Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Mariner by Paul Sheppard

Year built	1965
Location of boat	Lake Champlain, Lapans Bay,St. Albans, V
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	1997
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Oh hell yeah!!! "Chance", named after our grandson, been a source of great joy for me and my family. The boat was actually built in 1963. Sail # 16. One of the oldest centerboard Mariners out there.
Gear that's been added	I added a compass and a depth sounder, that my grand kids call,"Fish TV", Electric bilge pump, piped directly into the CB trunk. Radio/CD player, need to up grade to one with a USB port next.
Structural or complex improvements	Had new Fore and Aft stays made up, just redid the rudder and tiller. replanked the cockpit deck with Alaskan yellow cedar. Made my own hatch out of mahogany and lexan, and this spring new mahogany coming rails. Completely gutted and remade the centerboard housing, on mine it's all made of wood, I have seen pictures of many Mariners, but none with a wooden CB trunk. Also when I first got it, I had to reinforce the cabin roof, the bow eye, and rewire the running lights. Closed in the cabin, and made removeable doors, for security, mostly to keep the damn neighborhood cats out during the winter storage.
The boat's best features	Her lines, classic! Shallow draft, trailerability, Goldilocks size, ease of sailibility, meaning, one person can handle it fine, large cockpit, fair sized cabin, I'm 6'4" and I can and have slept in the cabin as well as out on the cockpit benches, as I said, plenty of room, I usually sail with my wife and our 2 dogs, one golden lab and a shitzoodle.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Hey, it's a boat!? You know, "a hole in the water you throw money into". No seriously, about the only problem is the cabin roof thing, just wish it was stiffer.
Sailing characterisitcs	Points well, heels well, We try to keep it between 10 and 20 degrees, once went to 30 degrees, a little scary for us. Overall, handles well in most weather, But, hey, there's nothing like a broad reach, am I right? Almost pull a rooster tail.
Motoring characterisitcs	Presently have an older 4hp Johnson, 2cylinder 2 cycle, moves the boat well enough, but has no Forward, Neutral or Reverse, sux when trying to dock by yourself. So, hopefully going to up grade to the 5hp Lher, lp gas vs. gasoline loaded with ethanol, I'm so over that.
Liveability	I'm OK with it, for maybe a weekend at a time, tops.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I've called Stuart Marine a few times, and they are very good to deal with. Very knowledgable, after all, they're buliding them now.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	N/A
Other comments	I originally got this boat from my father, it was left neglected and abandoned at Tookers Boat Yard in Brookhaven, NY, donated to the Long Island Maritime Museum, in lieu of slip fees. Dad got it for $100.00. But, I had to drive the 400 miles each way to get it. Once back home, I commenced gutting and repairing, took a better part of 2 years. Always a work in progress, and I've tried to keep true to the boat with the repairs. But now, we all think she's a beauty, and should last for years to come. Some times, I just can't belive my good fortune, getting to take her through this phase. She's a piece of nautical history, that I'll keep in the family as long as I live.

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