Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
 
 
 

Review of the Oday 26 by Dick Lemming

Year built 1984  
Location of boat South Lake Tahoe, CA  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 16-22 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2001  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, my wife and I like it very much. It is the largest and most comfortable boat we've owned (previous boats were a Venture 22 and Windrose 18) and can still be towed with my F-150 if we want to sail somewhere other than Lake Tahoe. The mast can be taken down by two people, which you can't do with a larger boat (or even some 25's I've seen.) The only other boat I would seriously consider is a wing-keel Catalina 25 which is newer (1987 and later) and more expensive.  
Gear that's been added The boat was in great shape when we bought it, we are the fourth owners. It already had a bimini top over the cockpit which is one of the best features, as we don't get fried by the sun, which can happen at 6300' elevation pretty quickly.It had a standard jib and a roller furling 130 genoa, but no roller furler, so we added a CDI furler this year. The old Johnson 9.9hp two-stroke isn't allowed on this lake, so we replaced it with a 5hp Nissan four-stroke which is working out fine. We have a cruising spinaker which we've only flown once, because we tend to only go sailing when the wind is strong enough to produce whitecaps.  
Structural or complex improvements No, we like it just the way it is!  
The boat's best features We like her lines, the 5'81/2" head height (we are both 5'9"), the roomy cabin, the nice sized cockpit, the enclosed head, and the bimini cockpit cover. The shoal keel with center board design has allowed us to get in and out of a shallow channel leading to the marina when others couldn't.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. No problems yet, though I do think (as others have mentioned)that the tiller/rudder connection could be a weak point.  
Sailing characterisitcs We generally go out when there is a lot of wind. I like sailing at about a 20 degree heel on a beam reach or close reach, but gusts will take us over to about 35 degrees pretty fast, then she comes around into the wind and levels out. I can generally prevent this by being alert and letting off on the mainsail when the gusts hit. On a broad reach she is sweet! This boat, however, wanders quite a bit from any direction you point her- the tiller needs constant attention. She handles waves and power boat wakes well- even the wake of a large stern wheel river boat, used for tours to Emerald Bay, caused no problems- it was a fun ride!  
Motoring characterisitcs I have to motor for about half a mile in and out of the marina and channel each time I go sailing. The boat handles well and turns very quickly.  
Liveability We have not done an overnight, but for day trips it is fine. My wife has noted that there is a definite centerboard "klunk" that was not in our other boats (both swing keel models.) We think it is because of the lightness of the board compared with the other keels.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I bought it from a private individual over the internet, sight unseen! The boat was in Ohio and I was in California. He brought it to Aspen, Colorado on a ski trip, and I met him. It was just as he described, so he didn't have to take it back on his return trip! Isn't the internet great?!!!  
Other comments Appearance is comparable to newer models, but has beautiful classic lines. Not too heavy to move whith a standard full-size pickup if you need to (I drove it from Colorado to California with mine- no problem.) Nice to have something different than the standard Catalina 25's and 27's that are berthed all around me (though they are good boats too.)  

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 |