Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 280 by Jim Sullivan

Year built 1990  
Location of boat Arizona  
The boat is sailed on Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength less than 10 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? A brief introduction is called for here. To the best of my knowledge the O’day name with their other trade name (Cal) along with the molds and other assets was acquired by Pearson Yachts in 1986. The O’day 280 built in 1987 to 1991 evolved (Bill Shaw dunnit) as a hybrid, from the O’day 272 hull but having a hull liner grafted from the Pearson 27 and more or less using the Pearson interior. The head is to starboard aft and the galley is to port as is the aft quarter berth. No nav station is to be found on this model. It also had a 12 hp Westerbeke inboard and full binnacle mounted instrumentation as standard equipment. Absence of bulkheads inside leaves an open interior and gives the appearance of roominess. Ours is Hull number 33, built in 1990 and has the hull and rigging just like the 272LE, i.e.. LOA, LWL, Disp, ballast (wing keel) and IJPE are all consistent with the O’day272LE. Finally, the title is for a Pearson sailboat, the logo on the side of the boat says O’day 280 and the mainsail says O’day 272. If you are not too confused by now... Given the same circumstances of price, budget, relative value, etc.. Yes I would buy it again.  
Gear that's been added Whisker pole 7/17 ft. with mast track and pad eye, propane 2 burner cooktop. We made fairleads and put the roler furling string up on the stanchions to make the deck safer to walk on. The boom vang was absent. We installed a 4 to 1 vang suitable for preventer use.  
Structural or complex improvements None  
The boat's best features Ease of handling and acceptable performance under sail as well as under power with some minor reservations. Hull designed with reasonably fine entry giving a nice ride in rough water. This trait is found on the O’day 34 as well. Better than average gelcoat resulting in less checking and cracking than has been observed on other boats of this era.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. A: Opening port latching mechanisms break easily and leak incessantly when it rains, and also leaks around the mast step. B: Being a former Catalina owner I can appreciate fore and aft lower shrouds, which along with backstay tension adjusters give considerable ability to control mast bend and mainsail shape. The O’day’s single lowers only are usful for holding the mast straight. This particular mainsail is somewhat difficult to hold draft in the forward half. Lots of cunningham downhaul helps somewhat but is not the cure.  
Sailing characterisitcs In an 8 to 10 knot wind she will sail close hauled at 5.2 knots plus using the 130% genoa and full main. The heel angle at this trim approaches a comfortable 25º and the helm remains in balance. To me this is very acceptable on a boat with 23 ft. LWL. We found that in a 12 to 15 second tack she maintains momentum quite well, and regains lost speed quickly as sails are retrimmed. Much lighter breezes will demand a gentler touch and longer tack time. We have experienced 6.3 knots (gps measured) sustained on a beam reach in 12 to 15 knots of wind. Once again this is acceptable and near her 6.4 knot hull speed. Off the wind with the genoa whiskered to the windward in clean air is her best downwind trim. About 30/40º above direct downwind returns nice speed. This boat returns good performance for effort, but will never be confused with a hot racing yacht.  
Motoring characterisitcs She is reluctant to swing stern to starboard in reverse so backing out of a slip can be a challenge. I usually take the easy way out and swing to port to find an easy place to turn about or backing all the way out to open water. Forward she is driven very easily and the 12 hp Westerbeke pushes her at hull speed with only about 2600 rpm with lots of reserve. Havn't had her in difficulty yet so can't comment further on this aspect.  
Liveability Any sort of camping out experience which lacks all the comforts of home must be viewed in its entirety as a trade off. In this case The sailing experience is well worth the relative discomfort of sitting at anchor or trying to sleep in such cramped quarters. Add in the pleasure of close friends and family and the fun is amplified tenfold.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any Looking objectively. Brokers are much like used car salesmen... If they don’t sell it they don’t get paid, so the prospective buyer should know he or she has to do their homework.  
Other comments In todays consumer driven marketplace, the O’day is one of the best buys, dollar for value, that can be obtained in a used sailboat. Any of the other boats like Catalina, Hunter in a size equivalent, which are still in production will cost considerably more to purchase.  

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