# O'Day 17' Daysailer - Suitability?



## leavittg

Hi. Just signed up.
Own and sail a Tartan 3700. Looking to buy a used O'Day 17' Daysailer for my 13 yr old son. Any advice on suitability or pitfalls of this boat? 
Thx


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## Siamese

I used to sail one in the 70's. Nice boat. In the dictionary, next to "daysailer", there's a picture of an O'Day 17.


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## jwing

Ask your son first; his heart may be set on something different.

Also, the Daysailers that I've seen don't have travelers.


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## deniseO30

Is this something akin to giving kids hot dogs while adults eat steak?? Let the kid sail the 37! The unspoken message you are sending your boy is that you don't trust him on the mothership. (maybe you do trust him, but taking this at the way it's posted. him first.. son 2nd

*Own and sail a Tartan 3700. Looking to buy a used O'Day 17' Daysailer for my 13 yr old son.*


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## JimMcGee

You guys are being too hard on him. A boat of your own to go out and explore with no adults aboard ! 

I'd have killed for that at 13 !

Denise I'd say it's a strong message that dad trusts him to go out on his own. Kids learn when you give them responsibility.

And it's a cool day sailer.


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## fallard

JimMcGee said:


> You guys are being too hard on him. A boat of your own to go out and explore with no adults aboard !
> 
> I'd have killed for that at 13 !
> 
> Denise I'd say it's a strong message that dad trusts him to go out on his own. Kids learn when you give them responsibility.
> 
> And it's a cool day sailer.


I had a day sailor for 10 years, starting in the early 70's and had a great time with my young family. I. Agree with Jim about letting the 13 year old go out on his own.

That said, has this been choice been vetted with the 13-yr old?


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## roverhi

Don't know the experience of your boy but I wouldn't send him out on the 37. Way too much responsibility and liability for you.

I dated a girl I didn't really like because her parents had a Rhodes 19 that she could take out. Didn't take her long to figure that my interest was in the Rhodes, not in her. The best way to learn is to do it and a small daysailer is the absolute best way to gain experience with out too many liabilities. After he's thoroughly comfortable in the O'day 17, let him sail the 37'. As far as driving, the more kids in a car, the crazier they act. With the O'day, can't get too crazy.

To save money, you might want to be sure he's into it before shelling out for the small boat. When I was that age would've been hung ho for the opportunity, today's kids seem to be content with an iPad.



deniseO30 said:


> Is this something akin to giving kids hot dogs while adults eat steak?? Let the kid sail the 37! The unspoken message you are sending your boy is that you don't trust him on the mothership. (maybe you do trust him, but taking this at the way it's posted. him first.. son 2nd
> 
> *Own and sail a Tartan 3700. Looking to buy a used O'Day 17' Daysailer for my 13 yr old son.*


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## leavittg

Well, uh.. thanks.
That was not quite what I was expecting/looking for. I included the statement that I owned/sailed the 37 to let folks know that I have some experience. I've sailed J boats, Farr racers, an Olsen 30, many other mid size cruisers and a number of large (60ft+) racers at Key West, Heineken, Bermuda, NovaScotia... etc. But never been on an a Daysailor. I was asking about the suitability of the O'Day 17' wrt it's seaworthiness, structural integrity and handling.... not wrt a social commentary on child raising.
I'll try again. My son has had basic sailing lessons on lasers, sunfish and been on a 420 and a Flying Scot. On the Tartan 37 he is often bored unless he is playing on his iPhone.
He thinks he wants a 420.... I was thinking that the O'Day, with it's cuddy cabin and less 'technical' set-up would be great for him and a buddy to mess around on in the bay.... exploring, camping, etc.
But, I have read some material about the O'day's difficulty in being righted when capsized, and other info re minor centerboard trunk leaks...... Not ever having sailed one myself, but being a fairly capable boat maintainer, I was looking for advice by folks that might actually know something about sailing and maintaining one, esp a used one. If you have that advice, please respond. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks.


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## deniseO30

It's an open site and open to all kinds of input.


