Jay's O'Day 22

O'day 22 Forestay Fitting Reinforcement

2011-07-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

I had some free time this weekend so I decided to tackle a project I've been thinking about for some time. On my other boat the forestay fitting is distorted from probably years of improper rigging tension or being inadequately fastened to the deck. I thought it would be a good idea to add some reinforcement to keep the rigging from peeling it back off the deck. I searched around the Internet and came up with a couple different ways to do it, would just depend on what the local west marine had in stock.

I decided to build an adjustable strut from the forestay fitting to the bow eye. I replaced the original bow eye with a heavy duty u-bolt for added strength before I trailered it to the lake.

The hardware was found at west marine and consists of a turnbuckle, couple 6" tangs with 3/8 pins, two misc L-brackets and some washers and cotter pins. It was the first time I walked out of West Marine spending less than $50, I resisted the urge to buy a marine BBQ.

I'm happy with the way it turned out and it should add some much needed strength. I finished up sooner than expected which never happens so I decided to take her out for awhile. It was the first time I've singlehanded this boat and won't be the last, had some good wind and a great time!

New O'day 22 Main Sail

2011-07-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I was able to moor the boat for the summer, I've been able to get out twice a week for some excellent sailing! The Oday 22 is such a pleasure to sail, very forgiving and yet still very capable. I've been using the blown out main sail that came with the boat and decided it's time to break out the new main from FX Sails. What an amazing difference, I swear this boat points higher and has better light wind performance. If your in the market for a new sail definitely consider a loose foot sail from FX Sails, you can't beat the price and the quality is top notch.

We were just settling into a starboard tack back to the marina when I realized I needed a photo to show my wife the sail I bought three years ago really exists. She had heard me talk about for some time but it's been collecting dust in my office at work.

Cheers!

First Sail...

2011-06-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

The family and I took the boat out for it's maiden voyage on Saturday and had a great time on the lake! My father in law was in town for the weekend and was a great hand helping me work the bugs out on the boat. I even got my pregnant apprehensive wife to go along for a ride and she sat grinning on the bow for most the way. We had a great time and kicked off a really nice father's day weekend.

I decided to use the old blown out main for the first time out and hang on to the new one for awhile. It was a perfect day with steady wind, sunshine and a quiet lake with few power boats. I just couldn't wait and decided to tempt fate and run the engine briefly with only one good mounting bracket. I really only need it for a few moments to motor in and out of the slip so I think I can get by for a few weeks until I can locate a new bracket.

All said we had a great time and it was worth the wait...

At last!

2011-06-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Splash! After a busy week of last minute tasks and repairs the boat is finally resting comfortably in a slip. This is the first time I've launched this boat and was pleasantly surprised how smoothly everything went. I was able to install the new bow eye and winch, finish repairs to the outboard and mount a windex 15 to the masthead.

I was however sucker punched with a new problem, which is my normally my luck. When fastening the outboard to the engine bracket the port side clamp broke off, I guess I over tightened it or it had an unnoticed crack. I limped the boat over to it's slip but this will need to be resolved before I can really start using the boat. This Suzuki DT8 was made in 84 so I'm sure the part is going to be next to impossible to find. I'll start checking eBay and craigslist but I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm thinking that Tohatsu 6 sail pro is going to find it's way to my doorstep.

Coming Together...

2011-05-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

The topside is finally clean after half a day of scrubbing. Sitting all winter uncovered beneath some trees made for a tough day of cleaning, won't make that same mistake next season. I discovered the windows and a couple stanchions leak so I'll repair these as I have time after it's moored.

The stock outhaul needs improvement, a setup with a mechanical advantage would be best but I'm out of time so maybe next year. For now I bought a new Ronstan swivel block and added some eye straps to the boom.

I thought it would be a good idea to check the masthead, everything looked great so I cleaned and lubed the sheaves and put it back together. Installed the new standing rig and halyards then stepped the mast to find out the shrouds are to short. I opened all the turnbuckles half way and as I raised the mast it would bind up. The only way I could get the mast up was to open the shroud turnbuckles all the way, so far I couldn't even get the cotter pins in. The head and back stay were fine so I returned the shrouds to D & R for replacements, should have them next week.

Things are coming together nicely with just a few more projects to complete. The focus next weekend will be to replace the broken bow eye and finish rebuilding the lower unit on the outboard. I checked with the marina and they still have plenty of slips available, I'm getting anxious and can't wait to launch soon!

