# Oday 22/23 vs 25/26



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am looking at a trailer boat, and was wondering what the differences between the Oday 22/23' vs the Oday 25'/26' are? I am new to sailing and would be sailing alone 80% of the time, with occasional guests, for daysailing to traveling/weekending. I live in Wisconsin, so there are pleanty of options for locations to sail, madison, appleton, castle rock, lake michigan, and apostle islands. unfortunately I would have to trailer to all of these, hence the need of a trailer sailer. Any help will be welcomed. Im planning on taking some sailing courses in Milwaukee next spring

Thanks kurt


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

also would they be good first boats??


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## LakePirate (May 10, 2008)

I had an O'Day 23 for 14 years. It's a great boat. Had a great little cabin for weekend trips and enough room in the cockpit for four adults. I kept it in a slip though. I would not have used it nearly as much (at least 3 time a month) if I had to step the mast each time. Trailer-able boats of that size are nice if you want to take one to a distant lake for a long stay but I would not want to have to do it each time I wanted to go sailing for a day or two.


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## joeybkcmo (Feb 28, 2006)

I have a 26 its great for weekends/week stays. Think any one of them would be a great 1st boat. I Agree with LakePirate, stepping the mast and setting it up each and every time would be a bear. But I'm sure with practice and an established routine, and if you do not mind giving up the time, it could be done


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Hello,

The main difference between the two boats is that the extra size and weight of the bigger boat will make it much more difficult to trailer. My first boat was a Catalina 22. I trailer sailed it the first year. It was a real hassle to step the mast, connect the boom, launch the boat, etc.

The 22' boat is small and light enough that one or two people can easily do the work to rig and launch. It will take you about an hour, but you can do it. It can also be towed with a minivan, small truck, suv, etc. By the time you get to a 25' boat, it's going to be much harder to step the mast, launch, tow, etc. You will also need a real truck to tow it.

There are people who tow 25' boats (and bigger) but they are pretty rare, and for a reason.

IMHO, if you want to trailer sail a boat, start with something in the 20-22 range. 

Good luck,
Barry


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## TIKI TIME (Mar 22, 2006)

My first boat was a 1984 Oday 222 (22 footer). Great little boat, took good care of me and the wife while learning to sail. I had looked at an Oday 25 before purchasing the 22, and from what I remember, the main difference between the two were size, of course and price. I purchased the 22 footer for about half the cost of the 25 footer, both in similar condition. If I remember correctly the 25 had a head whereas the 22 doesn't.
Also the 22 has a retractable centerboard, great for anchoring out in small coves with skinny water. Like Pirate said, great little cabin for weekend trips. Be sure and rig you up a cockpit canopy to use while anchored. Being able to use the cockpit as extra living area makes the boat feel much bigger.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have a 1999 chevy tahoe that is rated for 10800 so I don't think I'll have problems


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

There are some significant differences between the 22, 23 and 25, but they are a "family" of boats with many similar design features. I am less familiar with the Oday 26, but it appears to be very similar to the 25, just with a more angular appearance. All are great first boats. There are also significant differences in features of each based on model years. Check out the I Heart Odays website for lots of detail.

I Heart O'Days


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

how difficult is it to step the mast and attach the boom? Can it be done alone? Are there winches or how are they set up?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I owned the 25. The 23, 25 & 26 were very similar in design and sailing, very capable and comfortable boats for their size.. The 22 is a older design. I would avoid that boat. The 23 would be the best pick for trailerability. The 25 is a beast to trailer, but you can. The mast is raised with the boom as a gin pole, and can be careful done by one person or done quite easily by 2.

OdayOwners.com - Home


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

*stepping the mast*



firefitn said:


> how difficult is it to step the mast and attach the boom? Can it be done alone? Are there winches or how are they set up?


I'm not familiar with the O'day set up, but I can describe how you step the mast on a Catalina 22.

When trailering the boat, the mast will sit on the bow and stern pulpits. To step the mast you need to move the mast aft, so that the mast butt is at the mast step. I built a simple mast crutch, because the top of the mast (now moved quite a bit aft of the stern) must be elevated. With the top part of the mast resting on the crutch, it was simple to insert a pin through the mast step and base of the mast. Now you can get ready to raise the mast.

