DaySailer.org Forum

My wife and I just put our 1968 O'Day Osprey away for the winter. We faced some challenges in handling it under sail during the summer and thought we'd seek some advice. 1st, the boom seems rather low and makes it hard to come about while managing the tiller. My wife has a tough time climbing over the keel trunk. To make things easier (not really) I wound up sitting on the floor of the boat at the stern managing the tiller over my shoulder/head while coming about. Pretty funny looking. I'm wondering if the sails are just too old and unable to keep the aft part of the boom as high as it should be. Could it be that the tiller is also too long? Thanks Jim

It would be helpful if you could post pictures of your boat rigged. The OSpray is similar to a Day Sailer I, just a foot shorter in overall length.

Are you getting the sail head all the way to the top of the mast? How old are your sails and are they the correct sails for the boat? The pictures I've seen of the OSpray show the boom with clearance in the cockpit. As for the centerboard trunk, I have trouble getting over mine too sometimes.

John

Never seen an Ospray, but I've sailed a variety of dinghies smaller than a DS. All of them I had to fold myself carefully to fit under the boom. So this doesn't sound that unusual. If space is tight. you may have to take "turns" to make sure you both have the space you need. But usually this kind of thing gets better with practice. Assuming, of course, that you don't have rigging issues, like the ones mentioned: a sail that's too larger or not raised all the way.

From the pictures I've seen, it does look like the boom is a bit lower than on the DS, but not by all that much.

One thing that I found an issue with lower booms: not getting your life jacket hung up in some fitting on the boom.

I'll have to post a photo in the spring since the boat is now stored. My wife and I are in our early 60's, so not as spry as we once were. That may also contribute to the challenge. I'm guessing the sails are original by the looks of them. Our first boat, many years ago, was an O'Day Javelin. Seems to me we had a similar issue. So I appreciate the comments so far and welcome further ones.

A friend of mine restored an Ospray a few years ago, then gave it to his daughter who sailed it. I remember my friend rigging the boat in the yard, boom wasn't too low. If your sails are correct for the boat, they will have a symbol on that almost looks like a figure 8, but is really an "O" inside the bottom part of a "S". The OSpray was only made for a few years in the late 60's. If your sails are originals, you might want to send the sails out to be cleaned and have new resin put back on, cheaper than new sails.

John

Attached are pictures of the Ospray from the 1968 O'Day catalog.

John

My boat looks just like the one in the photos, only it's a wonderful 1960's blue/green. The boom end is higher in the photo than on my boat. I did get an estimate from Sailcare for a refurb/cleaning, and will likely give it a try. Thanks to everyone for their comments. Jim

According to sail rite, the luff of your main should be 19.8". It is possible the luff has stretched so your boom rides low. It is also possible that the main has not been fully hoisted.