Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 31 by Earl Reese

Year built 1986  
Location of boat Hampton VA  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 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, definitely. It is a great handling boat, and very livable for two people.  
Gear that's been added So far: --Changed all running rigging --Changed out defunct alcohol stove/oven with a two burner non-pressurized alcohol stove, installed microwave under stove --Rebuilt toilet --Redid teak (really not much topsides!) --new Zodiac/motor --New barbeque grill --Handheld VHF --Handheld GPS --12V power receptacle --Cabin fans (12V) --Bruce anchor --Cockpit cushions Still to do: --city water inlet --engine compartment sound proofing  
Structural or complex improvements Split battery banks, dedicated switches with crossover switch  
The boat's best features The boat is extremely easy to sail, feels solid, points well. It has a very nice layout both below and topsides.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Nothing big, but if something happens, be ready to look around to find what you need. There are very few suppliers of O'Day parts. In particular, I had to replace an upper jaw from a self-tailing winch. The company (Barient) is out of business, but you can still parts thru a company in Australia. In spite of speaking English, they have an aversion to communication, so it took several attempts at ordering on-line, sending emails and finally a couple of phone calls to get what I needed.  
Sailing characterisitcs  
Motoring characterisitcs The 14 hp Universal is a little underpowered. I have strong tidal flow sometimes when leaving harbor entering the bay and could use a little more output.  
Liveability  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Boat purchased from Norton Yacht in Deltaville VA for a fair price. During the survey, it was discovered that the hull had about 300 dime-sized blisters. We were ready to walk away, but Norton's offered to a) Reduce the price enough to cover the cost of a new bottom, b) Allow us to take delivery and return the boat over the winter to get a new bottom, or c) leave it there and get a new bottom before taking delivery. We initially opted for c) but soon realized we were missing a lot of sailing so took delivery and returned the boat for winter workover. Norton's did a great job, and we had the opportunity to work over the winter cleaning, fixing, and painting. I have nothing but good to say about Carolyn and Ken at Norton's - they are top-notch.  
Other comments  

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