Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 26 by Chuck Clauser

Year built 1984  
Location of boat Delran, NJ  
The boat is sailed on Rivers  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2002  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? I believe I would. I purchased it from Winter's Sailing Center in Delran, and paid a very fair price. This is our first boat, having leased a C  
Gear that's been added New CDI roller furling and North Sails 140% Genoa from Cruising Direct; a Raymarine ST-40 depth/speed unit; an Icom M-402 VHF; new halyards; main run to cockpit. Installed new 48" genoa tracks and sliding blocks both sides. Built new hatchboards from the mahogany plywood, trimmed with solid mahogany around the perimeters. replaced all hinges inside  
Structural or complex improvements The starboard bulkhead was rotted from a leaking chainplate, which also damaged the Head vanity counter and cabinet. I replaced the bulkhead, cabinet and shelf with mahogany plywood, and installed a new Corian countertop. The new wood was glass-tabbed to the hull. Also installed a new 6 gallon holding tank for the toilet from the y-valve out, with all new vented hoses, deck clean-out, etc. Completely replaced the fresh water tank, hoses, fittings, pumps, etc. Added a new raw water strainer and Racor 215R fuel/water separator, with all new hoses. Replaced the house battery with a new Group 27 battery. Made new screens for the opening portlights.  
The boat's best features Good lines, to start with. The boat appears larger than many 26's. The cockpit is roomy, which is good for local sailing, but not for heavy weather sailing (this is not an off-shore boat).The interior is spacious for this size boat, and comfortable. It's laid out like a higher quality boat, but lacks the construction detailing (which is fine. At under 10 grand, we're entirely satisfied). Their's sufficient deck space forward, but the shrouds impede walking a bit. There's a cockpit seat hatch that takes you to the engine compartment for great access to the engine, shaft, fuel tank  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. First, the tiller/rudder connection is weak. Although the tiller attaches with 2 bolts to the steel head plate, there is only 1 bolt to the rudder. Definetly under-designed. The simple pintles  
Sailing characterisitcs With the new 140% Genoa, the sail power is very good. We hit 6.3 knots on a steady 10-12 knots of wind last weekend. With the relatively short keel, the boat tends to wander a bit in rolling water, which requires attention to the tiller. With the board down, the heeling tendency is dampened somewhat, but not by a great degree. The boat is remarkable in how close to the wind she sails, which we didn't expect. I'd estimate 35-40 degrees or so. The boat turns on a dime with that wide chord rudder, but the tighter the turn, the more forward energy is lost. Still, with wind, she accellerates fairly quickly. The boat is initially tender with good wind, but stops heeling and remains steady. Weather helm is manageable, but I don't want to press it with that weak tiller/rudder connection.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Yanmar single-lunger is simple, reliable and adequate for most conditions (it sounds like Bogart's African Queen). The single-lever engine control is fine, and adjustable if necessary. I think the engine would be challenged under heavy weather. For our river sailing, though, it's been terrific. With a relatively small prop, it takes a small bite of water, but having an inboard is a benefit to fooling with an outboard. The boat swings slowly to port while backing, depending on RPM's, of course. The engine sips fuel; the manual states 0.10 gallon per hour of consumption at 2000 RPM. We operate it on average less than that. I think the tank is at least 14 gallons (need to do a calculation of volume).  
Liveability For two for a weekend it's fine, even add a child or two, but that's it. Storage space is limited. The settees are comfortable, and with the bulkhead-mounted table out of the way, there's plenty of deck area. Nice to have an enclosed, useable head with sink and cabinets. The galley area is nice, but minimal, with very limited storage. We have not overnighted yet, but I think it would work out well. The interior accommodations for a boat in this category are good, compared to others I've seen. It has a "big boat" look and feel to it, and guests love it. There are ceiling lights in all areas. Would like to have additional opening ports, though.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Couldn't have been better. I bought it out of dealer brokerage, from Winter's Sailing Center in Delran, NJ, and was treated very fairly in every respect. I looked it over carefully, so I knew about the rotted bulkhead and a few other small issues, but the boat was intrinsically very good to begin with. I had it surveyed, which I would recommend for anyone purchasing a vessel. Winter's used to be an O'day dealer, so their people are familiar with the entire line. Today they represent Beneteau, Catalina and Com-Pac.  
Other comments It's a pretty darn good little boat, that looks very good, is accommodating outside and inside, is comfortable, sails fairly well, and won't break the bank with maintenance. In our marina we have O'days of all sizes and years, so one can see the particulars of many types. The '80's vintage 28's to 34's offer a lot of boat for the money, with larger diesels and wheel steering. I personally don't care for the 3-digit models, in layout or hullform. Considering the market niche O'days were designed for, they're good at what they do. We'll keep ours for a few years at least.  

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