Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Outlaw by Robert Martinez

Year built	1969
Location of boat	Lake Grapevine, Texas
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2000
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Definitely. I love the classic lines and it sails very well.
Gear that's been added	Added the usual AM/FM, speakers, etc. I shopped for a Jensen with an aux input so I could rum my iPod. Its like having about 400 cds onboard.
Structural or complex improvements	Like others, I had to enlarge the motor well to fit a modern outboard. I made it large enough to take a Honda 8 horse, four stroke. I also added a forward looking opening portlight to get some additional ventilation. I am currently refitting it, so I have some structural improvements in the design stage. I am enlarging the rudder to see if I can get it to track better and I am considering fabricating a radar arch primarily to use as a boom crutch and base for a bimini top. This will likely require some thinking about the boom clearance, so more on that may follow.
The boat's best features	The design, including the classic stern and hidden outboard. The large cockpit is great for visiting and lounging about.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	As mentioned about, the boat does not track well. It tends to round up regardless of how I trim the sails. Of course, weather helm is better than the opposite, but even with a Davis Tiller Tamer, I can't leave the helm long enough to open a beer before I go into chains. An old salt looked at my rudder and said it would help to reshape and enlarge it. We'll see.
Sailing characterisitcs	Very forgiving and overall a great sail in light to moderate winds. An absolute thrill in heavy air.
Motoring characterisitcs	I agree with the comments about having to use the outboard tiller to get hard over, but otherwise typical of sailboats this size.
Liveability	Adequate. It was designed before the questionable belief that anything over 24' had to have standing headroom. When you're below, you're usually ready to lay down or at least sit, so the tradeoffs to get that headroom need to be examined.
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 a loving previous owner.
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