Description
The O'Day (also known as the Rhodes 19) is an American-built trailerable daysailer and one-design racer designed by renowned naval architect Philip L. Rhodes (originally as the 1945 Hurricane class) and first produced in 1959 by O'Day Corp. in Fall River, Massachusetts, as a wholesome, affordable evolution of post-WWII plywood center boarders, emphasizing responsive handling in choppy bays, family-friendly simplicity, and competitive speed for club racing or casual outings on protected waters with options for keel or centerboard configurations. Constructed from fiberglass with a fixed fin keel (415 pounds of iron ballast) or retractable centerboard for shallow-draft versatility and easy trailering, it displaces 1,325 pounds rigged (without sails), measures 19.17 feet LOA, 17.75 feet LWL, 7 feet beam, and drafts 3.25 feet for the keel model or 0.83 feet up to 4.92 feet down for centerboard, achieving a hull speed of about 5.7 knots and 175 square feet of sail area under a masthead sloop rig with wooden or aluminum spars powered by a small outboard (up to 6 HP) in a transom well for auxiliary propulsion. Renowned for its round-bilged hull enabling planing in moderate breezes, self-bailing cockpit seating up to four, minimalistic cuddy cabin with two V-berths and under-5-foot headroom for basic overnighting, plus roller-reefing standard and anodized fittings for low-maintenance durability, the O'Day Rhodes 19 was produced through the late 1960s with hundreds of units built before licensing shifted to other builders like American Boat Building and eventually Stuart Marine (continuing production today with over 5,000 total Rhodes 19s worldwide), enduring as a timeless, budget-friendly classic for sailors valuing Rhodes' balanced lines, forgiving stability, and pure one-design thrill in a compact 19-foot package over luxury or heavy-weather extremes.