Updated O'day 22 Chainplates

2011-05-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

The list grows shorter...

Check masthead and sheaves
~~Inspect all clevis pins and retainer rings~~
Repair or replace bow eye
~~Install new engine bracket~~
Finish repair on engine lower unit
~~Remove, inspect and reseal chain plates~~
~~Service winches~~

I finally installed the updated chainplates I bought from D & R Marine this weekend. In one of my first conversations with Rudy he mentioned upgrading to the new heavier duty chainplates is a must. Drilling the holes in the deck and test fitting went smoothly but I had forgotten to mark the bulkhead brackets so it took some time to line everything up down below.

Holes were drilled over sized, removed core 1/2" beyond perimeter of hole and filled with thickened epoxy. Yeah, I know the deck is crazy dirty from sitting all winter but I plan on giving it a good swabbing this week ;)

Holes drilled, relieved, taped and ready for bedding compound. I was a little stressed about using epoxy, drilling holes in the deck and making everything work together with larger hardware but in the end it wasn't hard at all and turned out great.

New Garelick 71057 Motor Bracket

2011-05-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

A few things accomplished over the last few weeks:

Purchased new jib sheets from Milwaukee Rigging (30ft lengths 5/16 Sta-Set)

Removed chainplates and prepped for epoxy.

Removed old shrouds and stays from mast.

Installed new motor bracket.

Some specs from Garelick's website:

71057: H.P. Rating: Over 7 1/2 to 20 Motor Weight Not to Exceed: 115 lbs. Vertical Travel*: 11 1/4” (29cm) Mtg. Pad: Poly Mounting Board Dimensions W x H x T: 11 1/2” x 10 3/4” x 2” (29 x 27 x 5cm) Mounting Brkt Dimensions W x H: 5 1/4” x 9” (13 x 23cm)

The goal is to have it moored by the end of the month so I have some busy weekends ahead. As the days pass I am really getting excited, bring on some sailing!

Two Thumbs Up For SailCare!

2011-03-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

The jib sail is back from SailCare and I'm impressed, looks and feels like a new sail. I knew it would obviously come back looking cleaner but I didn't think they would be able to remove all the rust and grease stains. This is a welcome surprise...

I can't believe this old sail was in such good shape, they added some tell-tales and said no repairs were necessary. Customer service was friendly and helpful and they had it back to me in two weeks.

I am amazed at not only how clean it is, but also how they manage to restore the stiffness and feel of a new sail. I will definitely be sending in my 150 in the fall for the same treatment. I wish I would have taken before and after photos but I honestly didn't think there would be that much difference in appearance.

Almost There!

2011-03-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

I'm updating the to-do list on my O'day 22 with some completions and additions...

Check masthead and sheaves
~~Inspect all clevis pins and retainer rings~~
Remove, inspect and reseal chain plates
~~Service winches~~
Repair or replace bow eye
Install new engine bracket
Finish repair on engine lower unit

Never made it in the water last year, life just always seems to get in the way. I have actually completed some projects and got some of the bigger purchases out of the way.
After closer inspection the motor bracket has seen better days, half of the bushings for the pivot pins are actually missing. They look like their made from cast aluminum and have just disintegrated, replacing with a Garelick 71057 purchased on sale at Wholesale Marine.

Between the two boats I have three head sails, two standard jibs and a heavy duty 150 genoa. I sent the better of the two jibs out to SailCare to be inspected and cleaned. They confirmed that it was a good sail and just needed cleaning, will cost $133 and should have it back next week. The genoa doesn't look like it saw much use so I think I'll let it fly. Would be nice to have a 130 genoa to balance out the sail inventory, maybe I can sell the extra jib and find a used one.

I decided I just wasn't comfortable with the standing rig that came with boat number two. I found a meat hook in one of the side stays and most of the turnbuckle toggles were slightly bent so I decided not to risk it. I opted for peace of mind and ordered a complete set of rigging from Rudy at D&R Marine. Also bought a new tiller handle while I was at it.

My last big obstacle is to finish repairing the lower unit on the Suzuki DT8. I completely rebuilt the unit with new bearings, seals, water pump and some other hard parts. It's been sitting horizontal on a pallet in the warehouse at work and I noticed a puddle of gear oil the other day. Electrolysis chewed up the housings pretty good so I think I know where the leak is and fixing it shouldn't be that difficult.

