I am looking at buying a 24 or 25 ft. Oday and I was wondering what some of you like and dislike about either of these boats. I will be sailing on a "small" freshwater lake in the mountains of Southern California and like a few of the features - mainly the trailer.??
Why buy Oday?
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Things to like
The Odays in that size range compare favorably to their competition in a number of areas, and not so favorably in others. Like anything, its a question of tradeoffs. What I like about them may be what someone else doesn't like. I think the most comparable boat to the Oday 25 is the Catalina 25. Things I like better about the Oday: the keel/centerboard. I like having the ballast encapsulated in the hull rather than swinging around in a swing keel. The Oday centerboard is light and handled with just a pennant line, while the Catalina has an elaborate crank system. I also like the head behind a real door in the Oday, vs. behind an accordian screen on the Catalina. Things I like better about the Catalina: the fin keel version of the Catalina sails better (stiffer and can point higher) than the Oday. The Catalina pop-top is a tremendous thing; full standing head room on a 25 footer! Unlike Oday, Catalina is still in business and still supports the 25, so you can get parts and service a lot more easily. When I was choosing a boat, it basically came down to three choices for me: the Catalina 25, the Catalina 22, or the Oday 23. I bought the Oday because: the head is behind a real door (a big selling point for the Admiral); I liked the keel/centerboard instead of the swinging keel; it was a better value (much less money than the Catalina 25, and more boat than the Catalina 22).
The Odays in that size range compare favorably to their competition in a number of areas, and not so favorably in others. Like anything, its a question of tradeoffs. What I like about them may be what someone else doesn't like. I think the most comparable boat to the Oday 25 is the Catalina 25. Things I like better about the Oday: the keel/centerboard. I like having the ballast encapsulated in the hull rather than swinging around in a swing keel. The Oday centerboard is light and handled with just a pennant line, while the Catalina has an elaborate crank system. I also like the head behind a real door in the Oday, vs. behind an accordian screen on the Catalina. Things I like better about the Catalina: the fin keel version of the Catalina sails better (stiffer and can point higher) than the Oday. The Catalina pop-top is a tremendous thing; full standing head room on a 25 footer! Unlike Oday, Catalina is still in business and still supports the 25, so you can get parts and service a lot more easily. When I was choosing a boat, it basically came down to three choices for me: the Catalina 25, the Catalina 22, or the Oday 23. I bought the Oday because: the head is behind a real door (a big selling point for the Admiral); I liked the keel/centerboard instead of the swinging keel; it was a better value (much less money than the Catalina 25, and more boat than the Catalina 22).
Choosing..
I spent almost two years looking before deciding. I got it down to O'day, Catalina, Hunter, Com-Pac, Sabre and a couple others. It came down to coming across the right boat at the right price. Obviously I opted for an O'day and am very happy with my decision. I don't trailer but I can see that it would be very easy to do so. They seem to hold value reasonably well and really good deals can be had. You may have to do a good bit of searching and be willing to look at a lot of boats but they are out there. Just be prepared to walk away if the boat's not sound or the deal just isn't making your budget. My biggest problem with the Catalina wing keel is if you were to ever ground (and you will) you risk busting that wing during kedging off. I don't really like water ballast as it can promote osmotic blistering in my opinion. However, in Catalina's defense they are well built, sail well and hold value if maintained. That's also part of the problem I had. If the Catalina was in decent shape then the price was also pretty decent. The Hunters in my opinion seemed to be the cheapy line and didn't appear to hold any value very well. I heard a rumor that a few model years of Hunter's were considered almost junk in the quality of fiberglass work. Unfortunately I don't know the particulars on that one. The Com-Pac is an extremely well built boat that holds value really well. Even buying a really used one forces a major unloading of the wallet. In general I don't like having all the ballast swinging. If it were to drop off for whatever reason then ALL sailing stability is lost and the boat becomes a cork. On the O'day dropping the centerboard will ruin the day but not dangerously so since the weight is in the fixed keel. O'day seems to have hit the fine line between getting the ballast low and keeping the draft shoal. Good Luck!
