Class # doesn't match boat

[Guest]

Hi all,

I've read the threads on class and hull numbers and I've looked at the chart. My boat has hull #24546 and class #4551. According to the chart it is an early ODay II. My problem is the looks like a ODay I. It has fiberglass seats, teak combings, motor mount hole in transom, and a lever for the centerboard. The cubby is wide open, except for the small storage area in the bow and side shelves. I also have the optional wooden floor boards in 5 pieces. Why doesn't the class number match my boat's description? Which version is this and about when was it built?

Auke

Auke Piersma (aukeauke-at-netscape.net)

[Guest]

Well, from your description your boat is definitely a Day Sailer I, not a Day Sailer II. One thing to remember, O'Day continued to build the DS I even after they begain production of the DS II, building both until 1978. The DS I is the prefered version for racing, and so production was (and is still!) controlled by the DS Association who in fact "own" the molds presently used to build the DS IV. The fact that your boat displays a Hull# and Class# in the format you describe shows that she was built prior to the Hull Identification Number requirement that went into effect in November 1972.
After 1978, O'Day continued to build the DS II until 1985 when the DS III was introduced. Other builders built the DS I after O'Day stopped, including Spindrift.

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)