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## Tanski

At that age I didn't want anything with a cabin of any kind, I was club racing, I wanted fun and fast. I'd go Laser or something along those lines. LOL or anything that didn't look like it came from my grandfather!


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## RobGallagher

I can't comment on the O'Day. I can comment on being 13, it was just yesterday 

If he wants a 420, then he's looking for a sports car. You are thinking minivan. Maybe get him into a sailing program so he can make a more informed decision. He may think he wants the 420, but as soon as he discovers Boon's Farm & starlight he might want the O'Day and you might wish he had the 420!


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## overbored

Get a 420 or a FS if you want him to learn real sailing . the Oday is a clunk of a boat compared to the 420 and much harder to handle when not in the water and to a 13 year old it's like getting to drive his Gram pa's Chrysler Imperial. Keep it simple, small and lite, the easier it is to rig and handle the more he will want to sail it. should be a boat that 13 year olds can right. and not one that will swamp. My kids learned on our Prindle 16 and by the time they were 14 I no longer got to sail it very often. got to crew a little. by the time they were 15 they wanted a crew that was more fun.


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## oldlaxer1

I grew up sailing an O'Day Daysailer. It is an ok boat but I think the advice you've already gotten is pretty good. If he flips it, it is a b...tch to right and bail out. We used to play chicken with the main trimmer and the driver...I think we flipped a bit too often. Anyway, I'd look for something a bit more sporty. Good luck.


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## Stumble

Steps...

1) show him pictures of the 17, 420, 29er
2) ask which he wants
3) buy the 29er he is drooling over. 

If he wants to race, or at least sail a fast boat why buy him something he really doesn't want to be on. Sure being 12-13 and having any boat is a major win and I loved my falling apart SouthCoast 21 at that age, but given the option...

The 29er used runs about $5,000 ready to sail on a trailer so it's a bit more than the others are. So if that's out of budget, ignore it as an option, but otherwise it is a far better boat. 

The only downside is buying a kid a 29er is doomed to cure him of the need to carry along huge lumps of lead all the time. He will forever want to sail fast technical boats that reward skill and physical ability.


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## Florida Sailor

I have sailed an O'Day DS II for 20+ years. First off, I can tell you that the boat is definitely not self rescuing. If you capsize it, you will most likely need assistance getting the boat to shallow enough water so it can be bailed out. Having said that, I've never capsized mine. I've taken significant water over the lee side in gusts but never gone completely over. The centerboard leak problem is unique to the DS II model. The DS I has a lever actuated centerboard on the side of the trunk, the DS II has a rope/cable uphaul/downhaul. I have had two failures on my boat in the time I've owned it. First was the stemhead fitting where the jib and forestay attach. It did not fail completely; I replaced and re-enforced it prior to failure. The second was the mast compression post. Both were easy, inexpensive fixes and there is a very helpful online forum of Daysailer owners with plenty of good advice. You are correct about the cuddy; a ton of camping gear can be stored in there and if that's of interest to your son, the DS would be a good choice. I have beach and boatcamped on mine many times. Daysailers can be found in decent condition for an inexpensive price as well. A 420 would definitely be a more wild ride, but won't hold much in the way of camping gear. It all depends on what he wants to do with the boat. Good Luck!


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## fallard

leavittg said:


> But, I have read some material about the O'day's difficulty in being righted when capsized, and other info re minor centerboard trunk leaks...... Not ever having sailed one myself, but being a fairly capable boat maintainer, I was looking for advice by folks that might actually know something about sailing and maintaining one, esp a used one. If you have that advice, please respond. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks.


In the 10 years I had my Daysailor, I never got that close to a capsize, but I did add a masthead flotation device to prevent turning turtle should that happen. I had children to think about, so safety was a concern. O'Day sold a "fanny pack" style, auto-inflate define that used something like blotter paper that would disintegrate quickly in water and trigger the CO2 cartridge. After quite a few years it fired out of season and the resultant "balloon" was about the size of a basketball.

I don't know if you can still get a purpose-made device like this, but you might adapt a fanny pack PFD if necessary.