Since the mast on a Catalina 22 isn't that heavy, a STRONG person could raise the mast by hand. The side stays prevent the mast from falling over and the backstay will prevent it from falling too far forward. I raised the mast like that once or twice, but it was very difficult. An easier way was to tie a line around the forestay and connect that to the winch on the trailer, that is normally used to winch the boat back onto the trailer. With the winch on the trailer it was pretty easy to crank the mast up. When the mast was vertical you connect the forestay and disconnect the line.

You tension the forestay, the other stays and shrouds are fine. It's pretty easy to put the boom on, just clip the end of the boom to the topping lift, then put the pin through the gooseneck at the mast end. I used to leave the mainsail on the boom when the boat was trailered.

Put the outboard engine on, put the rudder on (if the ramp wasn't too steep I could leave the rudder on the boat), back down the ramp, float the boat off, pull the trailer out and you are ready to sail.

After doing it a few times I could go from arriving at the marina to motoring away from the dock in about 1 hour. Nothing was that difficult or complicated, but there is a good amount of things to do. And expect to take at least the same amount of time at the end of the day when the boat has to go back onto the trailer.

Make sure you note that as the boat gets longer, the weight of everything goes up quite a bit faster. I believe that an Oday 222 weighs 2200 lbs, and the 25 weighs 4800 lbs. The extra 3' of length doubles the weight of the boat.

For me, trailering was a real hassle, and after 1 year of doing it I got a mooring and was much happier.

Good luck,
Barry


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

thank you very much. That was very helpful. I grew up around milwaukee, and if i lived there i probally would look at a slip, however since i live about 2 hours from the nearest place to sail i will need a trailer sailer for now. Anyone know the weight of the mast on an oday??


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

firefitn said:


> thank you very much. That was very helpful. Anyone know the weight of the mast on an oday??


 I never put my O'Day 25 mast on the scale, but I could lower & raise it by myself, and once lowered lift it from the center and carry it by myself. I am not exactly a heavy hitter so it can't be too much, 50-70 lbs maybe? I sure can't do that with the Rawson mast.


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## JohnDunton (Dec 2, 2008)

If you really have to trailer that much I wouldn't consider anything over 23'. I owned one for 25 years, and getting on and off the trailer was never enjoyable (if we did it more frequently, it may have become easier--we launched in the spring and retrieved in the fall). I think it's the "Practical Sailor's Book of Used Boats" that has the remark along these lines: "the 23' O'day is a great pocket cruiser in the water, great when on the trailer, but hell in between". In my opinion, stepping the mast is not a solo experience--a minimum of 2 to avoid injury or damage. The 23' is fine for 2 people overnighting so long as you're willing to crouch down in the cabin--I'm 5'7" and adequate headroom was the #2 reason I moved up to an O'Day 27'. We have slept 3 adults and 1 child on the boat--it was helplful that everyone was very friendly and not overly modest--the head is at the head of the V-berth. But I loved the boat--25 years worth--and spent very little money maintaining it.


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## josrulz (Oct 15, 2006)

My family had an O'Day 23 when I was growing up. We only trailered it for winter storage. We could have trailered it for weekends (instead of the slip) with a lot more work of course. My point is only that I don't think we'd have considered weekend/daysail trailering with a 25. 

All that said, we really loved our 23, and cruised for as long as two weeks with a family of 4 (my brother and I were fairly young). Later we moved up to an O'Day 28 when our family started to outgrow the 23, and made trips as long as 6 weeks on that boat (Virginia Beach to Newport and back), though it sounds crazy to me now!


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## WouldaShoulda (Oct 7, 2008)

Once I determined that I would keep the boat in a slip anyway, I went right for the O'Day 272. When the Bay picks up to 2+ feet I'm glad I did!! 

22-26ft boats are just too big to trailer regularly. Opinions vary.

Most boats I know of in this range are trailered only to the lot and back to the slip twice a season after the owners realize what a PINA it is to step the mast every time they want to go out.

For me, a trailer boat must be -20ft.

Anything bigger/heavier will wind up in the slip. If it winds up in the slip, you may as well get a bigger, more comfortable boat.

That's how I wound up with a 272. 

(But it took nearly three years of thinking about it to come to this conclusion)


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