# Info on a 70 Oday 23' Pop Top



## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Hey guys, i've officially started my search for my first sail boat. This one popped up on c-list. What i've found so far is they only produced these from 70 to 73. Was the run so short because it's a bad idea in the first place? LOL

I'm searching for the biggest bang for the buck currently. I'm 6'4" and would like to find the biggest trailer able boat I can get. I'm not afraid of projects and doing the work myself. When buying cars i've found they are the cheapest when I have to tow them home. Obviously a boat is thirstier for money - I just enjoy the journey of projects.

My concerns would be rainy weekends with this boat, or nasty weather on Lake Erie? It seems to me that the separation on deck would make this boat primarily a sunshine boat only? Any info or past experiences would be fantastic!!!


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## Garffin (Oct 22, 2009)

It could be a gem of a boat with a little elbow grease and some paint.


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## Starlyte (Sep 27, 2009)

I just bought an O'day 22, I plan on sailing Erie as well.

I have a few things I need to do to mine.

Where are you from? 

Alot of your questions depends on the price.

Email me.


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## MarioG (Sep 6, 2009)

Hey Landlock Thats a very nice boat and would make a great 1st depending on your sailing experiance. It is a buyers market right now, but if the price is right then I don't think you could go wrong with the O'day. Good luck with what ever you find.


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Well, we went and looked at it. It's not to bad. It has had some repair work done to the transom that you can only see from below in the port cockpit locker. On the starboard side below in the huge cockpit storage area the plywood divider/bulkhead is rotted in the bilge area. Not sure if that area is supposed to be completely sealed off or if there is supposed to be a weap hole to self bilge. It obviously stiffens the boat. It's all repairable, he also told me that damage was done to the mast at one time and that they shortened it 6"? How much is that going to affect the boat?

He's asking $1200 for it, i'm thinking far less than that. 



Starlyte I can't PM until I get a few more posts...


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

The pictures and description tell the story. Nobody shortens a mast. Obviously the boat has been dismasted most likely at the mast step. Never a good sign. I'd be very leery of that. Replacing a bulkhead is doable but not easy. At 6'4" laying in a locker and grinding fiberglass is a pain. The ports have been modified which indicates that leaks have been a problem. Most likely the cabin top on this boat is pretty flexible on this boat and the owner had trouble keeping the interior dry. Is there canvas that goes with pop top. How are the sails?If you have a lot of time and and are looking for a full time hobby rehabbing a boat this might be the boat for you. Probably worth $500 if the outboard works.

As far as Lake Erie goes, properly fixed this boat is o'k just don't expect to make any long trips. I wouldn't go out it if the forecast is for anything over 2 foot chop. As an alternative, have you looked at a Tanzer 22. Pretty good boats with a quality build. Here is one in Ohio that might fit the bill
1973 Tanzer T-22 sailboat for sale in Ohio
Classified Ads (Tanzer 22 Class Association)
The Practical Sailor's Evaluation of Three 22 Footers (Tanzer 22 Class Association)


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

I Heart O'Days

Not sure how much info you can get on that boat itself, but the site does have a LOT of info on Oday boats.

Marty


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

I really appreciate all your replies! Sandusky, that's what I was thinking as well, although I wasn't able to inspect the entire mast. Where the mast penetrates the cabin, it has been worked on there as well! 

I will be going back for a second inspection when there is more daylight. I'm hopeful there isn't too much else that I didn't see. I do want to make sure the deck isn't spongy! 

If this boat works out, it would be fantastic for us in the Keys!


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## jessiegirl (Oct 13, 2005)

I love the boat. I would suggest that you have a survey done on the boat to put your mind at ease. It is well worth the investment even though your offer price might be the same as a survey.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

The early Oday 23's with the pop tops were notorius for being leaky. Given the state of the paint around the edges of the interior, I'd say this boat has/had that problem. It was a problem inherent in the design, so fixing it won't be easy. Also, check the centerboard. It is controlled by that crank on the table stand in the cabin. The early 23's had iron keels, which of course rusted like crazy. The centerboards of these boats often froze inside the rusting keels. It took a lot of maintenance to keep the mechanisms in working order. Later 23's did away with the pop tops completely and went to lead keels.

Broken mast? Yikes. I would stay away from that. Unless you are a skilled metal machinist, I don't think masts are repairable. Taking six inches off won't affect the boat too much. The biggest impact I can see is that unless the main was resewn, the shorter mast might mean that the boom swing will be below head height to someone seated in the cockpit. Not a good thing. 

The short answer here is that there are a lot of boats in this price range and of this size, probably in better shape and better designs than this one.


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

If the boom is lower that definitely won't work! 

Thanks guys! This is the kind of info I was looking for... There is no way to verify the retractable keel right now. I could ask him to put it up on stands though.

I did check the cabin latches, they were lined up nicely. I have owned a pop top camper and have seen the effects of a messed up pop top. I'm positive that the 40 year old seal is probably long gone, which would attribute that damge. The one thing that I did notice was there was no sign of a high water mark inside the cabin. The bilge was fairly clean. I'm thinking this boat sat more on land than it did in water.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

NOt positive, but IIRC USSpars in Florida may have been the supplier of your mast. A lookup on the internet at usspars.com may be worth it, and if they did supply the mast, get a cost to replace it. OR, talk to a local rigger, they may be able to weld an additional 6" back onto the base. Not "MY" personaly first choice of a fix, ie the welding, but a smaller boat like this may work just fine! This of course is assuming the shrouds and stays are still long enough to handle the extra 6" of mast height.

marty


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

I called him up to ask more about the mast. It was indeed cut at the bottom. He said there was still more than enough head room. He offered to hoist the boat up to inspect the retractable keel as well.

The stays have been modified already, so they would have to be replaced...


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Going back tomorrow for a second inspection. We'll see what happens...


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