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Review of the Oday 240 by Tom Gellert

Year built 1988  
Location of boat Northport, NY  
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 solo  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 2004  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes, it is very comfortable and a well designed boat (especially for solo sailing).  
Gear that's been added A good sound system for music under sail. The boat came loaded.  
Structural or complex improvements None whatsoever.  
The boat's best features Easily sailed by 1 person. Points very well although the boat will want to come into the wind in real blows. She is comfortably appointed above and below deck. She will sail on her genny alone but I do like her more when both sails are humming.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. I don't much care for the strange lifeline system on this boat which forces one to board and exit over the transom (tough when jumping into the dinghy at mooring). Also her foredeck is steeply sloped which can present a bit of an adventure going forward. It's nice having an enclosed head but the marine toilet doesn't thrill me ... I may replace it with a porta-potti to save pumping out at the end of the season. The bow pulpit can interfere with the genny when she is completely unfurled ... this is easily remedied by not completely deploying the genny. Genny tracks need to be raised along the cockpit.  
Sailing characterisitcs Handles nimbly Points very well Needs little wind to propel her Can sail easily under genny or main alone Will heel in moderate wind and can easily hold tack OK in heavy chop (haven't had to reef yet)  
Motoring characterisitcs Great under my 9.9 4-stroke ... gets me in and out of the harbor quickly. I like the pass trough / self pailing cockpit.  
Liveability Could be cramped with more than 3-4 adults onboard. Galley is set up efficiently with good storage below deck.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Outstanding broker / buyer ... boat was brought up from Virginia to NY.  
Other comments There is unfortunately a poor review of this boat by Jeff Davis online (an undeserved bad rap IMHO). I think his experience is very different from mine. He claims he couldn't balance the boat under sail, I wholeheartedly disagree. The O'Day 240 may lack true "performance" qualities of let's say, the J24 and other racing boat / high performance boats in this size category. For cruising though I have found all the O'Days to be truly great. This is a very well made, bulletproof boat the likes of which are rarely seen today in the latest BIG $$ production boats. The only things I will probably add to my 240 is a Cruising Direct Gennaker with snuffer (to improve downwind performance) and probably (sooner than later) a new main as the original Neil Pryde main is pretty much sailed out. There were only 165 O'Day 240s built and they are rarely seen in large numbers. This boat deserves careful inspection if you are looking for good value and solid sailing performance. Her relatively small size and beautiful lines draw raves and I am especially pleased that I can solo in her without missing a crew.  

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