BoatsO'day 12

O'day 12

Cat (unstayed) · Dbrd. Dinghy · 1975–1980

A lightweight cat-rigged dinghy featuring a simple unstayed mast and daggerboard, sharing her hull with the Widgeon

Designed by Robert H. Baker.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy

See her sail

The O'day 12, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Hashtag Sal

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 1.52 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 110 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 110 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.13 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.21 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.21
LightHeavy

71 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 71
EasygoingPowered-up

30.8 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 30.8

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

What the fleet has seen

The O'day 12, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The O'day 12 is a 3.8-meter dinghy designed by Robert H. Baker and built by O'Day Corp. from 1975 to 1980. It features an unstayed cat rig, a daggerboard, and a displacement of 110 kg.31:40 The O'day 12 shares its hull with the O'day Widgeon but incorporates a modified interior tank/seat arrangement and a three-piece unstayed mast with a sleeved sail.14:23

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cat (unstayed)
Ratios
SA / displacement
30.8
Displacement / length
71.3
Comfort ratio
3.7
Capsize screening
3.21
Hull speed
4.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
205
Hull
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1975–1980
Units built
490
Designer
Robert H. Baker
Builder
O'Day Corp

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Beneteau First 144.30 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Samuel Manuard-designed performance dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited, responsive sailing
Med Mooring with Mooring Lines in Alimos Marinafrom Epic Navigator
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthThe 1948 Olympic single-handed class, this Uffa Fox design was the first sailboat ever produced by Fairey Marine
John Lee Cotton: 91 years old and 75 years at sea0:54from SEILmagasinet
Hunter Marine 1404.27 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA lightweight fractional sloop designed for responsive dinghy sailing with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio
Sailing Dighies NOT to Buy - How to Learn Sailing Ep 318 - Lady K Sailing6:19from Lady K Sailing
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Hubert Vandestadt-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive sailing
Our Boat Got Stolen 😡… So We Built a New One (in just ONE Week)from WhiteSpotPirates
CL Sailboats 144.32 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
SAILBOATS for $500 - LASER & CL-14! Lady K Sailing Ep 24415:13from Lady K Sailing
Lido 144.27 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
Restoring covid-quarantine project boats - a Lido 14 sailboat and Seaflite 179SS ski boat0:03from Ravenswing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

O'Day Corp. Widgeon 12A lightweight, fractional-rigged centerboard dinghy designed by Robert H. Baker for responsive, spirited day sailingO'Day Corp. 7/11A versatile 2.4-meter dinghy designed by Robert HO'day 15-2A lightweight fractional daysailer designed by Hunt Associates for responsive, high-performance dinghy handlingO'day 14A Ron Holder-designed fractional dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive performance

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The fleet has more to say

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