Our "New To Us" Oday 25

[Ward H]

We took ownership of this 1980 Oday 25 Wed night. Today I spent changing the Yamaha outboard from remote throttle and shift to tiller throttle and shift. Need more steering to get in and out of the slip.
While workiing on it a couple came up the dock and asked about the marina. They also have a Oday 25.
They then recognized the boat as the one which was docked next to their's for a few years at another marina. They verified it had one owner from new to this past spring. Then a young guy bought it, tried it a couple of times and decided he didn't have time for sailing. Then we bought it.
Hoping to get our first sail in tomorrow.

Thanks for the help from the guys here.

Ward

 

[Joe11688]

Beautiful boat Ward. Congratulations. I know you're going to enjoy it.
It's always hard getting in and out of a slip with any sailboat. My advice to you is to note the direction of the wind and current and use it to your advantage.
Also you can use both the rudder and the outboard tiller to obtain maximum steering.

Take advantage of the engine thrust by steering the outboard with the rudder. It takes practice but being able to cut sharp turns to get your boat where it needs to go is attainable with a little practice.

They have these rubber dock pads on the market that can be placed on the corners of the docks. One of my friends bought a couple of these for his slip. They help in protecting your hull from getting banged up and marred.

 

[OdayDave]

Hi Ward -

This looks like a beautiful boat and I'm sure you will enjoy it. The 25 is a stable well-made boat and it handles winds and waves nicely. I had mine out in a charity regatta yesterday, and while we weren't speed demons by any stretch, we did have fun and we didn't finish last. (http://louieslast.org/)

Make sure to keep an eye out for water intrusion. Do a close inspection of the area under the mast-step and also around the stays on a regular basis. It's not difficult to fix but you don't want to ignore a problem and then have your rig come down during strong wind when you're sailing.

Also, look to this site for good ideas on upgrades. It's a wealth of knowledge. And keep the rest of us updated about improvements you have made and post them to a photo album you can maintain on the site. I've gotten a lot of feedback and a lot of ideas how to improve my boat by looking at what others have done.

I'm on a mooring so I don't have to get in and out of slips very often, and I'm on Lake Michigan so I don't have to worry about tides. I have gotten better with time however and with the higher freeboard than I had with my 222, I always have to remember that the wind will push the boat more than the smaller boat I had. I'm sure with practice you'll become proficient at getting the boat in and out of the slip. I would guess that practice in low wind conditions as a good first step. Joe's idea about dock bumpers is also good one.

Anyhow, congrats again on the boat. It looks clean and well maintained.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Merlin Clark]

So, does it feel any bigger than your 17? (I crack myself up).
There are some great archieved posts about members linking the OB with the rudder and steering with just the tiller and excellent manuverability.
Looks great! Congrats Ward!

 

[Joe11688]

Hey Dave! Ahoy!

Joe

 

[OdayDave]

Hey Joe!

Hey Dave! Ahoy!

Joe

Hope all is well with you. Are you on the hard or is the boat still in the water? I saw some pictures of your mast repair and I'm amazed at how well that turned out. Let's hope you have a hassle-free season next year. You deserve it after the mast and motor problems you had this year.

My season is winding down but it's been a good sailing season, tapped off with a most excellent sail on Saturday. The weather was perfect, there were probably 50-60 boats out for the beer can race. We made it around the course without hitting anyone else and without finishing last. I pull the boat on Friday and then bring it home for a couple of weeks before putting it to bed for the winter. Here's hoping for a moderate winter and an early spring.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Ward H]

So, does it feel any bigger than your 17? (I crack myself up).

Just a little, LOL.

And I will be getting some dock & piling bumpers, Joe.

Went on the maiden voyage today. Getting out of the slip went smooth. Getting back in wasn't quite. Due to the long throttle cables the throttle is slow to respond. That and the boat's forward momentum cought me off guard and I bounced back and forth across the fairway a couple of times before I got under control and motored back out into the channel to catch my breath and start again.
Second time I allowed for the momentum and put the OB in neutral early and slid in nicely. The slip faces south into the prevaling wind so that helped.

8 to 10 mph of wind made for a great sail. We had a nice fall day.
Boat handled great, 11yr old Yamaha, which the PO had trouble starting, ran flawless. The 25 is a REALLY BIG difference compared to my 17, which is the reason we bought the 25 and we really appreciated it. It was a different type of sailing which was exactly what we wanted.
Here are some photos while under jib only. Note in the last photo the jib sheets are routed inside the shrouds and lifelines. I think I should have them outside of both.

