Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997
Contact us
 
 
 

Review of the Oday 25 by Dick Straubel

Year built 1976  
Location of boat Ephraim, WI  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2001  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. Trailer and jin pole mast raising system save me $ on yard bills. Boat has lots of room. Internal ballast and shoal draft keel make a safe boat.  
Gear that's been added  
Structural or complex improvements New motor mount. Made wooden insert pieces for main cabin to support a double berth. We use two pieces of 2' x 8' x 6" high density foam (which also fit in the back of our van)and place them from side to side across the front of the main cabin. The forward piece is up against the forward cabin bulkhead. I am 6'3" tall and weight 250 lbs -- thank the god of the sea that I can finally stretch out on a comfortable bed and sleep like a baby on a boat. Replaced the 5/32 rigging wire with 3/16 wire. Rigger said I increased the strength of the rig by 30%. Also deleted the triangular stainless plate that served to attach jin pole lines to the stays. The triangular plate kept snagging the jib sheets. I simply replaced it with a stainless spacing bar and now tie off the jin pole lines in the toggle jaw at the top of the spacer bar. Works great.  
The boat's best features Space -- I am big and have had my fill of squeezing into small cabin spaces. Internal ballast/shoal draft keep are safe. Have friend with swing keel boat that have serious trouble. Catalina 25 next to mine at the dock sank at the dock because of structural issues related to the swing keel hinge pin. Swing keel boats often create a perception of saftety because the are stiffer, but that perception is flawed. When swing keels fail, it can be disaster. For sure not safe. O'Day internal ballast may not have initial stability, but it is very safe and foolproof.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Rudder needed to be dried out and reglassed. Transom is weak. I wish the boat had double split lower stays on the mast. Split lowers stabilize the mid point of the mast to minimize high wind vibration and mast bucking. Split lowers also act as backup back and headstays to support mast. More ballast would be good. I have added several hundred lbs of lead shot in bags in the bilge. Helps.  
Sailing characterisitcs Boat is fast and responsive, though initially a little tender. I stow as much stuff up forward to keep the bow down. With bow down boat is much faster. Boat sails with either the jib alone or the main alone -- just have to adjust the board to achieve a better balanced helm.  
Motoring characterisitcs Boat is easilly driven. Motor sailing off the wind in light wind is very efficient. A little motor in such conditions translates into excellent speed. The high freeboard on the boat creates windage problems. When coming into the dock, side winds can create side drift problems. I am getting good at using "Kentucky windage" when coming into the slip. I do not try to motor into large head seas -- esp. short steep head seas. Boat takes a beating and motor cavitation occurs. Instead, I find a calm harbor and drink beer.  
Liveability Big -- I need that. The double bed we made for the main cabin was an excellent addition. It's position across the front of the main cabin makes it tough to get to the head, but all things considered, it is worth the trouble.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any  
Other comments The interior space, independece provided by the trailer, and the internal ballast/centerboard settup are the best. Very safe and cost effective.  

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 |