Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Daysailer by Roy Alexander

Year built	1972
Location of boat	Bethlehem, PA
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
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	1991
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. I was moving from a very tender Chrysler Mutineer. The mutineer was faster etc., but not good for skiddish passengers. the boat is more versital.
Gear that's been added	jiffy reefing, portable running lights, changed to mid boom sheeting with Harken hexa ratchet. moved the jib tracks from the seat back onto the deck (outside the combing) and addedratched blocks and then cheek blocks on the cuddy roof with camcleats on the edge of the cuddy roof(so The jib lines run in a bit of a zig zag, but it keeps them out of the cockpit and makes it easy to reach solo. I purchased over size sails from a Brent Benson a local sailmaker Jib is about 55 square feet and main is huge with a very large roach 120 square feet. so it is about 20% more sail area than standard. She really goes! I need a reef for winds above 15kts (when solo)
Structural or complex improvements	Fixed a big hole on the outer corner of the centerboard slot. used about 8 layers of glassAlso put big gasketed washers on centerboard pin to stop the leaks (it works) boat can sit a week in water and only take on about small spongefull!
The boat's best features	Stability, predictability, and very secure when on a plane. Once on top of the water it is rock stable. The large cockpit is great and the huge cuddy is super for storage! it is a well mannered competent boat. the forward freeboard is enough to take on reasonable seas. the combing is well designed. When on a 30 degree heel sitting outside the coming on the windward side is very secure with no need for hiking straps.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	So far the worst thing is the centeboard gets stuck in the trunk. When I got yhre boat the wires that raise and lower teh board had to be replaced. that little steel sheave was useless.I can get teh board up with a firm continuous yank. but wo is one if it stops too soon. getting the board down is terrible, I poke it down with a steel rod through a hole in the top of the CB trunk. this is literally a 3 -5 minute procedure. all my weifht isn't enough I have to jump on it. I have sanded on the CB to little avail! if you get some seaweed in the CB trunk! then it is amost impossible to lower the board.
Sailing characterisitcs	Boat ponts very well and turns immediately. It comes about withease and is very well mannered.only once I took water over teh leeward side but never capsized. one has to be careful on small alkes as teh wind swirles and puffs. it can go from zero to 25 kts in 1 second. It actually is easier to hadle with another person on board and I've had my best planing with a passenger.I have a hobie 17 (the sports car) and a windrider (ultra safe) I probably use the daysailer the most since it is most versitile.I can set up and tear down 20 minutes each.The other boats are a project! Hobbie is 1hr at each end! windrider abour 40 min.
Motoring characterisitcs	In 14 years I've been almost a purist. It paddles fairly well with a 6' canoe paddle. I'm considering a 2 hp for "emergencies" I've never had to paddle more than about a mile.
Liveability	That doesn't exist! in mild conditions kids can lay out on the fordeck and be at peace.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	[builder]
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	It was pretty tame. It was a 21 year old boat with numerous owners and they were "unloading" it for $1000.
Other comments	That hull design has been around since 1948. many were made. (15k - 20k??) It has stood the test of time. The fiberglass is still solid (the Chrysler ,a 1975, was starting to delaminate and get spongey). this is high quality construction, very solid.Grace To you and Peace!

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