# Hello! Newbie just getting started here.



## Vivid_Journey (10 mo ago)

Hey all, 
I am thrilled to have found this forum. I have been in a love affair with sailing for so many years but raising a family and working as a nurse for a couple decades kept me from it. (And let's be honest, fear of the unknown by myself) 
So my kids are grown and I am jumping into my fear(I swim like a fish so what do I have to lose?) 😆 I signed myself up for a sailing course locally (Chattanooga TN) on the lake and am looking for a starter boat. I am looking at one tomorrow that I think I can handle. It's an O'Day 23 and needs mostly cosmetic work. I have restored and rehabbed multiple RVs and houses so I'm not afraid of the cosmetics at all. What I am worried about is not understanding or not knowing what to look for but it's only 2500 bux, it's in the water now and it's ready to sail with a running engine so I figure even if I never took it out it won't hurt me much. If anyone has any advice as to what to check or look for, I would love to hear it all. Thank you in advance! And 👋Hello again!!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Hi and welcome the SailNet 

Some of our members know O'day boats well so Im sure someone will come up with some notes for you 

Mark


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## JoCoSailor (Dec 7, 2015)

Vivid_Journey said:


> Hey all,
> I am thrilled to have found this forum. I have been in a love affair with sailing for so many years but raising a family and working as a nurse for a couple decades kept me from it. (And let's be honest, fear of the unknown by myself)
> So my kids are grown and I am jumping into my fear(I swim like a fish so what do I have to lose?) 😆 I signed myself up for a sailing course locally (Chattanooga TN) on the lake and am looking for a starter boat. I am looking at one tomorrow that I think I can handle. It's an O'Day 23 and needs mostly cosmetic work. I have restored and rehabbed multiple RVs and houses so I'm not afraid of the cosmetics at all. What I am worried about is not understanding or not knowing what to look for but it's only 2500 bux, it's in the water now and it's ready to sail with a running engine so I figure even if I never took it out it won't hurt me much. If anyone has any advice as to what to check or look for, I would love to hear it all. Thank you in advance! And 👋Hello again!!


Welcome aboard Warning when you take the class sailing can be habit forming 

With a really quick search, I found this old thread Looking at O''Day 23...comments?? 
What year is the O'Day? What is the condition of the sails? New ones could be more than the cost of the boat. 
You might want to wait until after your class to look for a boat. Your thoughts on the right boat for you could change. And you might meet someone that could help look at/check out the boat.


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Welcome...you came to the right place. 

If you haven't found one already, see if you can find a forum specific to the O'day 23, or at least, O'days. There may already be some of the inherent issues documented there. 

For the most part, the stuff you need to look out for in a used boat purchase aren't O'day 23 specific. An Achilles heel of boats is their deck, which is generally balsa sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. Water can get in when the bedding under hardware fails, and it can migrate and saturate the balsa, and rotting it. The result is soft decks and the need to do some involved repairs. Best to avoid this situation at purchase. 

After decks, the list of issues is long, but you can learn about checking a boat online. This site and others are a source for a do it yourself survey. Learn how to spot saturated decks. Be prepared to walk away from the boat you're considering. Actually, _expect_ to walk away from the boat you're considering. 

Pretty little boat, though. Decently built, and a nice starter boat.

It's good that you're handy. Very good. However, that which you have learned in your other restorations will often not apply to a fiberglass boat. Example: which very few exceptions, silicone sealants have no place on a boat, and will cause you misery if you use them. The best advice I can give is to check online, or ask on this forum before doing pretty much anything. Stuff is different on a boat. 

Being a sailor is two things. 
1. Sailing a boat
2. managing and maintaining a boat

In my opinion, sailing is the easier of the two. The really good news is that you have the internet to back you up on the maintenance part. 

I get the impression that you'll do well with your new endeavor. Sailing, done right, is a lifestyle. You'll never be done learning. Or having fun. Good luck to you.


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## cb32863 (Oct 5, 2009)

Welcome to the asylum! Things to check on O' Days, deck as has been mentioned. But especially under the mast step, the chain plate penetrations are notorious leak spots, check your bulkheads. If any rot walk away. Yes everyone, I know, "This is a fixable issue", but, do you want to work on your boat or sail it. I had a 25 for a number of years and well, yeah anyway. Check where the toe rail screws penetrate as well. Another spot that can leak. You don't want to replace bulkheads or deck core. Just not worth the effort, I know from experience. Good luck in your start of sailing! It's not a hobby, its a passion/life style. (obsession??)  One thing, I used to race against a 23 and they sailed the heck out of that thing. They still do quite well. Again, welcome and good luck!


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Is this the boat:SailboatData.com - O'DAY 23-2 Sailboat ? Make sure the centerboard works. Look for bulkheads that may have broken loose from or cracked their tabbing into the hull. Check the mast step area to make sure it hasn't been crushed into a bowl. Though they're fixable, with any luck you won't have these problems and will be able to enjoy making sail instead of making repairs. O'Day also built a 23' "Tempest" keelboat. Not as substantial a boat but still enjoyable.


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## PhilCarlson (Dec 14, 2013)

Welcome aboard! 

@lovebluewater is another nurse who just purchased her first boat after going through a lengthy search.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Welcome!
Sailing is many things... the common one being using the wind to make the boat move. That skill improves over time after you've nailed the basics. A intro course is an excellent idea. Another thing would be to find a sailing mentor to sail with you. Having someone else to sail with will also mean you can move to a larger, faster and more comfortable boat. And that opens the notion of spending nights aboard and "cruising". Of course for some it's racing and this may not involve the boat's interior for anything but a head and a place to store sails.

