Oday Owner Reviews

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Review of the Oday 25 by Dave Smith

Year built 1976  
Location of boat Milwaukee  
The boat is sailed on The Great Lakes  
How the boat is used Weekends and longer  
Normal wind strength 10-15 knots  
Average size of crew 2-4  
Liveaboard? No  
Owner bought the boat in 1998  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Yes; Every Sailboat is a compromise to some extent and this one is no exception, but it is a set of compromises that works well for the type of sailing I do. Oday 25 is a good strong boat, and they seem to be a good value for a used boat  
Gear that's been added Nothing substantial except for the CDI roller furler. I agree that a good improvement would be to get that heavy outboard off the end of the boat, but all in good time...  
Structural or complex improvements Nothing substantial, just the normal rebedding of deck mounted hardware, and I always use large fender washers to spread the load when I reinstall. Some of the areas on the deck are soft. One in particular is the forward hatch, so we cut out the soft section and put in a round fixed lite. Nice to have more natural light in the fore areas. Rewired the whole boat, being a 25 it wasn't a bad a project. Some of the factory wiring was not routed well, and was subject to chafe and shorts so we just started over.  
The boat's best features Ability to trailer; it saves me alot of money in launch and storage fees. It's big enough to spend a weekend with your favorite somebody, and maybe a kid or two. It's a good size for singlehanding and is well set-up for that. 36 in draft is nice for beaching the boat and wading in to shore.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. Sometimes I wish the boat was less tender. It wants you to shorten sail sooner than some other boats. When it's over 20-25 knots and there's a good chop, you will wish you had a bit more power. So far no problems with the centerboard.  
Sailing characterisitcs As mentioned above, it is a bit tender. That is a price of a trailer sailer. If I had a different keel then I'd have something different to complain about. Also does not point well. I think it handles quite well otherwise, unless as stiff breeze kicks up a good chop; it does have trouble plowing through it.  
Motoring characterisitcs I wouldn't have anything less than a 9.9hp for a boat this size.  
Liveability It's what you'd expect for a 25. Can't quite stand up; I think it's about 5ft-6inch headroom.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any No comments.  
Other comments None beyond those above.  

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