The one dollar boat.

[Jfelkins]

So I clinched the deal this weekend. I bought a 1979 Oday 23 for $1. Yep, just one buck. It's dirty but I've had some quality time with the pressure washer and it's looking a little better. The inside is nasty! I really need to find a trailer so I can get it out of the water. Here is what I learned yesterday.

$1 boat
$7/foot (23ft.) to lift it out of of the water
$1/foot/day for dry storage to work on it
$129/month for a slip (but non are available)
$25/month at a car and boat storage place (but I gotta get it there)
$95/hr to have it hauled to my house

I've already taken it out 4 times even though I don't/didn't know how to sail it at all.

Yesterday, for our last sail, my son and I really got it going fast (for us), tacked a few times and made it into a cove. Swam to shore and combed the beach and fished. Swam back out to the boat and sailed downwind to the dock. Just like in my dreams!!

I have no battery so all arrivals and departures from the dock have been by sail power only!

Thanks for the ideas on modifying a trailer (from the other thread).

Some questions:

What should I do after I get rid of the fabric that is sagging loose from inside the hull?

What's the best way to clean the sails?

What is the best stuff to clean the mold/fungus/moss off the deck?

 

[Joe11688]

So I clinched the deal this weekend. I bought a 1979 Oday 23 for $1. Yep, just one buck. It's dirty but I've had some quality time with the pressure washer and it's looking a little better. The inside is nasty! I really need to find a trailer so I can get it out of the water. Here is what I learned yesterday.

$1 boat
$7/foot (23ft.) to lift it out of of the water
$1/foot/day for dry storage to work on it
$129/month for a slip (but non are available)
$25/month at a car and boat storage place (but I gotta get it there)
$95/hr to have it hauled to my house

I've already taken it out 4 times even though I don't/didn't know how to sail it at all.

Yesterday, for our last sail, my son and I really got it going fast (for us), tacked a few times and made it into a cove. Swam to shore and combed the beach and fished. Swam back out to the boat and sailed downwind to the dock. Just like in my dreams!!

I have no battery so all arrivals and departures from the dock have been by sail power only!

Thanks for the ideas on modifying a trailer (from the other thread).

Some questions:

What should I do after I get rid of the fabric that is sagging loose from inside the hull?

What's the best way to clean the sails?

What is the best stuff to clean the mold/fungus/moss off the deck?

A friend of mine gave away his 1975 O'Day 25 free of charge years ago to a guy I know. He asked me if I wanted to it and I told him no. Not that it wasn't a good boat, but it was just too big for my needs. Looking back though, if he had a newer O'Day 23 like yours, I may have taken it, even for a buck. Fix this boat up and I think you're going to love it. Good luck!
Joe

 

[1977oday22]

Congrats on the project.

The material can be replaced with mildew resistant carpet. I replaced mine with the carpet from home depot and have had no problems. There are a few pics in my album. As for the rest of the boat, I would get a ton of Mr. Clean Magic sponges and go over the boat inch by inch, it was the only thing that worked for me.
Keep us posted!

 

[Jfelkins]

Thanks!

The the magic clean sponge is a great tip.

how did you bond the carpet to the walls? What purpose does the cloth/carpet serve?

 

[Joe11688]

Congrats on the project.

The material can be replaced with mildew resistant carpet. I replaced mine with the carpet from home depot and have had no problems. There are a few pics in my album. As for the rest of the boat, I would get a ton of Mr. Clean Magic sponges and go over the boat inch by inch, it was the only thing that worked for me.
Keep us posted!

I'm going to try some of those Mr. Clean Magic Sponges Kevin. I have a problem trying to keep the cabin sole and the cockpit area of my boat clean.
The one thing that I can say about the carpet interior of my boat is that it cuts down on condensation and moisture in the cabin and creates a warm and cozy atmosphere as the season progresses and the weather gets cooler.

 

[Jfelkins]

A couple of questions:

How do I keep the tiller from rubbing the boat?

