Opinions on 322

[Jsl1]

I have already posted a thread on the Catalina 30 forum (http://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...on-year-hull-number-and-modifications.177648/)
as I thought I had settled on one for my first "big" boat. Looking for a boat for Great Lakes sailing for my family of 4 ( kids 10 and 13) for day sails, weekends and possibly longer. Budget around $30k
However the Admiral wasn't to impressed with the sleeping arrangements on the C30. So I started to investigate whether it is possible to find a boat with usable two state rooms?
I know in this size of boat it would be a squeeze but it looks like (from the pictures) that O'day might of achieved this to some extent. Opinions? I also like the aft head.
Also any other information regarding the 322 (shoal draft) would be most helpful.
What are the weak points that I should be looking for? Keel bolts? Deck core?
Any other boats I should be looking at?
Thanks in advance,

Jeremy

 

[Tally Ho]

I upgraded from a Hunter 280 to and O'Day 322 about 2 years ago. My 2cents worth:

- O322 is very roomy in the cabin compared to most boats her size. Well-laid out galley,head, rear berth, dinette, etc.

Cockpit is a bit smaller than my H280, especially with the large wheel I have on mine. The T cockpit loses a few sitting spots. I do have perch seats added, but not as "built-in" as they were on my Hunter. Rear swim platform is very small, and no walk-thru transom. You can stand back there, and easily reach the ladder from the water, but you have a small step on the transom to get back into the cockpit.

She sails well, and is fairly fast. I liked the 5-foot fin keel on my Hunter better than the wing on the O'Day 322 (pointed better I think). But the O322 sails well. I can race my buddies on a newer Hunter 33 and keep up with them.

I did add lazy jacks and Mack Pack to help with the main sail handling when sailing solo. Mine carries a large genny, which adds a lot of power, but also can cause a lot of weather helm in heavy winds. I find her to be fairly stiff in a breeze and have sailed her in some pretty strong winds (30 knots). Reducing sail area is important.

Lots of questions and information about the keel joint/bolts on the forum. I bought mine after reading all of the potential issues, and don't have many concerns. I don't intend to drop the keel or a hole in the sump to check the layup. I will monitor the keel bolts and check torque them seasonally. Certainly the area of the sump could (should) have been larger and more bolts used to distribute the weight of the keel, but I have not experienced anything that makes me regret my decision to buy her.

I have a lot of photos, videos, etc. here: www.wcwebs.net/oday322.

If you are near NW Indiana / Chicago area, happy to show you Tally Ho. She is on the hard for a little while longer, but hope to splash her in mid-April.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Ted]

JS: You might want to read the following thread in its entirety.
http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/oday-302-loses-keel-check-yours.109869/

 

[Jsl1]

Thanks Tally Ho and Ted, I had read some comments about the keel issue before but now it appears a little more serious than I had realized!
It's a shame because a really thought I had found a boat that would suit my family.
I have seen a 322 or 2 advertised that claim to have had the issue rectified but unfortunately not the one I am looking at locally.
It seems there are couple of different opinions on what a "fix" would involve and I'm having some difficulty getting straight exactly what would be involved and how expensive they would be?

 

[Tally Ho]

Read this one too...

http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/keel-retention-322-part-2-the-good-news.167051/

No doubt the keel issue should be checked into, but the evidence seems to indicate that the poor layup affected the last boats built (after the company was sold o was in receivership).

Yes, I am biased, and don't intend to take my 322 on the open ocean. But I am very comfortable on her.

Greg

 

[the_alpine]

Hey Greg -
I watched a bunch of your videos. On you reefing video I couldn't help but notice you dont have your main set up for reefing from the cockpit. Your mainsail has that jackline along the lower luff and the blocks in either end of your boom so that you can put your reefs in from the cockpit. Very nice feature and works fantastically on my 302.
Thanks for taking all the videos!

 

[Tally Ho]

I am still working on my reefing set up. Not usually a big fan of single-line reefing. I could never get the right tension on the sail on my Hunter 280. And I did not like pulling those lines up when raising the full sail.

I put a reefing hook on the O322 and was happy to just go to the mast if I needed to reef. But certainly the ability to reef from the cockpit would be nice when solo and the weather changes unexpectedly.

Hoping to get the boat wet in a few weeks, and will take another look at the single-line reefing. Maybe it works better on this boat than it did on my Hunter. Thanks for the suggestion.

Greg

 

[Jsl1]

Thanks Tally Ho, has anyone figured out the hull number range that may be affected?
I found that the HIN on the boat that I am considering is STRSG114F787. I believe this indicates that it is a '87 model built in July'87 hull 114. This puts it right in the middle of the production run by number and more in the first half by timeline(?).
The boat was surveyed last year and the surveyor noted

"6. The keel to ballast joint should be inspected and re-sealed as necessary. It is
visible on both sides. There are no signs of weakness due to the condition."

This doesn't seem too conclusive either way and I think it would be critical to know whether the surveyor was away of the problem and was specifically looking to address the issue. I would obviously be getting my own survey but am trying to decide whether it is worth taking the next step of traveling to see the boat (bear in mind here that I am a first time purchaser)

Thanks.
p.s. I also posted on the thread that Tally Ho linked to but that being older I'm not sure how much traffic it attracts.