I just need a couple weekends to finish up these last few tasks...

Progress

2010-07-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's been awhile since my last update, so here is a rundown of what I've accomplished in the last few months.

Suzuki Outboard
Well I pulled the lower unit off to put in a new water pump and found a disintegrated thrust bearing had taken out the water pump housing and sent enough metal into the gearbox to ruin the rest of the bearings. So needless to say the lower unit has been rebuilt with a new bearings, seals and then painted. Found everything I needed super cheap at boats.net but it did take six weeks to get everything for this old motor. Also picked up new fuel fittings, hose and 6gal tank at the local West Marine. All that's left to do here is pick up a new motor bracket...

Barlow 15 Winches
These were gummed up so bad they wouldn't turn hardly at all. Disassembled and cleaned everything with solvent, replaced pawl springs and reassembled with fresh winch grease. I found some Barient springs at West Marine that worked perfect. Spent $9 for a pack of 10 so I should be good for a very long time, part number 6355705. I found some service info on the web for this model of winch.

Ahh Sheet!

2010-04-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

The new halyards showed up from D & R Marine today and was the last thing I've been waiting for. I'm going to reuse the blocks for the mainsheet system and boom vang for now, just replaced the line with some new sta-set.

I'm hoping the next couple days will be productive as I have some last minute tasks to finish up. Everything is coming together nicely and hope to get in the water next weekend for a shake down.

To do list:

Check masthead and sheaves
Inspect all clevis pins and retainer rings
Remove, inspect and reseal chainplates
Service winches
Repair or replace bow eye

Almost Sailing...

2010-04-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

The title has been transferred and new boat numbers applied, almost ready to sail! Spent last weekend washing the hull and organizing things in the cabin. Also stepped the mast and checked the standing and running rigging. Ordered new halyards, sheets and a tabernacle pin in anticipation of actually sailing in a week or two. Can't wait, wife is actually excited to do some sailing and boat in camping.

New O'day 22 Addition

2010-04-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping a close eye on Craigslist for a mast or complete boat and was finally rewarded for my patience. I picked up a complete 1976 O'Day 22 with a nice roller trailer for less than half the price of a new mast from D & R Marine. The hull has a pretty good dinger on the starboard side and some questionable repair work to the transom. Good news is that the mast is absolutely pristine! I'm toying with the idea of throwing it in the water for the summer while I finish boat number one. Then transfer over the standing rigging and trailer, strip boat number two of all the good parts and send it to boat heaven.

In addition to the mast and trailer I now have a heavy duty bow pulpit, lifelines and stanchions, a nice boat cover and a couple extra sails. I'm jazzed but the wife thinks I'm nuts...she's probably right.

I Am The Sandman!

2010-03-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ouch! I have been sanding for six days straight and my right hand is numb from the palm sander. I've finished sanding the rest of the teak, interior wood items and hatches. Will start on the hull this weekend after I take a small break for the rest of the week to rest up and prepare.

This was a half day affair, previous owner probably used an entire tube of caulk and the hatch flange still leaked. Was able to remove it without damaging anything and noticed improper placement of hinges never allowed the hatch to seal against the flange.

Deck is almost completely stripped, after I finish removing the cockpit hardware it will be a bare hull. I'm anxious to stop sanding and start sailing! I didn't get as much done this month as I had hoped but good progress nonetheless.

Been Awhile...

2010-02-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

Well its been awhile since my last post and sailing season draws near. Not much has been accomplished this year but I'm making a hard push to wrap this up and get sailing!

Purchases this month:

Fiberglass Supplies - I found the best deal on West System products at Discount Marine Supplies .

Topside Paint - Bought all Interlux Brightside products at Wholesale Marine .

Large hinged tabernacle and organizer plate - Purchaed from D & R Marine , also talked with Rudy about a mast complete w/rigging and should finalize the purchase in the next couple weeks.

So I now have everything to repair, rebed and repaint the topside. I hope to have that complete by the middle of March, then put the interior back together and finally finish up with a fresh coat of bottom paint.

O'Day 22 Mainsail

2009-08-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I've had my new mainsail from FX Sails for a few months now have have yet to take it out of the box. Opened it up at work to give it a once over and the quality exceeded my expectations. They did a great job and Bill James was a pleasure to deal with, I will definitely be ordering my headsails from him. I used my iphone so picture quality isn't that great but you get the idea. Four partial battens, one reef...