Can I fix this ripped stitching and how? Thanks!

Tomorrow I hope to get the motor running. I need to figure out the oil to fuel mix ratio.

Thanks again!

 

[Joe11688]

A couple of questions:

How do I keep the tiller from rubbing the boat?

Can I fix this ripped stitching and how? Thanks!

Tomorrow I hope to get the motor running. I need to figure out the oil to fuel mix ratio.

Thanks again!

You may be able to raise the rudder by lowering both pintles unless the blade protrudes under the stern of the boat and won't allow you to do this. Just lower each pintle down one hole and see if you can put the rudder on and take it off. If you can do this, then drill a new hole for each pintle and fill the two unused holes with Epoxy filler.

As for the sail mending. I bought a sail repair kit from this site
http://www.sailmakerssupply.com/product/574/23 and I'm very happy with it. I was able to hand sew a leech line pocket that came unsewn on my Gennie and I was back in business within an hour. The pocket was getting caught in my stays every time I tacked. These people are great. They took a personal check that I mailed them and I had my kit in the mail within the week. I also ordered a "Speedy Stitcher" from another company in New York about the same time and I've yet to receive it. I've inquired twice and haven't got a reply from them. The sail repair kit does not come with any directions so you'll need to get a good book on sail repair at your library and study up on it. The "Sailor's Palm" that comes with this kit is adjustable and it's an excellent professional device for pushing those special sail needles through thick material. It comes with plenty of thread, Smith and Son Sail Needles from England, and a whole lot of other goodies. I bought my last sail repair kit at Bliss Marine back in the 1980s I think. They changed hands about three times and today they're known as West Marine. I'm a complete neophyte when it comes to sail repair but I want to do it and I'm willing to learn it.

 

[Joe11688]

Kevin,
The manufacturers of some of those older two stroke outboards claimed that their outboards should run on 100:1 oil to gas mixture and later on found out that it was too lean and would damage the engine. If your engine has any markings that read 100:1 gasoline to oil, ignore it and mix a 50:1 ratio. It's really important to have the proper mixture because of this Ethanol which not only attracts water, but it also breaks down the oil in the gas. Before I start my engine when I fist get to my boat on the mooring, I shake the fuel tank good. If you do this, I don't think you'll need to install a water/gasoline seperator filter in your fuel hose. I don't have one and I don't plan on buying one.

 

[ncscsailor]

What an adventure!
Don't forget to change the oil in the lower unit before you start messing with the engine.

 

[Jfelkins]

Just got my copy of This Old Boat and we've name the boat the Dawn Treader. Hoping to haul her out this weekend. My wife is now perusing the Sunbrella website!

I have a love/hate relationship with the outboard motor. It's so ugly! It's so handy! Maybe it's crazy but I would love an electric inboard motor. Has anyone ever done that with an Oday 23?

 

[Indysailor]

My wife repairs seams like that with a #16 ball point needle and polyester thread. Even using the existing holes, it's still hard to get the needle through. She taps the needle through with a light hammer (with the sail backed by a piece of pine), then pulls the it through with a pliers. It's arduous work, but she is pretty handy at it. She also pastes the seams with our kids' gluesticks to help keep them lined up.

 

[Jfelkins]

Could you explain this a little more: "She also pastes the seams with our kids' gluesticks to help keep them lined up."

I don't follow that part. Thanks.

 

[Indysailor]

Could you explain this a little more: "She also pastes the seams with our kids' gluesticks to help keep them lined up."

I don't follow that part. Thanks.

It's nice to have something that keeps the fabric from slipping around and getting misaligned when you are sewing it. If you're working with regular fabric as opposed to a sail, it's usual to hold everything in place with pins or basting tape. Pins won't penetrate the dacron, and we didn't have any basting tape, so my she just took an ordinary gluestick and pasted the seam before sewing it. She only did this on the longer repairs, those more than about 2-3 inches long.

Hope that helps- sorry, I didn't take any pictures of this. Here is some info from Don Casey that helped us.