I put my recently purchased '76 Oday 22 in the water for the first time last Saturday. It is totally unchanged from its factory condition and equipment, including its original mainsail and working jib. After enjoying some variable breezes, the wind whipped up with a blast that made the rigging shriek. Since all my experience is in dinghies, I immediately rounded up and leggo the jibsheet. After chastising myself for being a wimp, I would bear away and trim the jib. But every time I felt the boat was being overpowered by the jib so I'd pinch her up into the wind again until I finally rode it out. I never felt the mainsail was putting my heart in my throat, just the jib. None of the Catalinas and San Juans that were nearby reefed or worried, they just heeled and went faster! Am I just being a weenie? I have no idea what the limits are on the boat; surely it can take a substantial amount of wind, but how much should it heel before I start donning my water wings? I sure as heck wasn't gonna cleat that jibsheet, I was sailing her like a dinghy. Please share your experiences with me, as I don't have anyone to take along to tell me when I should sing a hymn or when I should just acquire a backbone! Also, in a strong but controllable breeze, my boat did not exhibit weather helm, rather, the helm veered the boat downwind! Yikes! Is this a known fault of all 22's, or just mine? Thanks! Clay
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Charles Morris
courage is not enough
I sail my 73' O'day 22 out of Berkeley CA directly due east from the Golden Gate bridge on San Francisco Bay. Typical winds are from SW/NW at about 15-20 mph every day April through October. I bought my boat 6 years ago and learned the hard way how to sail using the O'day 22 on the bay. First, you need a reefable mainsail. This has helped me immensely. Second, you need a storm jib. I started out with original mainsail and "free-furling" working jib which routinely overpowered the boat causing it to develope severe weatherhelm, excessive heeling and uncontrollable rounding-up into the wind. If you can't afford to replace your sails right away I've found that I can sail with even the old blown-out mainsail alone as long as you don't have to go close to the wind. P.S. Justin, if you see this reply, I've been attempting to get a hold of your e-mail address. I visit Long Island,ME every summer with my family for the month of July and would be interested in sailing with you if you are interested. You are of course welcome to sail with me anytime your in the Bay Area.
I sail my 73' O'day 22 out of Berkeley CA directly due east from the Golden Gate bridge on San Francisco Bay. Typical winds are from SW/NW at about 15-20 mph every day April through October. I bought my boat 6 years ago and learned the hard way how to sail using the O'day 22 on the bay. First, you need a reefable mainsail. This has helped me immensely. Second, you need a storm jib. I started out with original mainsail and "free-furling" working jib which routinely overpowered the boat causing it to develope severe weatherhelm, excessive heeling and uncontrollable rounding-up into the wind. If you can't afford to replace your sails right away I've found that I can sail with even the old blown-out mainsail alone as long as you don't have to go close to the wind. P.S. Justin, if you see this reply, I've been attempting to get a hold of your e-mail address. I visit Long Island,ME every summer with my family for the month of July and would be interested in sailing with you if you are interested. You are of course welcome to sail with me anytime your in the Bay Area.
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Ron Deck
Tune rig
Charles, Try raking the top of the mast aft by adjusting the forestay and backstay. Be sure your rigging is properly tuned...not too slack.Also check your boom to see if it can be roller furled...pull it away from the mast and try rolling the mainsail up to reduce sail. Throwing a towel in while rolling the sail will help flatten the sail if its lost its shape. These things worked on the O 22 I used to sail. Good luck, Ron
Charles, Try raking the top of the mast aft by adjusting the forestay and backstay. Be sure your rigging is properly tuned...not too slack.Also check your boom to see if it can be roller furled...pull it away from the mast and try rolling the mainsail up to reduce sail. Throwing a towel in while rolling the sail will help flatten the sail if its lost its shape. These things worked on the O 22 I used to sail. Good luck, Ron
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Rich
Take it to the limit...