 

[Tocolytic]

Greetings,
Not sure if the link that Ted posted about the O'Day 302 also applies to the 322.
I am original owner of the O'Day 322, and have moved west(Colorado) so my boat is for sale. Just listed it and would be happy to send you the broker info and he can contact you. Just let me know. It is located at the Chicago Yacht Works, and has been in Burnham Harbor for a long time. Did not renew the mooring however.
Contact me if interested.
Tom

 

[Sanfelice]

I would not buy that vintage of O'Day sailboat. The ones with the grey hulls. I saw, in person, the aftermath of the boat that lost its 'keel. The layup of the stump left behind was very thin. The actual sump and keel bolts were gone. Just the bilge pump dangling in the hole. There is another 302 on the lake and when on a trailer, with an unsupported keel, you could move the keel side to side with little effort. Very scary. You might look for an early 90s Hunter 30 which may be more to your liking than a Cat 30.

 

[Jsl1]

To be clear though sanfelice, the boat you saw was a 322 or 302?

 

[Pat]

My personal opinion is that the "gray hulled" O'Days are some of the best looking and sailing boats around...we have had our 272 LE since Dec. of 1986....and she is pretty well built...I've spent the day on her getting her ready for the water and she still
looks as go today as that wintry day in 1986 when we bought her brand new......Our keel seems fine and the she is basically beautiful. Again, my personal opinion is that the O'Day 322 is one beautiful 32 footer as well.....Wasn't there a 60 foot big-bucks boat that lost it's keel a month or so...and I mean big bucks....so I guess the keels should be monitored....We were on a Catalina 30 in heavy winds during our 4th of July regatta and that bought nearly broke in half due to a soggy
piece of teak that Catalina used to support the mast in the bilge....so I think everyone should be aware that bad things can happen.....just stay mindful of things that can go wrong with any boat, but enjoy your 322 if you buy her....maybe I am naive, but I think the 322's are great sailing, good looking boats.....Patrick

 

[Tally Ho]

My personal opinion is that the "gray hulled" O'Days are some of the best looking and sailing boats around...we have had our 272 LE since Dec. of 1986....and she is pretty well built...I've spent the day on her getting her ready for the water and she still
looks as go today as that wintry day in 1986 when we bought her brand new......Our keel seems fine and the she is basically beautiful. Again, my personal opinion is that the O'Day 322 is one beautiful 32 footer as well.....Wasn't there a 60 foot big-bucks boat that lost it's keel a month or so...and I mean big bucks....so I guess the keels should be monitored....We were on a Catalina 30 in heavy winds during our 4th of July regatta and that bought nearly broke in half due to a soggy
piece of teak that Catalina used to support the mast in the bilge....so I think everyone should be aware that bad things can happen.....just stay mindful of things that can go wrong with any boat, but enjoy your 322 if you buy her....maybe I am naive, but I think the 322's are great sailing, good looking boats.....Patrick

Ditto

 

[Jsl1]

Thanks Tocolytic, I could not see your boat on their website. Can you provide a link or more details?

 

[Tally Ho]

Thanks Tally Ho, has anyone figured out the hull number range that may be affected?
I found that the HIN on the boat that I am considering is STRSG114F787. I believe this indicates that it is a '87 model built in July'87 hull 114. This puts it right in the middle of the production run by number and more in the first half by timeline(?).

I don't think that there is any definitive time frame when the layup was more suspect or compromised. I believe they built about 180-some of the 322's. And that the layup issues may be a result of the companies last days and being in receivership. Probably all speculation.

I have number 149, built in 1988.

Drilling a hole in the sump would give some definitive information I suppose, but I don't feel like drilling a hole in my boat.

Greg

 

[BwWhisper]

I own a 1988 ODAY 322 hull number 153. The keel is leak free and without issues. It has been modified to include 3/8 inch backer plates between all bolts and the fiberglass bilge. I do check them routinely among other things.
Very happy with the boat, lots of space below, small cockpit as noted. Very solid and stable easy to sail and quick enough to be interesting.

 

[JRT]

I'm a first time buyer of a 1976 O'Day 25 for our family of 4 (11 and 13 year old kids), and looked around and found the O'Day boats seemed to have bigger cabins then most in the same size. I saw a 302 and 322 but really felt starting out on such a large boat our first season was not a good idea but can see us upgrading down the line.

To me it seems that every old 70s and 80s boats have issues and have to be addressed. I know I have received a bunch of great first hand experience and feedback on my 25 here and if we upgrade I'll be in a better position on what I'm looking at. My family was all about the space and condition (cleanliness) while I'm on the potential boats with my cell phone, flash light and note pad opening every hatch, access port, and taking pictures of everything not seen to make me feel better. I would recommend you do that, don't just take the guided tour of the living spaces, get on your knees, open every hatch, every panel, take your cell phone, turn on the flash light and shove into deep dark areas and snap pictures to review and look at. That really helped me out a bunch as several areas I could not see directly but with my phone flashlight on took amazing detail pictures (set the resolution the highest too so you can zoom in).

Good luck and enjoy the adventure and try not to get too upset about ifs. Personally I'll be looking at O'Day for our next step up if that is the way we plan to go because they are very well designed out for passenger comfort, heavy thick fiberglass hulls and have last this long and still seem to be very sea worthy. I'll probable take some grief about this last comment but if family comfort and enjoyment are top priority and not so much pure sailing I like the MacGregor 26X, they are a hybrid boat and come with a ton of space for a family.

http://www.macgregor26.com/