O'Day Daysailer

BoatsO'Day Daysailer

See her sail

The O'Day Daysailer, on the water

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

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 fractional sloop with a centerboard dinghy hull, 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. Production has continued through several builders, including O'Day, Rebel Industries, and Cape Cod Shipbuilding, which still builds the model with improved self-rescuing features.3:34 Variants include the DAY SAILER II, introduced in 1971 with 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 shop, rudders and daggerboards for an O'Day Daysailer are stored alongside those for Sunfish and Sailfish.5:22

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

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.

Klepper Cadet5.40 mSame hull family0.3 m longer

We're off to Greece to see our NEW BOAT! 😍 Road trip, catamaran & sailing dinghy22:21 from Eternal 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 #368:16 from 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

Anders Kristensen - building on last year's successes15:51 from 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

Benedicte Lind Bjørland, first woman to lead KNS10:37 from SEILmagasinet

Finn (Monotype)4.50 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA Richard Sarby-designed Olympic single-handed dinghy featuring an unstayed cat rig and a long history of competition

SEILmagasinet TV Episode 3 - 202551:39 from SEILmagasinet

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centreboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fibreglass

The Easiest Sailboat You’ll Ever Own – The Wayfarer0:47 from Practical Sailor

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 safety O'day 15-2A lightweight fractional daysailer designed by Hunt Associates for responsive, high-performance dinghy handling O'day 19A C. Raymond Hunt-designed fractional sloop with a keel-centerboard configuration for versatile shoal-water sailing O'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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