I ordered it with black sail numbers and insignia to match the new color scheme I've got planned for the boat. Black bottom paint, red boot stripe and light grey for the non skid areas.

I also went with a loose foot on Bill's recommendation.

Next time you see it I hope it's serving it's intended purpose and not laying on the floor...

O'Day Hull Number Reference Guide

2009-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a handy little chart explaining O'Day hull identification numbers. I was curious what year and sail number my boat was and ran across this on the internet.

Morning Light

2009-08-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

This movie was "On Demand" in HD and looked stunning. What a great story and a neat inside look at racing the Transpac!

O'Day 22 Mast and Rigging Measurements

2009-08-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

My mast has been repaired and the standing rigging is in poor shape after a closer inspection so I guess the shopping list grows. I thought I'd share my measurements and what options are out there in case anyone is in the same situation. These specs should be applicable to boats manufactured 1971 through 1978 with masthead rig and one piece back stay. If anyone knows of a good used mast for sale please let me know!

My mast was made by Dwyer Aluminum Mast Company and they can be found online at http://www.dwyermast.com/ . The drawing includes measurements from my mast and the Dwyer part numbers for the attaching hardware. Everything is still available and if your willing to assemble it yourself it's a decent savings over other suppliers such as D & R Marine.

The best price I found for the standing rigging was with http://www.riggingandhardware.com/ . They were considerably cheaper than anyone else and word on the street is that they make a quality product.

I haven't found any of this information on the internet so hopefully someone finds this useful. I took my time and double checked everything to ensure accuracy but I have no way of knowing if O'Day used the same hardware on every boat. Cheers!

Someday...

2009-08-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well a lot has happened since my last post, unfortunately none of it is progress on the boat. I guess that's not entirely true, I'll explain...

In May I got a job offer I just couldn't refuse, especially in this economy. So we spent the month packing up the house and took a family vacation we had already planned earlier in the year and then relocated to sunny southern California. No regrets, I was really burned out on the weather in the Pacific Northwest!

I had contemplated trying to sell this project and just buy another boat later on when we got settled but just couldn't seem to bring myself to do it. I had already invested a lot of time and money in this boat and had a custom main sail on order. Besides, the company I was going to work for was paying all my moving expenses. So I rented a 14' U-Haul solely for the purpose of towing the boat to CA, movers took care of the rest of the stuff.

So the following work had to be done to accomplish the move:

new trailer bearings with bearing buddies
new tires, including a spare tire with mount

installed a tongue jack

all new wiring and lights

So mainly just trailer work was done, a new trailer coupler and safety chains is still left on the to-do list. I cut out all the interior settee pieces so I didn't have to haul whole sheets of plywood and finished staining all the teak. Next step is to finish stripping the deck and start prepping for paint.

Can't wait to get started again! Weather is no longer an issue, just time.

Teak On Hold

2009-03-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well the weather doesn't seem to want to cooperate. I was hoping to seal the teak this weekend with Cetol Marine but it recommends an ambient temperature of 50 - 95f and we're stuck in the forties. I'm basically at a stalemate until the weather warms up since all my immediate projects require painting of some sort.

On Thursday however I decided to do my part to stimulate the economy and ordered a new main sail. I have been poking around the internet for months now looking looking at different sail lofts and finally decided to go with FX Sails. For $520 shipped I got a loose foot main with partial battens, sail number, insignia and the following specs:

Standard Features:
3-Year Warranty
Premium Stitching
Aluminum Headboard
Cunningham
Draft Stripes
Leech Line with Clamcleat
Webbed on Leech Telltales
Premium Fiberglass Battens
Sail Ties & Sail Bag
Cloth: Challenge 5.53 oz. Premium High Modulus Dacron

From the reviews I read they seem to build a quality sail, we'll just have to wait five weeks to see. The headsails seem to be in decent shape so I'll probably send them to SailCare to be inspected and cleaned.

Something Resembling Progress...

2009-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

A lot of time has passed since my last post and not much work has been done. The weather has been nice here which gives a false sense of spring and renewed urgency to get this project back on track. I've started cutting the bunk areas out of 1/2" pressure treated plywood which will be painted with an exterior alkyd enamel. The bulkheads will be made from 1/2" marine ply as soon as I can find a reasonable source, the local lumberyard wants $80.00 a sheet which I think is ridiculous.