Hi, Clay: I have sailed my 1975 O'Day 22 in 25-30 kt winds with a 115% genoa and full main. The boat heeled like crazy and I am fully aware that the sails carried severely overpowered the boat. Nonetheless, I did it anyway just to see how much she and I could take. I am happy to report that we both did fine. My point here is that you need to experiment and see how much your boat--and you--can take. I've been sailing and racing for 33+ years and I probably have a bit more foolhardiness than some. However, I firmly believe that experience with one's own boat cannot be overemphasized and could even save your life one day--you'll know what the two of you are capable of and, in a tight spot, will have more courage than you ever imagined. I do agree fully with Ron's comment about tuning the rig. Your boat will handle remarkably better with a properly tuned rig. My boat is very well balanced and sails--even in heavy air--with very little weather helm. You might also consider replacing that OEM fixed deck block for jib sheets with a track and car for a better, more adjustable sheeting angle. That will also allow you to depower your jib in heavy air and power it up in light air. If you're really into pushing your boat to its performance limits, you might even consider installing a true traveler system for the main. I recently installed such a system on my boat and was able to carry a full main and 155% genoa in 20-25 kt winds by playing the traveler and placing a lot of weight on the rail (i.e., my fat butt). Keep a stiff upper lip and persevere.... Rich Lemmler, Jr. s/v TIME BANDIT 1975 O'Day 22
Hi, Clay: I have sailed my 1975 O'Day 22 in 25-30 kt winds with a 115% genoa and full main. The boat heeled like crazy and I am fully aware that the sails carried severely overpowered the boat. Nonetheless, I did it anyway just to see how much she and I could take. I am happy to report that we both did fine. My point here is that you need to experiment and see how much your boat--and you--can take. I've been sailing and racing for 33+ years and I probably have a bit more foolhardiness than some. However, I firmly believe that experience with one's own boat cannot be overemphasized and could even save your life one day--you'll know what the two of you are capable of and, in a tight spot, will have more courage than you ever imagined. I do agree fully with Ron's comment about tuning the rig. Your boat will handle remarkably better with a properly tuned rig. My boat is very well balanced and sails--even in heavy air--with very little weather helm. You might also consider replacing that OEM fixed deck block for jib sheets with a track and car for a better, more adjustable sheeting angle. That will also allow you to depower your jib in heavy air and power it up in light air. If you're really into pushing your boat to its performance limits, you might even consider installing a true traveler system for the main. I recently installed such a system on my boat and was able to carry a full main and 155% genoa in 20-25 kt winds by playing the traveler and placing a lot of weight on the rail (i.e., my fat butt). Keep a stiff upper lip and persevere.... Rich Lemmler, Jr. s/v TIME BANDIT 1975 O'Day 22
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Stu Timm
Heavy Airs and Light Boats
Hi Clay; I hear you sir. My 22 is a centerboard model, so the weather helm issue is basically similar to other "blade" boats, that is the boat will nose up in heavy winds. I fly a roller-reefed working jib up front. I also find that the boat is sensitive with a headsail in strong winds. There is not much hull in the water up there as the boat is essentially flat bottomed and has much of it's beam aft of the mast. I heard this was done for stability as well as adding bouyancy aft for passengers in the cockpit. Whatever the reason, in strong winds (25 - 30 kn) I simply sail on the mainsail alone. I have a fairly new main with one set of reefing grommets that I have never had to use thus far. In the strong breezes the boat handles kindly under the main alone. I also tune my rig with more tension on the aft stay, pulling the mast aft, and thus keeping the headstay as tight as possible. That really helps with the jib and balancing the loads. I used to sail a Laser, and did some light crewing on a J-24. I know of the joy of getting wet and wild on windy seas, but the Oday is no Laser and I am not comfortable sailing her like one. The O'day is a trailerable coastal cruiser - period. Perhaps it has a racing edge due to it's low draft on downwind legs, but I have never tried to race the thing. I say: "Respect the weather and enjoy the water!" Happy Sailing! Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 OD-22CB Centerport, Long Island
Hi Clay; I hear you sir. My 22 is a centerboard model, so the weather helm issue is basically similar to other "blade" boats, that is the boat will nose up in heavy winds. I fly a roller-reefed working jib up front. I also find that the boat is sensitive with a headsail in strong winds. There is not much hull in the water up there as the boat is essentially flat bottomed and has much of it's beam aft of the mast. I heard this was done for stability as well as adding bouyancy aft for passengers in the cockpit. Whatever the reason, in strong winds (25 - 30 kn) I simply sail on the mainsail alone. I have a fairly new main with one set of reefing grommets that I have never had to use thus far. In the strong breezes the boat handles kindly under the main alone. I also tune my rig with more tension on the aft stay, pulling the mast aft, and thus keeping the headstay as tight as possible. That really helps with the jib and balancing the loads. I used to sail a Laser, and did some light crewing on a J-24. I know of the joy of getting wet and wild on windy seas, but the Oday is no Laser and I am not comfortable sailing her like one. The O'day is a trailerable coastal cruiser - period. Perhaps it has a racing edge due to it's low draft on downwind legs, but I have never tried to race the thing. I say: "Respect the weather and enjoy the water!" Happy Sailing! Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 OD-22CB Centerport, Long Island
