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Review of the Oday 240 by Charles Hall

Year built 1989  
Location of boat Gulfport, MS  
The boat is sailed on Bays, sounds, or protected salt water  
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 2002  
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again? Definitely. The boat had a little surface damage after one of our tropical storms and so I was able to get a very good deal. Quality boat with a lot of good features for the money. This is a sleek looking boat with traditional lines.  
Gear that's been added I have taken a lot of gear off of the boat. The previous owner had a lot of wiring that went nowhere and most of the installed electronics, VHF radio, depth finder, GPS, did not work. Since I plan to do coastal sailing, I have decided to use hand held VHF and GPS. I have added a 100% jib and really love the way that the boat performs with the smaller jib. I know that I will be using the Genoa when the light summer winds start. I removed the nonfunctional roller reefing for the jib and now have hanked on sails, not much more work on a small boat and reliable. Bottom job, tuned the mast, new toilet.  
Structural or complex improvements No complex improvements. All of the basics seem to work well. I had to do some fiberglass repair of the tiller. That is about it.  
The boat's best features Light,fast, handles the chop well, comes about very easily. This is a very easy boat to solo. I love the wing keel, there is a lot of shallow water on the Mississippi coast and the wing gives me access to a lot more places. We sail to the barrier islands and would be anchoring way off if it were not for the wing. The cabin is nice, my wife likes the enclosed toilet. The alcohol stove and small kitchen is well placed for easy access to the cockpit. The cockpit is large for this size boat. The cut away section in the stern makes it easy to use the outboard and tiller at the same time.  
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc. No real problems to date. The old toilet was a mess and I replaced it with a portable one.  
Sailing characterisitcs I love to sail this boat. Simple sail plan with good performance on all points of sail. If my GPS is to be believed, I am routinely getting better than 6 mph in light to moderate winds with the standard jib. Boat balances well with just a little lee helm. She tacks well. I have found that with the wing keel the boat gains stability as speed increases which makes the boat handle like she has more ballast than the 1200 lbs she carries. Stongest winds have been 20 - 25, with reefed main and standard jib the boat was very stable.  
Motoring characterisitcs Bought the boat with an old 8 hp Honda. This motor has a short shaft and it is easy to break the surface in the waves. Boat will travel at hull speed with this motor in calm weather. Steering is easy and boat is quite manueverable in tight quarters. I am about to purchase a long shaft outboard, maybe a 2 cycle to save on weight since I do not have to motor very far to get to good sailing.  
Liveability Nice cabin, plenty of storage room under the cockpit. Good ventilation. Sleeping arrangements would be for an occasional overnight trip with two below and two in the cockpit. As mentioned before, the enclosed head provides unexpected privacy for a boat this size. I replaced all of the cushions, cabin and cockpit. Cabin roof height is ok if you are under six feet. Stove, sink, and table are well placed and functional.  
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any) [builder]  
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any I had a great dealer but a bad experience with the boat surveyor. The surveyor either had not done many sailboats or he was just lazy, but he sure missed a lot of important things and was not nearly as informative as I would have expected. Next time, I will be more selective or I will self survey.  
Other comments Quality boat for a good price. When the boat was hauled for inspection there were only two small blisters. Boat does not leak anywhere. As for the wing keel, I have run aground twice and had no problem backing off with the outboard. I have heard a lot of horror stories about the wing keel but I must say that I am impressed with sailing performance and running aground has not ended in disaster. I would like to see more comments on this boat. I don't think that very many 240s were built, so it is hard to find other owners.  

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