Design Brief & Intent
The core mission of the Day Sailer II was to provide a safe, forgiving, yet responsive sailing platform for families, sailing schools, and club racers. While the original Day Sailer features an open cockpit floor with wooden or metal thwarts, the Day Sailer II introduced a double-hull fiberglass liner. This modification created a self-bailing cockpit floor situated above the waterline, which drains through cockpit scuppers directly overboard. This design also incorporated positive foam flotation sealed between the hull and liner, rendering the boat nearly unsinkable and allowing the crew to easily right the boat after a knockdown.
Compared to other boats in O’Day’s stable—such as the smaller 12-foot Widgeon or the 14-foot Javelin—the Day Sailer II offers a vastly dryer ride and genuine storage capacity. Conversely, it lacks the heavy ballasted stability of its larger sibling, the Rhodes 19, or the overnighting cabin space of the Mariner 19. Against period competitors like the heavier Flying Scot or the lighter Chrysler Mutineer 15, the Day Sailer II found a sweet spot. It was light enough to be easily towed behind a standard family sedan, yet robust enough to handle coastal chop and wind gusts that would easily overwhelm smaller dinghies. The interior is fundamentally minimalist; the cuddy cabin provides dry shelter for sails and gear but acts strictly as a utility space rather than an overnight berth, though many owners utilize the long cockpit benches to sleep under a boom tent.
Variations & Configurations
While the fundamental hull shape remained unchanged throughout its production run, the Day Sailer II represents a significant configuration shift from the original model. Rigged as a fractional sloop, it flies a mainsail and a jib totaling roughly 145 square feet, and can carry an optional 96-square-foot spinnaker for downwind racing.
The primary configuration options revolve around draft and the mast stepping system. The pivoting fiberglass centerboard draws a mere 7 inches with the board fully raised, allowing the boat to slide onto sandy beaches and sail in extremely shallow waters. With the centerboard fully deployed, the draft increases to 3 feet 9 inches, providing the lateral resistance needed to climb upwind.
The most significant physical evolution during production was the transition to a deck-stepped mast utilizing a hinged tabernacle. Early Day Sailers featured a keel-stepped mast, which required awkward vertical hoisting to step. The Day Sailer II standardizes the hinged tabernacle on the cuddy deck, enabling a single person to step or douse the rig in minutes. Additionally, the transom on the Day Sailer II was redesigned to be thinner and reinforced to directly accommodate small outboard engines up to five horsepower. This eliminated the need for the heavy, complicated outboard mounting brackets required by the original hull.
Sailing Performance & Handling
The physical handling characteristics of the Day Sailer II are directly reflected in its technical ratios. Weighing in at a dry displacement of just 575 pounds, the boat is light and easily driven. Its displacement-to-length ratio of 68.93 places it firmly in the ultra-lightweight, high-performance category. The hull has relatively flat aft sections and a wide 6-foot-3-inch beam, allowing the boat to transition from a displacement hull to active planing in moderate breezes.
The sail area-to-displacement ratio of 33.29 confirms an incredibly powerful rig relative to its overall weight. In light air under five knots, the Day Sailer II ghost-sails efficiently while heavier boats sit becalmed. In ten to twelve knots of breeze, the boat becomes lively and responsive, requiring the crew to actively use their body weight to keep the boat flat. Once the wind pushes past fifteen knots, the boat accelerates rapidly and planes easily on a reach, though it demands active mainsheet trimming to prevent rounding up.
With a Capsize Screening Formula of 3.01 and a Comfort Ratio of 4.87, this is unequivocally a dinghy, not a ballasted keelboat. It will heel quickly in response to gusts, but its generous beam provides a reassuring secondary stability curve. It is remarkably seaworthy for its size; veteran owners frequently campaign the boat in grueling distance raid events such as the Texas 200, navigating shallow bay systems and heavy chops that would test larger cruisers.
Market Snapshot & Economics
On the brokerage market, the Day Sailer II remains highly accessible and holds its value exceptionally well. Because over 4,000 units were produced by O’Day, finding an affordable boat is rarely a challenge, and the model commands a loyal following that keeps parts readily available. Many components, including spars, rudders, and gaskets, are still supported by specialty suppliers like D&R Marine, who bought much of the original O’Day tooling and inventories.
