Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
 
 
 

Review of the Oday 26 by Lou Roof

Year built 1986  
Location of boat NC  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength less than 10 knots  
Average size of crew 6  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2000  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, after four years with the boat there is no doubt about it. The ODay is our first sailboat after 40 years of ski boats. Looked at everything that came on the local market in the 22' - 26' range for several years and have had no regrets about the 26 ODay being the right boat for our needs. A very forgiving and comfortable boat easily handled solo that has made learning to sail a joy. And when you compare to the price of a good used 26 O Day to the price of a new comparable, its a fantastic value.  
Gear that's been added Refinished the trim work, replaced the original companionway boards, and redid the bottom. Also replaced the original aging Chrysler 9hp with a new electric start Nissan 9.9 the first year. The rudder had just been replaced and everything else was in fantastic condition, including the sails and interior cushions etc.. Boat is quite well equipped for daysailing on inland lkes since it came from Lake Michigian and was pretty well set up by the previous owner for big water sailing.  
Structural or complex improvements Have not had any serious problems. From what I have read I keep a close eye on the chainplates for leaks and signs of water damage to the plywood bulkhead. One of the other boats I looked at was another ODay 26 and main reason I passed on it was because they had done some jury rigging on the bulkhead attachment of the chainplates because of water damage and soft spots in the plywood.  
The boat's best features Big enough to provide the comfort and stability that a new sailing family appreciates, with lots of freeboard, yet small enough to easily be solo sailed by a novice. We sail across shallows with our 30" draft that others must give wide berth to. Really like the spacious feeling of the cabin, and have come to appreicate the good job ODay did of providing textured surface on the decks. Wouldn't leave home without the roller furling.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I'm not an authority on the subject, but the rigging does look a little light for the size of the boat, but have had no indication of any problem. I don't like the loose feel of the tiller. Attachment to the rudder looks like it could be easily improved upon, and I may pursue making something to spread the load out and get a more solid feel. Another item that has my attention is the hose used for a housing for the centerboard lift line. It looks like a concealed leak opportunity. Also, I had to bulk up the pullout bed in the main cabin, it was a little light for me. But I'm nitpicking, overall the boat has performed great.  
Sailing characterisitcs Typical wind on the inland lakes we sail is light and variable (8-15) with constant shifts in direction and veolocity. Occasional days of very strong winds (20+) tend to keep us in. We leave the genoa on the furler all the time. Dont' like the way the boat sails with the smaller (but newer) jib. In frequent chance encounters with popular new boats of this size the ODay gives no quarter in looks or performance.  
Motoring characterisitcs Replaced the original Chrysler with a Nissan electric start 9.9 and have been extremely pleased with it. Pushes the boat at low throttle very well, but I like the reserve to get off the lake in a hurry if a thunderstorm appears out of nowhere. I especially appreciate the outboard when docking in tight quarters. Had straight inboard powerboats long enough to know what a challenge it would be to horse a 26'boat into our slip without the outboards abiltiy to pivot the boat.  
Liveability We seldom overnite, but on the few occassions we have the pullout bed in the main cabin is very handy. The V bunks are not for 6'3" folks. The headroom and comfortable lounge is a real plus, and the privacy of the head is appreciated by our quests. We looked at several 22'-24' alternatives and have been really glad we went for the bigger ODay. Its a lot friendlier to non boating guests than the smaller boats would have been.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Found the boat on the internet and bought from the 2nd owner, with no problems. Did look at lots of other boats first, and really reccomend that you shop a lot if its your first sailboat, since shopping was a real learning experinece. I arranged to have a professional boat moving service pull our boat the 75 miles to its new home. It has a custom trailer, but was too much for our vehicles to tackle. Besides, the first time you see it on the trailer its pretty imposing. We also had a mover pull it when we moved it to North Carolina from Wisconsin last fall.  
Other comments We have been very happy with the ODay and can honestly recomend it as a first sailboat for someone who wants to start with a larger boat. After four years we still love the boat, and have no real desire to "upgrade" to a newer or bigger boat. If I had it to do over think I would have a professional survey the boat before buying, we were fortunate (lucky?), no problems, but there are lots of issues below the radar screen of the novice that could have bitten us.  

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 |