O'Day Day Sailer

This boat is an excellent choice unless you plan to sail on open blue water (Great Lakes, seas, and oceans). 

It is easy to launch and relatively easy to install the rigging, I have done it many times by myself. It helps if you have a folding mast step so you can pull the mast by a single front shroud. I never installed one.

The boat is excellent and spacious to sail.

I had a couple of jib choices for light and heavy weather. 

I could easily heave to the wind in the middle of the lake and relax.

The only time I did not enjoy sailing the boat was in shallow water with the centerboard up as I slid sideways, but shallows are a nemesis for any sailboat. 

I had an electric trolling motor to get me out of difficult situations.

Would I repurchase it? Probably, but then, I always missed having a full-length keel and some weight.

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/oday-day-sailer/

O'Day Day Sailer for sale $900 o.b.o.

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/10430

more pictures:

http://flickr.com/search/?q=day%20sailer&w=19039588%40N00

Day Sailer is a relatively stable boat for learning or for protected waters, we sailed it many times with a 4 year old daughter on board. Small cubby up front, great to stow gear and a place for a child. The mast SWINGS backwards (custom set up) when putting away, making it easier to step it. 6 ft. benches are very roomy for 4 adults.

Rigging hardware, lines, jib and main sail in very good condition. Fresh water only. Swing keel. Trailer included. Anchor 8 lbs included.

O'Day Day Sailer practice day on Diamond Lake

Roman and I took the Day Sailer out. We practiced several things.

Upwind jib-only sailing is hard. After trying several times, we got so close to the lee shore that we had to use my electric motor to prevent being pushed onto people's peers. I would love to have at least a minimal shoal keel in addition to the retractable centerboard to prevent it from sailing sideways.

Motoring upwind was also difficult, as the wind was brisk, about 15 knots, and I had only 55 pounds of electric thrust motor.

Heaving to the wind worked very well; here are the steps:

1) starboard tack,  
2) tightened the jib with the starboard sheet until it backfilled, 
3) locked rudder to the lee
4) loosen the main a little. 

While heaving to the wind, you can relax or work on the boat, as your hands are free. We have heaved to the wind many times while sailing with family to sunbathe or have a picnic.

The boat sails by itself on the "beam reach" at a slow one or two knows to the lee, depending on how much the main is helping. I tie the main just enough not to luff.

I installed a quick jib douse (downhaul) line tied up the top of the jib. This thin line goes through some hanks to the tack and from there to the cockpit. Once I release the jib halyard and pull on this line, the jib gets pulled to the deck without the need to go to the bow. It is a great safety feature for a sudden squall.

I tested the ballast of two 50+ pound bags of sand paced midship. They added some stability to the boat in addition to the 65-pound battery I am carrying center aft. I will need all the stability I can get when sailing with my wife and daughter, Lili.

We sailed whole day, making a point of docking with the wind on our nose, it took us quite a while to beat upwind, with many close calls in shallow waters, or maneuvering near the swim line. We did make it back without the help of the motor.

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/oday-day-sailer/

O'Day Day Sailer sunset cruise with teenagers.

My sister Maja, her cousin Karolina and her friend Patricia came in the evening. 

This was the girls' first-day sailing. 

We took the O'Day Day Sailer out for the sunset cruise on Diamond Lake until it got really dark. We sailed under the main sail only to make sail easier. 

Patricia is sharp and delightful to teach sailing. 

Maja has gotten the steering with the rudder and the wind direction quite right. However, her indifferent attitude towards learning worries me; her interests lie elsewhere. I cannot say she cares, or maybe that is her way of trying to be a  "cool" teen.

Karolina said she could not swim. She was quite unresponsive, and she looked pretty scared. She was also sporting a floating vest.

There was barely any wind from the SW the whole time, but when we were coming back to the dock, a sudden and strong gust of the N wind caught us by surprise. Day Sailer is a very stable boat, so there was no risk of capsize.

I hope it was a good memory for them, it is definitely for me.

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/oday-day-sailer/