by SUNBIRD » Wed Apr 27, 2016 1:15 am
Unfortunately, there is no absolute way to tell the model year of any O'DAY built prior to the 01NOV 1972 introduction of the 12-digit HIN requirement. Prior to then O'DAY gave every boat 2 numbers, a "HULL#" and a "CLASS#". Hull# referred to how many total O'DAY boats had been built, and Class# was how many of that class (Day Sailer). You can sometimes get an estimate of the age of the boat by comparing the Hull and Class numbers to another O'DAY that the year is known, but that isn't perfect! I used to own a 1969 vintage Widgeon, Hull# 22698 Class# 1791, going by the numbers that O'DAY published in their 1968, 69 and 70 Brochures, my estimate of 1969 seems about right. Seeing others listed in various places on-line further backs that up. However, I have found that sometimes comparing 2 Widgeons.... the difference in hull number does not always agree with the difference in class number, so......?
One problem is that boats are not listed by their owners consistently due to misunderstanding of the Hull#/Class# relationship. Since now a days we usually refer to hull# and HIN as the same, some boats are listed under the Hull# and some under the Class# (check out the DSA membership list, yikes!)
Anyway, back to the O'DAY HUll#s, my Widgeon (H# 22698 C#1791) was the 22698th O'DAY built and the 1791st Widgeon, so if you find a DS that has a Hull# near 22698, she is most likely also a 1969 vintage. The modern HINs will contain the Class# (my DSII is XDY10201M79E-D, right, 13 digits..... O'Day ran into a problem after they built the 9999th DS, no room for the "D" for Day Sailer in the 12-digit format, but XDY = O'DAY, D = Day Sailer, 10201 is my Class#, M79 means 1979 Model year, and E = December 1978 when she was built. Model years ran August to July, ie: Aug '78 to Jul '79 for the 1979 model year) Some of the earlier model years used a different format, with the last 4 digits indicating Month and Year of build, on those the year was January to December, so a code of 0573 would mean May 1973. Not sure if O'DAY used that at all factories for a while or only some, they actually built boats in both Mass and Calf at times and even had a plant In Kansas as well as at least one In Canada for a while (I don't think any Day Sailers came from Kansas).
The HIN on your boat (OHZ41423H760) is a state-issued one (for either home-made boats or those not originally issued a builder's HIN, most often because the boat was built prior to November 1972), issued by OHIO, most likely when she was titled and/or registered around 1989 or later when the Title requirements started in many States. These HINs are confusing since some will include the Builder's Class# or Hull#, some won't. Some will show the presumed Model or Build year, some will show the year the number was assigned (Mass uses the year the HIN was created for their State-issued HINs). Further confusion may come from the fact that the HIN format had changed again in 1984, so "H7" is the month and year of the certification (or model introduction year of a new boat) H = August and "7" indicated that the HIN was issued in a year ending in 7. So, I'd say the Title was issued in either 1987 or 2007.
I'd check with the experts in the DSA as to possible Class#s based on some breakdown of "41423", she could be O'DAY HULL# 1423 (HIN format 1984 and later has the 4th digit indicating "model" and "4" could indicate "sailboat" or "outboard-powered" in the Ohio registration codes? Of course, I hate to mention that "41423" may just mean that your boat was the 41423rd State-issued title in Ohio?
Those in the DSA that really know Day Sailers should be able to tell you little clues as to the vintage of your boat, and at least estimate year and Class#. I know some differences between the early years and later years, but not well enough to be sure.
Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD"
1979 DS II, # 10201