Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Daysailer by John Rosser

Year built	1983
Location of boat	Jersey shore.
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2000
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. It has been a fairly satisfactory boat for single-handed sailing in 5-10 kt. winds. It does fairly well up to 15-18 kt. wind, but the large main becomes more difficult to handle.
Gear that's been added	Tiller extension.
Structural or complex improvements	No.
The boat's best features	The fairly large cockpit, the light hull weight and good stability.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I usually replace one spreader per year due to breakage. I have not had the swing keel leakage problems some experience even though the boat is in the water for the full sailing season.
Sailing characterisitcs	For single-handed sailing, the primary problem is jib sheet handling and the center mainsheet location. The boat does not handle well without the jib. I use a tiller extension to get to the jib sheet. Jibing must be done carefully. An unexpected jibe can be disasterous.
Motoring characterisitcs	Despite having to moor at a dock, I've never felt the need for a motor.
Liveability	The cockpit is roomy, but newer designs, such as the Hunter, have a deeper cockpit which I would prefer.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	[builder]
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased from original owner.
Other comments	This boat was great in its day, but newer designs are beginning to be more appealing.

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