Most sailors are cruisers (and race as well for fun at times.) Also it's fairly typical for sailors to move up in boat size over time. It seems to be a meme to have the largest boat you can manage, sailing, maintaining and cost.

I was fortunate that my best friend was a sailor, with a boat who introduced me to sailing. He wanted help with Spring prep and after we went sailing down LIS. My first experience and I was smitten. The following Spring he asked to come look at a 48' boat he was me to buy with me as his partner. YIKES The boat blew my mind and as I thought about it and entertained the idea I decided to attend a sailing course in prep. The purchase never happened but I decided to get a boat and wanted one as close to a live aboard cruising boat that I could find. I had no intention of starting small and moving up over time. I wanted to jump ahead into a boat that would be a keeper. I can't emphasize enough how useful a mentor or a sailing buddy is.

I found a new 36'... which seemed huge to me at the time... But with Jack's help sailing with me every time I went out for the first 5 months... I gained confidence and skill to run the boat. I also spent 5 years fitting it out for living and cruising... and sailing in any weather I could.... wind, no wind, rain, fog, even snow. You need lots and lots of hours on board in all sorts of conditions. No short cuts. I do very little day sailing these days.

I don't think most sailors do "it" the way I did. But within 5 years of purchase I moved on board and sailed to the Caribbean. That was kind of the vision I had after seeing that 48. I still have the same 36' boat 37 years on which turned out to be a terrific match for me. I have no desire for a larger boat... just more work and more expense. This one has everything I need. I know the boat like the back of my hand having done "everything" on board for 37 years and that "feels" good. 99% of my sailing has been on this boat.

Think about where you want to be "sailing wise" and make a plan to get there. Buying, selling, buying, selling, buying may not be the most efficient way to get there.

YMMV


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Welcome to SailNet and welcome to the wonderful world of sailing. In exchange for helping with maintenance and teaching the owner to sail, I had use of an O'Day 22 (a very similar boat to the O'day 23-2 SailboatData.com - O'DAY 23-2 Sailboat) when I lived in Savannah back in the 1970's. I thought that these were very nice boats that sailed well. I also thought that they were a good platform to teach someone to sail on with no seriously bad habits.

As others have pointed out, these boats are getting long in the tooth and so will need to be checked for structural issues. There was also a version of the O'day 23 that had a 'pop top' or Lift top. SailboatData.com - O'DAY 23-1 (LIFT TOP) Sailboat, I would avoid those. These boats reportedly had problems with the side decks since there was such a large hole where the cabin top and sides lifted.



SanderO said:


> Welcome!
> Most sailors are cruisers (and race as well for fun at times.) Also it's fairly typical for sailors to move up in boat size over time. It seems to be a meme to have the largest boat you can manage, sailing, maintaining and cost.
> Think about where you want to be "sailing wise" and make a plan to get there. Buying, selling, buying, selling, buying may not be the most efficient way to get there.
> YMMV


I don't think that this is true or particularly good advice.

To begin with I don't think that the majority of sailors are cruisers or racers, even if most of the folks on SailNet are cruisers or racers. The last time I saw statistics on this, in that particular year there were less than 3,000 new sailboats over 30 feet sold in this country and close to 14,000 small sailboats sold in that same year. That ratio has been consistent for the 60 years that I have been sailing. There is a tendency to mainly think of those sailors who are sailing on "arms of the ocean" or the Great Lakes as the majority of sailors. But in reality, there are a huge number of lake and river sailors out there who are perfectly content sailing for a lifetime in their own back yards.. These inland venues are often such that it makes very little sense to own or sail a boat that is bigger than 20-25 feet.

But also it is considerably harder to learn to sail well on a bigger boat. Smaller boats tend to provide a lot more direct feedback to the beginner sailor so the learning curve flattens a lot. They are easier to maintain and so allow a gentler ramping up on maintenance skills.

The cost to purchase and maintain an older smaller boat can be so minimal that you can own and sail the boat for a decade or two for what it would cost to own a bigger boat for a single year. Similarly, if you decided the sell that small boat, you can often sell it for close to what you paid for it. Bigger boats tend to lose more value over time, or need big cash infusions to avoid losing as much. That mix of cash infusion and value loss will far exceed the entire purchase price and maintenance costs for a smaller boat.

So while repetitively buying and selling boats can be nuisance and become expensive, starting with a boat like the O'day 23 makes a lot of sense even if you do eventually decide that you ultimately want to own a different boat. The good news is that after sailing the O'day, or a boat like that, for a few years, you will be in a better position to decide what kind of boat will suit you for the rest of your sailing life. It may even turn out that the boat that you own turns out to the best is the one you own.

Jeff


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Vivid_Journey said:


> Hey all,
> I am thrilled to have found this forum. I have been in a love affair with sailing for so many years but raising a family and working as a nurse for a couple decades kept me from it. (And let's be honest, fear of the unknown by myself)
> So my kids are grown and I am jumping into my fear(I swim like a fish so what do I have to lose?) 😆 I signed myself up for a sailing course locally (Chattanooga TN) on the lake and am looking for a starter boat. I am looking at one tomorrow that I think I can handle. It's an O'Day 23 and needs mostly cosmetic work. I have restored and rehabbed multiple RVs and houses so I'm not afraid of the cosmetics at all. What I am worried about is not understanding or not knowing what to look for but it's only 2500 bux, it's in the water now and it's ready to sail with a running engine so I figure even if I never took it out it won't hurt me much. If anyone has any advice as to what to check or look for, I would love to hear it all. Thank you in advance! And 👋Hello again!!


Welcome aboard! I have family near Chattanooga


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