BoatsO'Day Daysailer

O'Day Daysailer

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1956

A 1956 centreboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today

Designed by Uffa Fox & O'Day.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

See her sail

The O'Day Daysailer, on the water

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

Footage from kentblairl

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.91 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 261 kg of hull, so roughly 850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 261 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.23 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 5 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 5
CoastalBluewater

At 3.01 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.01
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 69
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 33.4

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

  • Heavier than ~87% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 309 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The O'Day Daysailer, 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 Daysailer is a 5.1-meter centerboard dinghy with a fractional sloop rig, designed by Uffa Fox and George O'Day and built since 1956. Fox designed the hull, and O'Day designed and molded the original cuddy. The boat displaces 260 kg and has a 1.9-meter beam and 1.1-meter draft. Cape Cod Shipbuilding continues to build the Daysailer, incorporating improved self-rescuing features. The Day Sailer II, introduced in 1971, included positive foam flotation, two cockpit inspection/bailing ports, and a self-bailing cockpit. The MKIII version, built from 1985 to 1990, is not class legal for one-design racing. Aboard *kentblairl*'s 1971 O'Day Day Sailer II, CYANE, the mast-stepping process involves securing the hull to a vehicle and using a roller furling system with a control line running to a bow block.watch The operator stands in the cockpit to lift the mast, pulling the furling line to engage the hinge plate.1:30

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The O'Day Daysailer on video

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
33.4
Displacement / length
68.9
Comfort ratio
4.9
Capsize screening
3.01
Hull speed
5.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
346
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1956
Units built
10000
Designer
Uffa Fox, O'Day
Builder
O'Day, Rebel Industries, Cape Cod Shipbuilding

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.

RS Venture4.98 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 4.98-metre fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, designed for agile, modern dinghy sailing
Elliot Finnestrand - World Champion in sailing after motocross accident0:07from SEILmagasinet
Klepper Cadet5.40 mSame hull family0.3 m longer
We're off to Greece to see our NEW BOAT! 😍 Road trip, catamaran & sailing dinghy22:21from Eternal Sailing
Mutineer 154.57 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA prolific 15-foot centerboard dinghy with a 43.54 SA/D ratio that has remained in production since 1972
Sailing Dighies NOT to Buy - How to Learn Sailing Ep 318 - Lady K Sailing7:04from Lady K Sailing
Aubin (Chantier Aubin) Snipe4.72 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA legendary William F. Crosby-designed fractional dinghy that remains one of the world's most active racing classes
Rio to Polynesia on a 25-Foot Boat, the Journey that Changed Sailing in Brazil Forever | #SAL #368:16from Hashtag Sal
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34from SEILmagasinet
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Christoffer Sundby - from top sailor to top business leader.0:32from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Daysailer IIAn updated Uffa Fox design featuring positive foam flotation and a self-bailing cockpit for added safetyO'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 sailingO'day 20A masthead sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration, offering a stable 5.57-knot hull speed for coastal cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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