Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Mariner by Roy Alexander

Year built	1978
Location of boat	Bethlehem, PA
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes since back is only 2 months!
Gear that's been added	Ratchet block for the main. Auto Ratchet and cheek block zig zag system for the jib sheets.Working on having a new jib made.4:1 outhaul; 4:1 down haul.Very low stretch halyards.Clam cleats for halyards.Telescoping tiller extension.Working on refurbishing the interior adding cushions etc. Considering an anti drag seal for the centerboard slot.
Structural or complex improvements	Considering a 3' bow sprit to enable using a masthead light air genoa, actually to convert to a cutter rig for light air.The former owner made floor boards and a little pi bracket to brace the cockpit floor to the hull. this makes the cockpit much more solid feeling, not bouncy.I'm also considering adding an opening port in the cabin slopped roof.
The boat's best features	Anyway The self righting feature gives a lot of confidence! Also the CB winch is terrific. it is easy to raise and lower the board for trim on any point of sail! My old daysailer useCB used to stick in the slot making udjustment a chore.I like the large cockpit. It is about the same lenght as the daysailer but is about 1' wider and mich more comefortable. The cockpit drains are in the right place and work well when not clogged! The interior is well thought out but a little cramped. It is fine for daysailing, but my head hits the cabin roof when on the setee I'm only 5' -8" tall! It would not good for the altitude endowed! For storage it is GREAT. I think one would sacrifice too much in sailing if the cabin were made bigger.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Cockpit drains plug easily. I'm a little leary of th emast compression post. It is only a 1" diameter pipe!So far so good!
Sailing characterisitcs	I've only had her out twice!But I've had many boats over my 20 year sailing hobby. Oday daysailer, Chrysler Mutineer(16')Precision 23, Holder 17, Holder 14, AMC Puffer, I still have Hobie 17, Aquacat 12.5, and windrider 16.I sailed along in 20 MPH wind close hauled and was able to out poimt all the boats that were out that day. The jib tracks on the cabin roof allow for a very tight jib angle. Also the jib is small enough and the main could be sufficiently flattened that there was no backwinding of teh main from the jib and the main disnot seem overlty trimmed! I only eased up when water came in over the leeward combing! It was a blast! The combing and outer deck makes a great place to sit when it is heeled over hard. I never sailed a boat befor where it was comfortable to sail with the centerboard slot starting to come out of the water! I spent about 3 hours sailing her hard on both tacks. I also got her to almost plane on a broad reach. a little more wind, or perhaps a cover over the CB slot would do the trick! The Mariner is a very well mannered boat. Not as sluggish as some have indicated.I'll have more to say after a some more outings
Motoring characterisitcs	I've motored very little.In reverse water splashes over teh transome, but that is expected for a square sterned boat.It seems to move along just fimne with a Honda 2 hp.
Liveability	For some spartan weekenders it may be ok, but really any boat less than about 26' is too small for any serious "living"
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	[builder]
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	The dealer was selling on consignment. No problem. I could see the trailer was in bad shape. It couldn't stand the 30 mile trip home. a wheel bearing failed! I replaced the axle and springs. the basic frame was ok.
Other comments	Later

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