Day Sailer Facts
The Day Sailer was designed for broad appeal and has had remarkable long-term success. Well over 10,000 boats have been built since production started in 1957, and many of the first boats built are still racing competitively.
The original boat was conceived in 1956 by George O’Day and designed by Uffa Fox in close collaboration with O’Day. The design was based on 32 specific points which O’Day thought would produce the ideal family boat – and did.
The Day Sailer has a good-sized upwind sail plan, along with a moderately sized spinnaker. It has a pivoting centerboard and rudder and a three stay rig with a high boom for safety. It was designed to be built in fiberglass and is easily trailerable.
In modern racing terms the Day Sailer formula can be summarized as a two-person centerboard dinghy with spinnaker and without trapeze. Its speed and weight are moderate, so that racing requires a good grounding in fundamentals. Clean maneuvers, good tactics, sail trim and boat speed, shifting gears upwind and playing the angles downwind are required to win. It is a fun boat to race.
You must be a current DSA member to race in any sanctioned regattas, and to race in the NACR you also must have been a member the previous year. Cost is just $35 per year.
When not racing, the Day Sailer has real advantages. It is roomy, with a huge cockpit, comfortable seats, and good space under the cuddy cabin. It is very stable so you can walk around it easily, and it will not tip over on a mooring. It can even make use of a small outboard motor.
Boats in this class have proven to be very long-lived. Some of the oldest boats have won the North American Championship Regatta in recent years. Newer boats are well-built and should last many decades.
- Length Overall: 16’ 9" Beam: 6’ 3"
- Class Weight: 575 pounds Sail area, main and jib: 145 sq. ft. Spinnaker: 96 sq. ft.
- Mast length: 25'
Centerboard Gaskets for the right price... For Daysailer 1 and some Daysailer 2 boats. This gasket is made to fit on a handle setup, not a pulley setup. $8/gasket, includes shipping. Send order and check payable to
Alan T. Jones, 621 SW Alder, Suite 840, Portland, OR 97205-3623 ncproductions@qwest.net
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