BoatsO'day 14

O'day 14

Fractional Sloop · Dbrd. Dinghy · First built 1985

A Ron Holder-designed fractional dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively, responsive performance

Designed by Ron Holder, built by Starcraft.

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

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.88 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 120 kg of hull, so roughly 700 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 120 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 0.15 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 3 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 3
CoastalBluewater

At 3.84 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.84
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 61
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 42.7

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

  • Draws more than ~82% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 373 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
42.7
Displacement / length
60.6
Comfort ratio
2.8
Capsize screening
3.84
Hull speed
4.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
276
Hull
Hull type
Dbrd. Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1985
Designer
Ron Holder
Builder
Starcraft, O'Day Corp

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.7 m longerAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Kayak King to National Team Manager: Eirik Verås Larsen on Peiling på Seiling11:16from SEILmagasinet
Fairey Marine Firefly3.66 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterThe 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
Spindrift 134.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 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 family0.2 m longerA 109-kilogram fractional sloop built since 1980, offering a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for lively handling
Sailing Is Way Scarier Than You Think - Ep 353 - Lady K Sailing6:44from Lady K Sailing
Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.7 m longerAn Ian Proctor-designed centerboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fiberglass
Behind the scenes at the Wayfarer factory – a tour of Hartley Boatsfrom practicalboatowner
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
A Story of Overcoming: 40 Years at Sea with Only One Legfrom Hashtag Sal

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 15-2A lightweight fractional daysailer designed by Hunt Associates for responsive, high-performance dinghy handlingO'day 19A C. Raymond Hunt-designed fractional sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration for versatile shoal-water sailingHolder 14A versatile 4.17-meter centerboard dinghy sold under four different brand names during its brief mid-80s production run

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the O'day 14

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue