Reader Boat: O'Day 192

by Dave Kautz

Among a gathering of small boat sailors, it’s easy to start a heated discussion on just what is the “right-size” boat. One plausible suggestion is that the right size boat is one where the amount of time spent wishing the boat were larger is equal to the amount of time wishing the boat was smaller. After sailing our Potter 15 for six years and never wishing it was smaller, yet often wishing it would grow, Francesca and I began an earnest search for a boat with a bit more room. This new boat would have enough cockpit space for two couples, comfortably sleep the two of us and would have a practical option for either sex to answer nature’s call while on board.

Thankfully, the volume of a boat increases exponentially with length and it was soon evident that only a four foot or so increase in length would offer enough space to meet the objectives we had in mind. Boats in the 18 to 19-foot range typically weigh in at less than 2000 pounds, so towing with a family car having a tow capacity of 3000 pounds would still be practical.

Most readers will already know there are many choices in this size range when one is looking at both the new and used boat markets. However, boats of this size are on the cusp of where designers decide that it is no longer practical to equip them with positive foam flotation. Being that the water of our local sailing venue—San Francisco Bay—is so cold that lengthy immersions, even with a life jacket on, are fatal, we wanted to restrict our choices to boats that wouldn’t disappear below the surface if holed or overturned.

This brought the choices down to just a few candidates, similar in most aspects but differing in ballast/keel configuration. Fixed wing keel? Shoal keel with centerboard? Swing keel? Retractable keel? Keel design will be argued in perpetuity, but we gravitated towards the shoal keel/centerboard as the best compromise between performance, stability, and easy launch and recovery.

So, by process of elimination, the boat that best met our objectives, as we had defined them, was the O’day 192, a C. Raymond Hunt Associates design which had a production run of about 500 boats between 1985 and ‘89. Since even the youngest candidate would be more than 16 years old, finding a good one could mean a long wait or a long drive.

As things turned out, it was only about five months before a used 192 turned up on craigslist located only 50 miles away. It wasn’t in as good condition as we would have liked, but it was complete and priced appropriately. With just a little haggling, it was ours.

After our experience with the little P-15, the performance of the bigger boat seemed both sparkling and more secure at the same time. The O’day is nicely balanced with a light, precise helm, performs well over a broad range of wind speeds, and appears to have no bad habits. The unconventional setup of the jib (shared also with the O’day 222) receives criticism from some owners; the jib has a luff wire and is set flying (not hanked to the forestay), the necessary luff tension being provided by a halyard winch fitted to the mast. A small furling drum is attached at the tack of the sail and there is a swivel at the head. While this arrangement makes for quick rigging and easy sail changes, reefing the jib is not possible and the furling works easily only in light to moderate air. As the wind-speed rises above 15 knots we’ve found it is necessary to turn downwind and furl the jib while it is in the wind-shadow of the main to get it to roll up neatly.

The interior of our boat had seen little use and was in nice shape. Accommodations are limited to two ample (7') settee berths and a shorter V-berth for kids up front. The V-berth has a section that removes to reveal a porta-potty with sitting headroom and there is a 36-quart cooler located below the companionway. For cooking aboard, we’ve been using an alcohol-burning camp stove that we set up on the bridgedeck. Located there it can be easily reached from either the cabin or the cockpit and is well ventilated.

Since our kids are all in their twenties, and more likely to borrow the boat for their own adventures than come with us, we replaced the V-berth cushions with Dri-dek and that area now provides ample storage space for our seabags, provisions, and even a pair of folding bikes!

During the subsequent five years that we’ve had the boat the original sails and standing rigging have been replaced, a new 3.5 hp 4-stroke fitted and, most recently, we’ve added an asymmetrical spinnaker in an attempt to take our sailing skills to the next level.

True to its purpose as a trailersailer, in addition to extensive sailing on San Francisco Bay, our O’day has made visits to Catalina Island, Anacapa Island, Lake Havasu, Tomales Bay, Lopez Lake and has participated three times in the Cruiser Challenge at Monterey. We have had some truly great times thanks to this fine little craft and look forward to more in the future! There are moments when I wish she was a bit bigger down below and when I step that mast I always wish she was a little smaller so, perhaps, we really have found a boat close to the “right size” for us. •SCA•

Appeared in issue #68