 

[Joe11688]

Hope all is well with you. Are you on the hard or is the boat still in the water? I saw some pictures of your mast repair and I'm amazed at how well that turned out. Let's hope you have a hassle-free season next year. You deserve it after the mast and motor problems you had this year.

My season is winding down but it's been a good sailing season, tapped off with a most excellent sail on Saturday. The weather was perfect, there were probably 50-60 boats out for the beer can race. We made it around the course without hitting anyone else and without finishing last. I pull the boat on Friday and then bring it home for a couple of weeks before putting it to bed for the winter. Here's hoping for a moderate winter and an early spring.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

I'm doing pretty good Dave. I brought my boat home in September. I just don't like doing overnighters on the water this time of the year. Spending cold nights and mornings on the boat just isn't appealing to me. If I can't take a shower on board because of the cold, I just don't want to be out there.
Right now she's sitting next to the house on the jacked up trailer. I have the trailer jacked up with the wheels off the ground and the boat is all covered up for the winter.
The extrusion that I built for my mast came out better than expected and much to my surprise it seems to work. Hopefully we'll have another mild winter.
Smooth Sailing!
Joe

 

[Merlin Clark]

Alright Ward!
Glad the weather held and you got to use the boat. Sounds like there is warm weather headed up from the South to extend your season a bit.
Your crew looks happy too!

 

[Peter18046]

Congrats on the new boat. Have had my '76 model since new and sail on Long Island Sound. I've found that in addition to tiller steering the outboard and using the rudder in tandem you'll see a noticeable difference in handling in those tight situations if you let the centerboard all the way down. I find my boat literally can turn on a dime if I do this. We have a tight slip at the bottom of the fairway in our marina and with any wind at all, this is the only way I can get in and out and maintain control of the boat. Learning to handle your 25 in your docking situation will take time so be patient, think things and situations through, and it will reward you with many fine hours and days of sailing!

 

[Mojowkng]

Hi Ward,
Congrats on the 25. I just acquired one of these a couple of months ago. I too am learning about exiting and entering the slip. Also I am an absolute rookie at sailing...first boat. We have a 9.9 Sailmaster outboard and remote throttle. So here goes my first question in my first post: when you say, "changing the Yamaha outboard from remote throttle and shift to tiller throttle and shift".....could you help me understand exactly what this means? I am interested in any configuration that will give more steering control exiting my slip (backing out). Thanks in advance,
Mojowkng

 

[Ward H]

Hi Ward,
Congrats on the 25. I just acquired one of these a couple of months ago. I too am learning about exiting and entering the slip. Also I am an absolute rookie at sailing...first boat. We have a 9.9 Sailmaster outboard and remote throttle. So here goes my first question in my first post: when you say, "changing the Yamaha outboard from remote throttle and shift to tiller throttle and shift".....could you help me understand exactly what this means? I am interested in any configuration that will give more steering control exiting my slip (backing out). Thanks in advance,
Mojowkng

Mojo,
My 25 has a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust extra long shaft OB. The end of the OB tiller, which is the gear shift, throttle and stop button, was mounted on a bracket low on the stern wall in the cockpit. That left only a stub tiller on the OB itself.
That required the OB to be locked straight forward. The rudder tiller was the only means of steering. You had to sit on the benching facing the other side of the cockpit so one hand would be on the tiller and the other on throttle and shifter.
Too awkward for me and I wanted to steer with the OB for better turning in the tight fairway. I unbolted the tiller/throttle/shifter from the bracket on the stern wall and put it back on the tiller of the OB. It bolted right on. The cables were still long and that caused issues so I bought new short cables for it.
Now the throttle/shifter/stop button are all on the OB tiller. I can steer with one hand on OB tiller and one on the rudder when in tight spots. Can easily steer with the tiller while working the throttle and shifter.
When I get out in open water I lock the OB straight and use just the rudder tiller.

Congrats on your 25.

 

[Mojowkng]

Many thanks! Very helpful!

 

[Scurvy]

Ward, that boat looks great! Nice catch!

 

[Ward H]

Thanks. We were very lucky it came up for sale just as we decided to buy one and it is in such good shape.
That's what makes it tougher to think it might be floating out in the BB somewhere on the surge tide.

 

[OdayDave]

Ward -

I hope that your family and friends were safe during the storm. It looks like NJ took the brunt of Sandy. I also hope that the boat was not damaged, but boats and other property can always be replaced. The important thing is you and your loved ones got through this in one piece.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Ward H]

Dave,

Family and friends survived pretty well. No damage at home.
I am actually more worried about the marina and crew than our boat. We can get another boat but would hate to lose our new friends and " home " at the marina.