Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Mariner by Nate Bayreuther

Year built	1970
Location of boat	On a mooring in the Niantic River, CT
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	2007
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	In a heartbeat. I tried restoring one when I was a teenager, but other interests got in the way, so I gave it to someone else. I had been missing one ever since, and this year (ten years later) presented the opportunity to get another one. I was looking for a centerboard 2 2 model with a forward hatch. This one fit the bill. I bought it privately (no broker).
Gear that's been added	The only "gear" added was a porta-potti and a couple other non-essentials.
Structural or complex improvements	Mainly just upgrades:- Replaced aluminum rudder cheeks with G-10- New Harken jib sheet tracks/blocks- New Dwyer mast with new hardware including hinged mast-step plate- New cabin mildew-resistant paint- New cabin and cockpit cushions from Stuart Marine- Set of almost-new North sails (2004)- New Harken mainsheet blocks- New motor mount backed by G-10- All new standing and running riggingI'm also in the process of running the main and jib halyards on the cabin top around the hatch back to the cockpit using a Harken deck organizer and a Spinlock double rope clutch. This should make life a little easier sailing solo.
The boat's best features	- Large cockpit (fits four comfortably)- Small cabin (perfect for overnighters)- It has really nice lines to it. The sheer has a very pleasant curve - it's simply nice to look at.- It's small enough so that when you need to take it in or out of the water, it isn't a big project. This comes in handy espcially if you keep it on a trailer.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	- The setup for the cockpit drain hoses is poorly designed. You really have to force a severe "S" bend in the hoses to connect the thru-hull fittings.- The mainsail gets hung up on the backstay if it's hoisted all the way up. I find I need to back it off about two inches to eliminate the problem. I'm not sure if this is a design issue with the way it's rigged or the sail itself.- At some point I need to replace the flotation in the forward and quarter berths - it's soaking wet. I'm not sure why, but I plan on removing the tops of them and addressing the issue this winter.
Sailing characterisitcs	- If it's really blowing, the boat will want to round up into the wind before there's any chance of a capsize. - It's pretty darn fast!- The helm is very responsive.
Motoring characterisitcs	I've only motored it a little with an old Evinrude 4 hp, and it does just fine.
Liveability	I find it to be an extremely comfortable boat, especially with cushions. There are plenty of places for storage, the V-berth and quarter berths are just right (I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'2"), and I'm looking forward to our first overnighter.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	No dealer or broker.
Other comments	It's comfortable, fast, safe and good when sailing solo. I couldn't be happier with the O'Day Mariner.

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