Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
 
 
 

Review of the Oday 322 by Bill Rapf

Year built 1988  
Location of boat Portsmouth NH  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Multi-week coastal cruising  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1988  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, it is a marvelous boat. It's large for a 32 footer and comfortable for cruising. Initially I raced the boat a lot. I upgraded a lot of gear and won more of my share of PHRF races including the New England Championships. My wife never liked the raced version with light anchors and no extra stuff, so I have bought a J-24 for racing and we have equiped the O'day for comfortable cruising.  
Gear that's been added I have added several items for comfort. Refrigeration off the engine, fan in the aft cabin, radar, gps, and full instrumentation, Spinnaker pole and rigging, genoa turning blocks, additional cabin top winches, solid boom vang, autopilot, cockpit table, cushions, dodger and binimi. Replaced the two blade prop with a folding prop and picked up over a knot of speed. On my wish list is a windless to haul the anchor.  
Structural or complex improvements The keel bolts are a concern. I torque them every season after hearing stories of the keels falling off. I have faired the keel and rudder and put a barrier coat on the bottom.  
The boat's best features Interior layout, room, pressurized hot/cold water with 60 gals of storage. Comfortable, relatively fast in all but very light airs. Easy to sail short handed. Good in heavy weather with shortened sail. Not so good in steep chop. My wife likes the galley layout. Practical and efficient. Nav Station is nicely configured as well. Aft head is convenient and well appointed. Could use more ventalation in head and in quarterberth. Yanmar engine is very reliable and runs forever on a gallon of fuel. With the folding prop, I could use a bit more power or higher rpm when running against a stiff current or strong head wind.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I haven't had any major problems. I've replaced little things like the sump pump and Vhf radio just to upgrade to better equipment. Installed adjusting lines on traveler and put a backstay adjuster on to improve performance for racing but would be necessary for cruising.  
Sailing characterisitcs I've sailed the boat in all weather. It handles like a charm in relatively calm seas 5-15 knots. In very light airs it is sluggish and though handling well in heavy air (+20) when the seas get rough it tends to plow. I've sailed in 40 knots and as long as I have reduced sail, felt perfectly at ease. She's easy and a joy to sail even single handed.  
Motoring characterisitcs Motor runs great and is very reliable. With a folding 2 bladed prop, reverse doesn't have a lot of thrust and forward speed tops out at about 6 knots in calm water, less in chop or with headwind.  
Liveability With refrigeration, we can live on out boat for weeks at a time without ever going to shore. She's comfortable, roomy for a 32 footer and well laid out. We usually spend a lot of time on the boat during the summers coastal cruising the Maine coast with nightly stops in out of the way harbors. We've added screening to the cabin hatches and companion way hatches to keep the mosquito's out.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any We bought new from a dealer just months before O'Day went out of business. Because of the quality of the boat, we have never had call to go back. the dealer treated us fairly and delivered the boat in great shape ready to go.  
Other comments The only boat we have seen that we like as much is the new Saber 36. It's a larger version of 322, but at its sticker price it will likely remain out of reach. If you have one that you'd like to almost give away or trade for a O'Day322, contact us at the email below.  

Contact
About
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Limited Liability
Advertise Here
Copyright 1997-2024 SB Owners, LLC
All rights reserved.

OdayOwners.com is not endorsed by or affiliated with any sailboat manufacturer.

Other Sailboat Owners web sites:
CatalinaOwners.com | HunterOwners.com | MacgregorOwners.com | OdayOwners.com | SailboatOwners.com | 10,000 Boat Names |