you look on the other Oday site? use this as a search phrase --> " O'Day Sailboats Unofficial Web Site " You can find the orginal Brochures and other boats of the same size. I just bought my 1982 Oday 30 early last month. I actually passed up a beautiful Lippincot 30 for the older oday. The survey and haul out were very favorable even though I have dozens of small things to fix. A good engine, sound hull, fair rigging and sails were my topmost requirements. Don't let yourself fall in love with a boat until you own it! You will find that boats don't sell all that fast. Some sit for yrs waiting to loved again! Some never sell and fall into moldy oldy rusty hulks way in the back of the back lots. If you can, try to find a boat that is already out of the water. it will save you some money. Good luck! Denise
Grant.. read all you can about the boat. Did you look on the other Oday site? use this as a search phrase --> " O'Day Sailboats Unofficial Web Site " You can find the orginal Brochures and other boats of the same size. I just bought my 1982 Oday 30 early last month. I actually passed up a beautiful Lippincot 30 for the older oday. The survey and haul out were very favorable even though I have dozens of small things to fix. A good engine, sound hull, fair rigging and sails were my topmost requirements. Don't let yourself fall in love with a boat until you own it! You will find that boats don't sell all that fast. Some sit for yrs waiting to loved again! Some never sell and fall into moldy oldy rusty hulks way in the back of the back lots. If you can, try to find a boat that is already out of the water. it will save you some money. Good luck! Denise
- Jan 22, 2008
- 519
good old boat
I know you feel that time is tight, but this time of year, boats tend not to sell too fast, that is if you are in an area where sailing comes to a halt at the end of the season. If you really want to secure this boat, make an offer held by a minor sum to hold it for you. Your offer may include a phrase that if another buyer offers to purchase it, you have first rights to come up with the full sum or get your holding sum back. Whether you do this or not, get a hold of a book called Good Old Boat by Don Casey. It will give you a good understanding of the types of typical reparis older boats need, and you will be able to determine which repairs you are able to do yourself, and which you are not willing to tackle. You can then look at this boat with new eyes and determine if it is a bargain or not. Either way, you should get a survey completed. Now haveing said all that, Oday tends to have made pretty decent boats, cleverly designed, efficient, low cost, practical, and easy to maintain in the 70's and 80's. The only thing I might caution is that boats built in the later 80's were subject to companies starting to look at cutting their costs to remain competative. Many companies went out of business in the mid to late 80's. As indicated earlier by other posters, check the likely trouble spots, soft decks due to water delamination, salt water osmosis blisters in the hull, condition of the sails, meat hooks on the rigging, gelcoat stress cracks, try to turn some screws in the deck hardware, if they turn easily, water likely entered around the fitting... etc etc.
I know you feel that time is tight, but this time of year, boats tend not to sell too fast, that is if you are in an area where sailing comes to a halt at the end of the season. If you really want to secure this boat, make an offer held by a minor sum to hold it for you. Your offer may include a phrase that if another buyer offers to purchase it, you have first rights to come up with the full sum or get your holding sum back. Whether you do this or not, get a hold of a book called Good Old Boat by Don Casey. It will give you a good understanding of the types of typical reparis older boats need, and you will be able to determine which repairs you are able to do yourself, and which you are not willing to tackle. You can then look at this boat with new eyes and determine if it is a bargain or not. Either way, you should get a survey completed. Now haveing said all that, Oday tends to have made pretty decent boats, cleverly designed, efficient, low cost, practical, and easy to maintain in the 70's and 80's. The only thing I might caution is that boats built in the later 80's were subject to companies starting to look at cutting their costs to remain competative. Many companies went out of business in the mid to late 80's. As indicated earlier by other posters, check the likely trouble spots, soft decks due to water delamination, salt water osmosis blisters in the hull, condition of the sails, meat hooks on the rigging, gelcoat stress cracks, try to turn some screws in the deck hardware, if they turn easily, water likely entered around the fitting... etc etc.
Read the 272 reviews too.......
My understanding is that the 280 was created after Lear-Siegler sold O'day to Pearson. It is basically an O'day 272 hull married to an "aft head" Pearson interior pan. Sailing performace and characteristics of the 280 should be very similar to the O'day 272 on which it is based, and there is far greater number of reviews on the 272.
My understanding is that the 280 was created after Lear-Siegler sold O'day to Pearson. It is basically an O'day 272 hull married to an "aft head" Pearson interior pan. Sailing performace and characteristics of the 280 should be very similar to the O'day 272 on which it is based, and there is far greater number of reviews on the 272.
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