# 1986 O'Day 31



## Kevin13 (Apr 25, 2010)

My wife and I are considering an O'Day 31. We are looking for a costal cruiser to sail around LI Sound. The boat is very clean and I can get her for $15,000. Any feedback on the O'Day is appreciated. Kevin


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Nice Boat But I'm an Oday owner so I may be biased in my opinion lol 
All Oday's seem to look alike except the 322 which was made by pearson before the company bit the dust. 
Which engine does she have? swing keel?


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## Kevin13 (Apr 25, 2010)

I thought 30 was your age so I don't understand your quote "lies about her age" LOL

Universal diesel. I believe it is a wing keel


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

specs: The ODay 31 - information for cruising sailors
Out-of-production 30-foot monohull aft-cockpit fiberglasssloop from O'Day Company. Formerly built in the USA. Produced from 1984 to 1986.

Specifications for the ODay 31
LOA 30.1 ft. more info LOD 30.1 ft. more info
LWL 25.6 ft. more info Beam 10.8 ft. more info
Draft 5.2 ft. more info DraftMin 4.0 ft.

Displaces 10,100 lbs. Ballast 3,800 lbs. 
Mast Height 44.0 ft. 
Sail Area 436.0 sq. ft.

Performance Indicators
D/L 269 B/D 38% SA/D 14.9 Comfort 23.3 Capsize 2.00 L/B 2.8

Looks like this out of the water.. (just a ft shorter)  oh and I have a fin keel 4'11" draft









I think the extra foot made enough difference that it has a cabin mount traveler. not sure.

this isfrom D & R marine. (parts source)


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Oh! *blush* gotta love Mabellene! and my photo taking g/f LOL


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

*Good choice for LIS*

Hello,

I have an O'day 35 and I know a few people with the 31. The 31 is a good boat for the Long Island Sound. The 31 is basically the same as the 30, but with the addition of the swim platform. O'day was one of the first boats with the swim platform, and if you keep your boat on mooring and / or swim off it a lot, the platform is really great,

O'day boats are basic production type boats, very similar to Catalina, Hunter, Pearson, Newport, Islander, etc.

If the boat you are considering is in good condition and is reasonably equipped, $15K is very good price.

Good luck,
Barry



Kevin13 said:


> My wife and I are considering an O'Day 31. We are looking for a costal cruiser to sail around LI Sound. The boat is very clean and I can get her for $15,000. Any feedback on the O'Day is appreciated. Kevin


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## jcb2 (Jun 11, 2018)

*Re: Good choice for LIS*

I have an '86 ODay 31 and love it. I'm from NJ but I've sailed LI Sound a couple times. It's a keeper especially at that bargain price. Make sure when you agree to buy that it is subject to survey. Then get it professionally surveyed to assure there are no hidden problems.


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## Southpaw5 (Sep 6, 2018)

I'm looking at an 86 ODay 31' footer. Sounds like from the above posts it's a good boat for the LI Sound etc. Would $16,500.00 be a good price if the survey comes back in with decent remarks?


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Check for soft decks on the bow the cabin roof above the galley and the settee area, you may also find the cockpit floor collapsing from underneath. I believe it was the 31s mentioned in keel loss, so you really want to have a keel attachment, Joint, stringers, bilge, and keel bolts inspected. 16.5 seems high unless she's really really pristine and well-appointed. O'days just don't seem to command a high price


Southpaw5 said:


> I'm looking at an 86 ODay 31' footer. Sounds like from the above posts it's a good boat for the LI Sound etc. Would $16,500.00 be a good price if the survey comes back in with decent remarks?


if it has the universal engine and has an amp meter in the engine panel, where the key and other meters are, you have a potential fire hazard and at the very least a rewiring job to do before it happens. it's well documented, I did it on my boat and many others have done it on their O'Day's that have Universal engines.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

The underbuilt keel stub, resulting in a couple of losses was on the O'day 302 and 322. 

But as D suggests, look at the keel bolts CAREFULLY. I would not buy a 30-year old boat unless I had the surveyor REMOVE at least 3 of the nuts on the keel bolts. The keel on my boat had to be dropped and new keel bolts installed before I bought it. I maintain them by removing every other year and polishing the threads. The pic below shows you what my bilge looks like. If I ever sell my O'day 35, I will pull several of the keel bolts to show the buyer and set their mind at ease.

What's the boat worth to the buyer? That is what it's worth.

Old electronics do not add to the value of the boat. And "old electronics" is anything more than 3 years old. So, don't get all excited about that fancy lookin' Loran, or the non-digital Radar with the CRT. They're both junk.


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