BoatsO'day 20

O'day 20

Masthead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · 1973–1979

A masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, offering a stable 5.57-knot hull speed for coastal cruising

Designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates & John Deknatel.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,066 kg of hull, so roughly 1,650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 1,066 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 0.36 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a beamy beam gives 15 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 15
CoastalBluewater

2.11 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.11
LightHeavy

204 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 204
EasygoingPowered-up

15.9 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.9
TenderStiff

17% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 17%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

  • Narrower than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 499 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

On the water

The O'day 20 on video

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
17.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.9
Displacement / length
204.4
Comfort ratio
15.1
Capsize screening
2.11
Hull speed
5.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
431
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1973–1979
Units built
949
Designer
C.Raymond Hunt Associates, John Deknatel
Builder
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.

Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family1.0 m longerA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
Catalina Yachts 227.26 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA swing-keel masthead sloop with 15,000 units sold, offering a highly versatile and trailerable coastal cruiser
O'day 226.61 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA prolific production success with over 3,000 hulls built, offering a nimble fractional rig for coastal daysailing
Cal Boats 247.43 mSame hull family1.5 m longerThe inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility

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.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

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