Description
The O'Day Swift is an American-built fiberglass daysailer designed for simplicity and first produced in 1964 by O'Day Corp. in Fall River, Massachusetts, as an ultra-lightweight, trailerable entry-level boat ideal for children, beginners, or casual family outings on small ponds or protected waters, featuring a lateen rig for easy setup and forgiving handling without the complexity of a jib or stays. With its daggerboard configuration for shallow-draft versatility, it measures just 10.33 feet LOA, 9 feet LWL, 3.16 feet beam, and drafts 0.25 feet board-up to 2.50 feet board-down, displacing a mere 80 pounds for effortless towing and launching by hand, achieving a hull speed of about 4.02 knots and 44 square feet of sail area under its single-mast lateen setup with no auxiliary engine required for pure, unpowered fun. Renowned for its buoyant stability, self-bailing cockpit seating up to three, and minimalistic construction emphasizing portability over performance or accommodations, the O'Day Swift was produced through 1972 with an impressive 1,750 units built before being overshadowed by larger siblings like the Super Swift.
