Weight specs / coastal cruising

[Philip Flintoft]

Got any experiences sailing the O'Day 20 on longer coastal cruises? I am thinking about buying an O'Day 20 and I had two questions. One, how much approximately does the O'Day 20 weigh? Before buying one I want to know if I'll need to buy a stronger trailor hitch for my car (I currently have a category 1 hitch - 2000 lbs max). I was also wondering what O'Day 20 owners experiences with coastal cruising were like. Is it capable of handling a trip from Nantucket to Florida easily if properly equiped. Any feedback will be much appreciated. Happy Sailing - Phil.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

O'day 20

Phil -The spec for a 20 is 1600, plus a trailer, so you're probably going to over load the hitch, particularly with gear aboard. Lots of people will tell you they've cheated without ill effect - read your insurance policy. As far as coastal cruising - there is no reason you couldn't make a trip like you talk about, but it would take a long time. You would neve want to be more than a few hours from safety which means hugging the contours of the coast pretty closely. I would try a 25 footer minimum if you want to be able to cut the corners off, and even then you might wind up further off than you want to.This ought not to discourage you from this boat, though. You can go through the canal and up to Casco and Penobscott Bays in Maine without any problem. Lots of great stuff to see - I may be biased since I live there. Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[John Folds]

Go for it

I would go for it. Might want to wait for hurricane season to end though. The length at the water line will make the motion of the boat pretty jumpy but that will take more of a beating on the crew than the boat. Odays are sturdy and well constructed and I wouldn't worry about it not being able to handle any coastal cruise. You can always duck into safety somewhere. The Worrel 1000 sails beach catamarans as small as 16 feet from Daytona to North Carolina so it is definatly a reasonable trip. good luck

 

[Joager]

Oday 20

Purchased mine in '96, believe she weighs between 1500 to 2000. Have seen all specs (by Oday) but actual weight. I sail her mostly in confines of Narragansett Bay. Previous ownwer sailed her to Block Island very frequently. Not sure about a trip from New England to Florida (kind of limited Space), but an easy ride to Nantucket or Martha's Vinyard and a fun boat for 1 to 4 people. All the boat you want that will fly with a 6HP+ motor. Would recommend only a sea furl.