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proto57
some thoughts
After sailing a capsizable centerboard boat for many years, in some rough conditions, I became a "wind wuss". It took most of the month of September last year, with our "new" O22, to alleviate some of that. Love that keel! We have a '73, with no centerboard. The Oday is proving quite capable. My last day was the roughest. Chop and whitecaps, and I had to get the boat upwind to the ramp that day... my last day on the Hudson last year. So I left without the jib, but it was not so bad that I needed to reef the main. Anyway, the boat pointed and tacked against the wind and chop very well under main alone. That was a welcome discovery! I have heard other boats will not sail well under main alone, and thier skippers are forced to fly a jib when it pipes up. NO thanks! So that was my answer to nasty weather. If the O22 will point with the main alone, and I can reef that main, then I can go out in the rough stuff underpowered... and as I get used to the boat, work my way up until it's not happy. You mentioned that your boat would bear off downwind when you let go the tiller. This does not happen to me. Whenever I heard of this from others, it turned out that their boat's jib was over 100%. I have a stock 100% jib, and if I let go the tiller, I safely round in the wind. Of course with the main alone my center of effort is so far back that the effect is amplified. So like another suggested, get yourself a smaller headsail for the inbetween days. I sympathize with your concerns... but I'm sure that all good, experienced sailors started easy, like us. Rich.
After sailing a capsizable centerboard boat for many years, in some rough conditions, I became a "wind wuss". It took most of the month of September last year, with our "new" O22, to alleviate some of that. Love that keel! We have a '73, with no centerboard. The Oday is proving quite capable. My last day was the roughest. Chop and whitecaps, and I had to get the boat upwind to the ramp that day... my last day on the Hudson last year. So I left without the jib, but it was not so bad that I needed to reef the main. Anyway, the boat pointed and tacked against the wind and chop very well under main alone. That was a welcome discovery! I have heard other boats will not sail well under main alone, and thier skippers are forced to fly a jib when it pipes up. NO thanks! So that was my answer to nasty weather. If the O22 will point with the main alone, and I can reef that main, then I can go out in the rough stuff underpowered... and as I get used to the boat, work my way up until it's not happy. You mentioned that your boat would bear off downwind when you let go the tiller. This does not happen to me. Whenever I heard of this from others, it turned out that their boat's jib was over 100%. I have a stock 100% jib, and if I let go the tiller, I safely round in the wind. Of course with the main alone my center of effort is so far back that the effect is amplified. So like another suggested, get yourself a smaller headsail for the inbetween days. I sympathize with your concerns... but I'm sure that all good, experienced sailors started easy, like us. Rich.
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Robert Thomson
size of working jib
I recently bought an Oday 22, having never sailed anything but small, wet boats like Lasers or the 470. I have lived in the Yukon for 25 years, and these deep, frigid waters are not welcoming to sailers like me. The Oday was just what I was looking for: a dry and weatherly boat. The one we got has a very large jib; a big lapper. Can anyone tell me the proper dimensions of a working jib for the Oday 22? I need one badly on very windy days on the long, mountain lakes that proliferate this region. Thank you for any help, Robert Thomson
I recently bought an Oday 22, having never sailed anything but small, wet boats like Lasers or the 470. I have lived in the Yukon for 25 years, and these deep, frigid waters are not welcoming to sailers like me. The Oday was just what I was looking for: a dry and weatherly boat. The one we got has a very large jib; a big lapper. Can anyone tell me the proper dimensions of a working jib for the Oday 22? I need one badly on very windy days on the long, mountain lakes that proliferate this region. Thank you for any help, Robert Thomson
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Stu Timm
Working Jib
Hi Robert; I have a 100% working jib on an old CDI reffing system. It essentially fills the triangle formed between the mast and the forstay, perhaps a tad shy of the mast. It works fine and provides plenty of power in moderate winds. A light genny would be nice in those really light "puffer" days like we have in mid summer on the Long Island Sound. Happy Sailing! Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 O'Day 22 CB Centerport, LI, NY
Hi Robert; I have a 100% working jib on an old CDI reffing system. It essentially fills the triangle formed between the mast and the forstay, perhaps a tad shy of the mast. It works fine and provides plenty of power in moderate winds. A light genny would be nice in those really light "puffer" days like we have in mid summer on the Long Island Sound. Happy Sailing! Stu Timm "Karakahl" 1979 O'Day 22 CB Centerport, LI, NY
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