O'Day 30 Cb performance?

[Frank]

I am thinking about buying an O’Day 30 Centerboard, and was wondering about any thoughts on sail performance. I’ve never sailed a centerboard cruiser and am wondering how they sail. How well does she point? Is there a lot of leeway? Does the centerboard affect speed very much? Any horror stories about that model? Thanks in advance for any reply. Feel free to repsond in person: bybyrat@hotmail.comFrank

 

[Mike]

A good trade-off

I have never sailed the O'Day 30, but I have an O'Day 23, which also has a keel/centerboard configuration. I like the balance of the tradeoffs inherent in this design. Its easier to deal with shallow water, and you can increase down wind sailing speed by raising the board. In my experience with smaller boats, I have found that the keel/centerboard generally will outperform the true swing keel (like a Catalina 22), but doesn't perform quite as well as a fin keel. As far as centerboard problems, just do a quick search of this site to see that centerboard problems are one of the most discussed topics here. If the board on the boat you are considering is in good shape and operates smoothly, consider yourself lucky.