Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 31 by Jaime Pando

Year built 1985  
Location of boat Little River, South Carolina  
The boat is sailed on Open ocean  
How the boat is used Racing  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2006  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? yes, it has been a good boat, I have learned a lot in this boat, and a natural progress is the desire to move up in size and features.  
Gear that's been added I have replace the main winches to Harken self tailers, added 2 cabin top same type smaller ones, brought all lines to the cockpit through spinlock clutches, replaced the traveler with a Harken line adjustable. Added a Neil Pryde Main Sail Lazy bag. added a new bimini and dodger with a connector and plan to enclose the whole cockpit to be able to extend my sailing season. Replaced the VHF with a DSC radio with remote cockpit station. Added 2 racor filters to the fuel system. Reapholstered all the interior. Added 2 Day/Night solar ventilation fans. Added a second battery to the house bank, and replaced all batteries with Optima blue tops. Replaced genoa cars with Schaefer double line adjustable cars.  
Structural or complex improvements Installed Spartite system at the mast partners. Added a second fresh water tank and connected it to the main one, doubling the amount of water available . Had to replace the original keel bolts (406 stainless steel) with Stainless Steel 416, the original ones were corroded and one of them completely sheared off. Never leaked but after 25 years on the water I decided to drop the keel for inspection and I am glad I did. Not cheap, but a lot cheaper than to having the keel come off while underway miles offshore.  
The boat's best features Good amounts of space below decks. Strongly built, fit and finish is appropiate for the type and age of boat, but nothing fancy. Good sailing/cruising boat, not a racer per se, but still holds it's own when trimmed correctly. Simple to mantain and operate. Great Family pocket cruiser.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. The engine has been very reliable, but under powered, it can use another 10 HP, specially if you are pushing big surf and wind. Fit and finish is not the best. I have to constantly work on small deck leaks here and there, nothing major, but annoying.  
Sailing characterisitcs Not too terribly tender, it holds well to a good breeze. Points well for his vintage, if trimmed correctly, not a lot of weather helm. Reaches really well, on a run you must be patient to find the groove, but once found, and balanced, you can make good time. I can reach hull speed on anything over 13 to 15 kts of breeze.  
Motoring characterisitcs The Universal M-18 is extremely reliable, but a bit under powered. The boat is fitted with a 3 blade fix prop. I can reach hull speed when pushed and it cruses at 5.5 to 5.8 kts. at 2400 RPM. Quiet and smooth for a 2 cyl. diesel. Great economy, ussually do not burn more than 30 gallons a year, and I go out at least 40 week ends every year. We motor an average of 2.5 hours every time.  
Liveability never lived aboard, only a week at a time, but has good space. A bit short of storage for long cruises and as a liveaboard it would be my opinion  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) Never dealt directly with the manufacturer. they were out of business when I bought the boat, but there is plenty of parts around to make what you need.  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any always bought from individuals  
Other comments Good all around family boat. Great coastal cruiser and pretty good around the bouys. They sell for a lot less than they are worth in my opinion. Great value for the money you pay for them. If you mantein them well, they should not give you any problems.  

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