Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 23 by Paul Berman

Year built 1978  
Location of boat Lake Pepin, MN (Mississippi River)  
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? Yes. It is a great little boat to get started with. I would love to have a bigger boat, but it isn't very practical living in the Midwest.  
Gear that's been added Not really.  
Structural or complex improvements Previous owner took out the centerboard.  
The boat's best features Easy to sail. Solid construction. Shallow draft. Having the head behind the bulkhead with the closing door is nice on a 23' boat. Plenty of storage space for weekend cruising. Anchor locker helps keep the deck open. Plenty of space in the cockpit. Ample gunwales on a 23' boat is nice for going foward. Pull-out settee dowble berth is to port is nice.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Wish I had 6'+ of headroom. V-berth gets used for storage. Maybe kids could sleep up there but nobody else really could. Would have been better to use the space for storage and and a bigger head. No bridge deck. Wish I had reefing on the main sail. It heels quite a bit when wind is over 12 knots and gets a lot of weather helm.  
Sailing characterisitcs Lots of weather helm. Not a lot of initial stability but digs in around 15 degrees of heel. Can make firt-timers on the boat a little nervous though since the boat seems fairly small. Doesn't point real well without the center board. Performs fairly well for a 23' cruiser. Setup is not very good for single-handed sailing -- I would like to make some modifications.  
Motoring characterisitcs 7.5 HP outboard. Only on 25+ knot days has that motor been too weak to power the boat forward.  
Liveability Fine for daysailing and weekend cruises.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any  
Other comments Good boat for a great price. You can typically get them for less than $6,000 depending on age and equipment. Just make sure you are not planning on doing any blue water cruising. Good Old Boat has a story on the O'Day 23 in their December 2003 issue. Check it out.  

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