The refit economics of the Day Sailer II are highly favorable. Because of its small scale, a complete hull restoration, a new set of sails, and trailer refurbishment can be done for a fraction of the cost of maintaining a larger keelboat. Buyers should pay close attention to whether a trailer is included in the purchase, as a roadworthy trailer with working bearings and LED lights is critical to maximizing the utility of this highly transportable design.
Known Issues & Triage
The most critical engineering weakness of the Day Sailer II is water intrusion into the sealed bilge space of the double hull. Because the cockpit floor and hull liner are bonded together, any rainwater or spray that leaks through degraded deck hardware, the rub rail seam, the mast step, or the inspection ports will collect in the bilge. This trapped water degrades the internal foam flotation, which can become waterlogged, adding considerable weight and ruining the boat's sailing performance. This water can also rot structural wood blocks, specifically the mast step compression post located under the cuddy floor. Buyers must inspect the cuddy roof for any sagging or depression, which indicates that the compression post beneath has failed and must be rebuilt using rot-resistant marine plywood or solid fiberglass.
Another persistent issue is the centerboard uphaul and downhaul cable system. The cable runs through an internal tube from the centerboard trunk up to the cockpit. Over time, these stainless-steel cables can fray, jam, or snap inside the trunk. When the boat is sailing at high speeds or heavily loaded, water can shoot up through this tube and flood the cuddy, subsequently draining into the cockpit. Repairing this requires replacing the cable and ensuring the rubber grommet seals at the top of the tube are intact.
The centerboard itself is built with a wood core encapsulated in fiberglass. If the fiberglass skin is chipped or cracked, water will penetrate the core, causing the wood to swell. A swollen centerboard will jam tightly inside the centerboard trunk. Fixing this involves removing the board, stripping the delaminated wood, rebuilding the blade with fresh marine ply and epoxy, and fairing it before reinstallation.
Modernization & Upgrades
Most veteran owners prioritize dry hull integrity when modernizing a Day Sailer II. The single most effective upgrade is installing watertight, screw-in plastic deck inspection ports (typically four to six inches in diameter) on the cockpit floor or the cuddy bulkhead. These ports allow owners to insert a wet-vacuum to extract any accumulated water, inspect the integrity of the fiberglass, and provide access to the internal centerboard bolts.
To optimize single-handed handling, many owners run the main and jib halyards aft from the mast through deck organizers to Harken cam cleats mounted on top of the cuddy bulkhead. This allows the helmsman to raise, lower, or reef the sails without leaving the safety of the cockpit. Installing a modern boom vang and a adjustable backstay further refines sail shape and control in heavy air.
Finally, replacing the heavy, original fixed rudder with a modern kick-up rudder assembly is a highly popular upgrade. A kick-up rudder swings back automatically upon striking an underwater obstacle or running aground on a beach, protecting the transom from catastrophic damage and significantly simplifying launching and retrieving the boat from a trailer.
The Verdict
The Day Sailer II is an exceptional pocket daysailer that perfectly balances performance, safety, and trailerable convenience. Its double-hull construction, self-bailing cockpit, and hinged mast make it a much more forgiving and easily managed boat than the original version, while still delivering the thrilling planing performance designed by Uffa Fox. For sailors looking for an inexpensive, easily stored, and highly responsive boat that is equally at home on a quiet mountain lake or sailing a coastal bay, the Day Sailer II remains one of the finest options on the market.
Pros
- Self-bailing cockpit and positive foam flotation offer excellent self-rescuing safety.
- Hinged mast tabernacle allows for rapid, single-handed rigging at the boat ramp.
- Ultra-shallow draft with the board up allows for effortless beaching and launching.
- High-performing, easily driven hull planes readily in moderate breezes.
- Abundant used inventory and exceptional, ongoing parts support through specialized suppliers.
Cons
- Double hull is prone to trapping water in the bilge, which can waterlog flotation foam.
- Downward compression from the mast can rot the wood support block under the cuddy floor.
- Centerboard is susceptible to water intrusion and swelling, which can jam it in the trunk.
- Centerboard uphaul tube can spray water into the cuddy and cockpit at high speeds.
- Cuddy cabin is highly minimalist and lacks the space required for comfortable overnights.