I stripped all the teak off the boat this weekend to see if any of it is worth saving. Surprisingly with a lot of sanding and some gorilla glue I think everything except the hatch boards can be salvaged. Which is good news because this stuff is crazy expensive. Hopefully by next weekend I have some photos of some freshly sealed teak!

Another pleasant surprise is the Suzuki outboard that came with the boat, it runs like a sewing machine. Turns out it's a 1985 DT8 two stroke and is a perfect match for the boat. The previous owner bought it at a garage sale and never had it running before he decided to sell. I'm going to replace the fuel line, water pump and paint the lower unit and call it good.

Back At It!

2008-09-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost over and I have so much to do, I made good progress this weekend though. I removed the rub rail, washed the boat inside and out, fixed some gelcoat chips and scratches in the hull and removed the hatches. Gelcoat is much easier to work with than I thought, though quite time consuming.

It was good to get some productive work done. My wife and I had our first child in July and its been such an amazing experience. I've put the boat on hold until things calm down some, like thats possible =). I'm about out of time for the summer considering the circumstances but I have some good inside winter projects to do. I hope to be able to splash down in late spring.

The Great Northwet, err Northwest...

2008-06-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Finally some good weather and some good progress! The water damage was more severe than I thought, almost all of the interior wood is rotten in one spot or another. I spent the day gutting the inside and now have the rotten wood for templates resting in the garage. Looks like this is going to be a bigger project than I thought, as always. Here is a few photos of my progress.

The vinyl lining appeared fine at first glance but started falling off as I removed things. It's basically a place for mold and water to collect, I'm unsure if I'll replace it. Here are some photos of the vinyl and flotation foam in the bow removed.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and wash the inside and start removing windows and deck hardware. I'm happy with the progress made today, hopefully the weather stays nice so I can start working on the topside.

Familiar Childhood Smell

2008-05-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

The cabin smells like my grandparents basement so there is some serious scrubbing in order. The previous owner removed the toe rails and never found the time to replace them, so the 60 some odd holes in the deck welcomed plenty of water and created mold and mildew.

The laminate used on the bulkheads and galley is pealing pretty bad so I might just hit it with some 80 grit and recover with some white formica. The fake teak looks dated anyways and blue and white is a simple theme.

The bunks just need sanded and a fresh coat of paint. The vinyl covering the interior hull is in good condition just needs a good scrubbing.

I need to take a closer look at the cushions, they may be salvageable and I know they are expensive to replace. Unfortunately I am missing one cushion in the galley area.

This is my main area of concern, the top of the compression post. I have a sneaking suspicion there is going to be some rotten deck core above that.

The electrical system is a joke, thankfully on a boat this size it's a pretty easy job to replace. I need to give some thought to what I want to install but will probably keep it pretty basic. Overall not bad, more cleaning than anything (I say that with my fingers crossed). Once it's all cleaned and sealed up it should make a good relaxing overnighter. All that's left before I get started is to lay the sails and rigging out and take inventory, hopefully I can get this accomplished this weekend.

Welcome!

2008-05-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a 1973 O'Day 22 that needs some TLC and thought this blog would be a great way to organize projects and track my progress.

Overall the boat seems to be in great shape considering it's age and will need only minor repairs. The hull gel coat is excellent, some good buffing and wax is all that's required here. A fresh coat of bottom paint may be in order as well.

The boat is currently nameless, sounds like a good task for the wife.

The trailer needs basically everything possible replaced, rewired or reworked. I'm hoping to find some reasonably priced dry storage at a marina so trailering should be limited to twice a year. I'm very lucky to have a great friend who is letting me store it at his place until I have it seaworthy.

Lots to do topside, I should have a good tan by the time this is completed. I'm hoping to reuse the teak and most of the deck hardware, everything looks to be there and in decent shape. The deck feels to be quite solid, hopefully no rotten core or delamination. Besides the usual stress cracks around the chain plates I only noticed two small fiberglass repairs that need to be made. New paint and non-skid will need to be applied and I'll stick with the blue and white color scheme. I only had time this weekend to snap a few pictures and give it a once over but I like what I saw. Tomorrow I'll post my thoughts and pictures of the interior...