The only maintenance issues I had were shroud replacement (when fishhook so appeared) and replacing some pop rivets where the shrouds attached to the mast.

A 13 year old can have a lot of fun staying dry in a Daysailor and carry a number of friends. He can also get himself in trouble, so the excitement can still be there. One of my sons got his own 15' runabout at about that age and it was a great, liberating experience and a blast with friends. Many years later, he confessed to some risky behavior, like going out into the ocean and having motor problems far from home and having to deal with it before cell phones.

BTW, it takes some doing, but you can get a Daysailor up on plane.


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## [email protected]

leavittg said:


> Well, uh.. thanks.
> That was not quite what I was expecting/looking for. I included the statement that I owned/sailed the 37 to let folks know that I have some experience. I've sailed J boats, Farr racers, an Olsen 30, many other mid size cruisers and a number of large (60ft+) racers at Key West, Heineken, Bermuda, NovaScotia... etc. But never been on an a Daysailor. I was asking about the suitability of the O'Day 17' wrt it's seaworthiness, structural integrity and handling.... not wrt a social commentary on child raising.
> I'll try again. My son has had basic sailing lessons on lasers, sunfish and been on a 420 and a Flying Scot. On the Tartan 37 he is often bored unless he is playing on his iPhone.
> He thinks he wants a 420.... I was thinking that the O'Day, with it's cuddy cabin and less 'technical' set-up would be great for him and a buddy to mess around on in the bay.... exploring, camping, etc.
> But, I have read some material about the O'day's difficulty in being righted when capsized, and other info re minor centerboard trunk leaks...... Not ever having sailed one myself, but being a fairly capable boat maintainer, I was looking for advice by folks that might actually know something about sailing and maintaining one, esp a used one. If you have that advice, please respond. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks.


I know this response is way beyond the fact for the original poster but I wanted to put it out there that the O'Day 17 is of a size that can be capsized or swamped and be difficult to impossible to bring upright and/or bail out. From what I've read, between smaller boats and keelboats that are self-righting is a size which is the most likely to be unrecoverable. My wife and I broached and partially swamped our '17 one very gusty day on a mountain lake and had to bail like crazy people to get ahead of the little wavelets that were breaking into the cockpit.


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## johngurney1955

Florida Sailor said:


> I have sailed an O'Day DS II for 20+ years. First off, I can tell you that the boat is definitely not self rescuing. If you capsize it, you will most likely need assistance getting the boat to shallow enough water so it can be bailed out. Having said that, I've never capsized mine. I've taken significant water over the lee side in gusts but never gone completely over. The centerboard leak problem is unique to the DS II model. The DS I has a lever actuated centerboard on the side of the trunk, the DS II has a rope/cable uphaul/downhaul. I have had two failures on my boat in the time I've owned it. First was the stemhead fitting where the jib and forestay attach. It did not fail completely; I replaced and re-enforced it prior to failure. The second was the mast compression post. Both were easy, inexpensive fixes and there is a very helpful online forum of Daysailer owners with plenty of good advice. You are correct about the cuddy; a ton of camping gear can be stored in there and if that's of interest to your son, the DS would be a good choice. I have beach and boatcamped on mine many times. Daysailers can be found in decent condition for an inexpensive price as well. A 420 would definitely be a more wild ride, but won't hold much in the way of camping gear. It all depends on what he wants to do with the boat. Good Luck!


Can you please tell me about the centerboard leak issue? I have one on a little lake in Maine, and last summer the damn thing nearly sank at it's mooring because of water shooting in around thye port where the line exits to lift the centerboard. Talk about a design flaw. Luckily , I happened to glance out and see the boat listing at it's mooring and was able to effect a rescue, but if I hadn't spotted it, the boat would have happily sunk to the bottom. I want to give this boat to my son, but I have some real serious reservations about this boat, sailing on a big lake or in a bay in Maine. Is there anything I can do to correct this problem? There doesn't even seem to be any easy way to install a bilge pump in the boat. I have never capsized the boat, but have taken on water, and the cockpit doesn't drain very well either. Any suggestions, ideas you can offer here will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! John


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