[4] In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "You could buy an O’Day 22 in a number of configurations: Shoal keel (1' 11" draft) or centerboard ... masthead or 3/4 fractional rig; standard or tall rig; settee berths in the cabin or a dinette arrangement ... Small and not-so-small changes over the 11 years this boat was produced also add to the confusion; ballast was 600 pounds in early production, then went to 700, and finally became 800 pounds, strangely with no other changes to the overall weight of the vessel.
"[4] In a 2000 review in Practical Sailor, Darrell Nicholson wrote, "O’Day once set a standard for small boat construction and styling.
That was before on and off labor problems in its plant, management changes under Bangor Punta, the decline in sales of boats in its size range, and increasingly fierce competition for buyers who became more cost than quality conscious.
The later O'Day 22s were, frankly, a mixed bag of quality and shabbiness ... On a boat of this size and price, a minimum of exterior trim is understandable.
Belowdecks the O'Day 22 epitomizes the pejorative label Clorox bottle, used to describe fiberglass boats.
Sloppily fitted bits of teak trim are matched against teak-printed Formica, at best a tacky combination.