I spent almost two years looking before deciding. I got it down to O'day, Catalina, Hunter, Com-Pac, Sabre and a couple others. It came down to coming across the right boat at the right price. Obviously I opted for an O'day and am very happy with my decision. I don't trailer but I can see that it would be very easy to do so. They seem to hold value reasonably well and really good deals can be had. You may have to do a good bit of searching and be willing to look at a lot of boats but they are out there. Just be prepared to walk away if the boat's not sound or the deal just isn't making your budget. My biggest problem with the Catalina wing keel is if you were to ever ground (and you will) you risk busting that wing during kedging off. I don't really like water ballast as it can promote osmotic blistering in my opinion. However, in Catalina's defense they are well built, sail well and hold value if maintained. That's also part of the problem I had. If the Catalina was in decent shape then the price was also pretty decent. The Hunters in my opinion seemed to be the cheapy line and didn't appear to hold any value very well. I heard a rumor that a few model years of Hunter's were considered almost junk in the quality of fiberglass work. Unfortunately I don't know the particulars on that one. The Com-Pac is an extremely well built boat that holds value really well. Even buying a really used one forces a major unloading of the wallet. In general I don't like having all the ballast swinging. If it were to drop off for whatever reason then ALL sailing stability is lost and the boat becomes a cork. On the O'day dropping the centerboard will ruin the day but not dangerously so since the weight is in the fixed keel. O'day seems to have hit the fine line between getting the ballast low and keeping the draft shoal. Good Luck!
ODay two-timer
I must like the ODays just fine -- I just bought my second one. (The first is still for sale -- more on that in a moment.) Without getting too bogged down in techie details, and without referring specifically to the 24 or 25, which I'm not personally familiar with, I can tell you what I've liked about the brand, and what prompted me to buy a second one. In general, I've been pleased with the quality of construction (allowing for the fact that we're talking about boats that are 15, 20 or more years old). Sure, there will be some signs of age, depending on the boat and the previous owners, but overall it's a solid boat. They're stiff in a breeze, too. Where I'm told that Hunters, for example, need to be reefed at around 15 knots or so, ODays (at least the ones I've been on) just laugh at this and go on their merry way. 15 to 20 knots of wind too much for you? Drop the traveler a bit to dump some air and furl the headsail a little. They sail just fine with a bit of heel. Also, and this was a big plus for me, despite the absence of any active manufacturing support, the ODay "afterguard" is extensive, strong and very supportive. Rudy Nickerson, former production guru at ODay, is still providing all kinds of parts, service and support from his company, D&R Marine in Massachusetts. And the owners' groups (web-based, primarily) are terrific. There's this web site, for starters, plus the SailNet ODay list-serv and the Yahoo ODay owners' group, to name a few. Bottom line? If you can get your hands on an ODay in good shape, for a good price, go for it. (Now, about my boat for sale. It's a 1988 272LE, which I sailed for six years. I'm selling her because I moved up to a 322. Alas for you, I'm on the East Coast and you're not. But if you do want more info, let me know.) Good luck in your boat shopping. Pete
I must like the ODays just fine -- I just bought my second one. (The first is still for sale -- more on that in a moment.) Without getting too bogged down in techie details, and without referring specifically to the 24 or 25, which I'm not personally familiar with, I can tell you what I've liked about the brand, and what prompted me to buy a second one. In general, I've been pleased with the quality of construction (allowing for the fact that we're talking about boats that are 15, 20 or more years old). Sure, there will be some signs of age, depending on the boat and the previous owners, but overall it's a solid boat. They're stiff in a breeze, too. Where I'm told that Hunters, for example, need to be reefed at around 15 knots or so, ODays (at least the ones I've been on) just laugh at this and go on their merry way. 15 to 20 knots of wind too much for you? Drop the traveler a bit to dump some air and furl the headsail a little. They sail just fine with a bit of heel. Also, and this was a big plus for me, despite the absence of any active manufacturing support, the ODay "afterguard" is extensive, strong and very supportive. Rudy Nickerson, former production guru at ODay, is still providing all kinds of parts, service and support from his company, D&R Marine in Massachusetts. And the owners' groups (web-based, primarily) are terrific. There's this web site, for starters, plus the SailNet ODay list-serv and the Yahoo ODay owners' group, to name a few. Bottom line? If you can get your hands on an ODay in good shape, for a good price, go for it. (Now, about my boat for sale. It's a 1988 272LE, which I sailed for six years. I'm selling her because I moved up to a 322. Alas for you, I'm on the East Coast and you're not. But if you do want more info, let me know.) Good luck in your boat shopping. Pete
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