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Review of the Oday 23 by Bill Newbold

Year built 1979  
Location of boat Detroit River/Lake St Clair  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Day sailing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1990  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes. Easy to sail, easy to take care of. Very inexpensive to own. Fun.  
Gear that's been added Set up for single-handling: Harken roller furling (150 genoa and jib),main halyard and jiffy reefing lines carried aft through rope clutches to Lewmar #6 winch on port cabin top. Previous owner installed Tiller Master auto pilot. Replaced electric panel, rewired mast and added Windex light, anchor light, and spreader light. Added AM-FM radio and VHF Replaced original two burner stove with Origo two burner stove. Added block on stern pulpit to help raise outboard.  
Structural or complex improvements Epoxied bottom with five costs of VC-Tar. No blisters. Replaced delaminated companionway boards with lexan.  
The boat's best features Very easy to sail. Very forgiving. Tends to round-up into the wind which seems safer. Easy to balance so you don't have to fight with the rudder (unlike a friend's Catalina 30). Reasonably fast with 150 genoa. Gel coat finish on hull is still glossy and look much newer than other 1979 boats. Large cokpit is great for daysailing with friends.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Port-side lazerette hinges work loose. Plastic edging (and vinyl wood grain on it) pulls away from the plywood panels they attach to. Needed to remove and re-install the bow-eye with a new backing block (in 2001). The old backing block rotted away. It seemed the drain from anchor locker was just pressed into the old block and the exit hole in the hull and held by caulking. I installed a plastic fitting through the hull to prevent a repeat problem.  
Sailing characterisitcs Boat is tender, but feels safe even at high heel angles. Performance is good with 150 Genoa. Tacks well, but doesn't point up as well as I'd like, making tacking up-river a very long process. Very responsive to the tiller, very easy to balance. In steady winds the boat will track straight with no one at the tiller. Cockpit is comfortable. Boat moves up and down a lot in rough water (wakes etc.) Loses a lot of momentum when going through a wake.  
Motoring characterisitcs A 9.9 HP outboard easily moves the boat at hull speed in smooth water and has enough power to maintain a reasonable speed toward the weather when it windy and rough. Control under power is good. However, backing out of the slip requires turning the motor as well as the tiller. This provides very good control in close quarters. Boat is very sensitive to crosswinds, especially when backing. Leaving the centerboard down during docking helps a lot.  
Liveability Very comfortable to overnight in for two adults and a child. Not very much storage space in the cabin. Boat has flexible holding tank under V-berth. Odor can be a problem. Drain fitting for sink fell off when sliding the sink in and out. Replaced it with with a copper elbow and haven't had any more problems. Bunks in main cabin are very comfortable. Ability to close door between main cabins and the head is a nice feature on a boat this small.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Purchased in 1990 from a broker who was an O-day and Hunter dealer. Broker was very helpful had a variety of boats available both on land and in the water. Let us test sail a couple. Loaned us a hand-held VHF radio for the test sail.  
Other comments Makes a great first boat for someone. Easy to sail, easy to maintain. Seems solid, no structural defects in 20 years. Looks/feels like a bigger boat.  

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