DaySailer.org Forum

Hey everybody, I'm extremely new to this and was wondering if you all could help me out a bit.

I have a chance to pick up this boat, for FREE! So, of course, I'm going to. Any help in identifying this and pointing me towards more info would be greatly appreciated. Here is the info I have so far (and the only picture I have so far):

17' day sailer

small cabin sleeps 2 adults

From the picture it looks like a nice boat, but it is definitely not a Day Sailer class boat. The HIN (hull identification number) on the boat should allow you to find out what manufacture of boat it is. The boat looks new enough to have a HIN somewhere, probably located on the stern.

John

There's a generic term "daysailer" for any boat that isn't meant for overnight cruises. This forum is concerned with the O'Day DaySailer, a specific type of boat, that, like the boat you are showing is about 17' long (16'9" to be more precise).

Your boat is unequivocally not an O'Day DaySailer. However, if the dimensions are correct, it could be a Vagabond 17. (It matches the depiction of that boat type in Robert M Sherwood's "Field Guide to Sailboats".) With that suggestion, you might perhaps be able to locate additional images to confirm this guess, as well as eventually locate anyplace where owners of this type of boat congregate online.

A general source of information on small boats is the magazine "Small Craft Advisor" - although they spent a lot of time writing about small wooden boats, you may find this an interesting read and something more appropriate than a magazine devoted to "yachts".

For the eventual restoration tasks awaiting you, you might consider two magazines with "Practical" in their name. "Practical Sailor" is a US magazine devoted to testing materials and gear for sailboats (not unlike Consumer Reports). A subscription gives you access to their database of past tests. The other is a UK magazine called "Practical Boat Owner". We don't have anything comparable in the US; they provide a great mixture of good reads for sailors, practical advice and a quick fix for the off-season withdrawal symptoms. Both should be easy to find online.

Of course, you are welcome to read the old threads here on the forum, many topics will cover similar information to what you will need, but forgive us if we prefer to keep our focus on the O'Day DaySailer.

Good luck. Small boats like this are a very enjoyable pass-time.

(PS: John is right, if your boat is younger than 1971, it should have a standard HIN, within which there's an abbreviation of the manufacturer, that would help narrow down your search. However, for many older boats, the manufacturers plaque is missing and there's no HIN engraved in the hull).

Awesome, thanks for the help guys!

From the picture, I'd say it looks like a Siren 17.

Solarwinds wrote:From the picture, I'd say it looks like a Siren 17.

These two are very similar. The split window is the feature that made me think it may be the Vagabond. The Sirens seem to have single windows. Also,a bow pulpit appears to be standard for the Vagabond and not the Siren, but who knows what people retrofit.



The hatch on the forward face of the cabin and the more rounded shape of the cabin argue for a Siren, but at least the hatch would be something easily retrofitted.

A look at the class logo on the sail, or some builders plaque or HIN should be enough to settle this.

Definitely a SIREN 17, built In Canada by Vandetadt & McGruer LTD. But the side windows are different, and most Sirens have a small window on the forward side of the cabin trunk, not a hatch. This may be a modified Siren or one built by a new builder? I'd still say she is a SIREN.