O'Day 27
Description
The O'Day 27 is a classic American sailboat designed by Alan Gurney and produced by O'Day Corp. from 1973 to 1983, with over 700 hulls built, earning a reputation as an affordable, versatile cruiser-racer ideal for families and coastal exploration. Featuring a masthead sloop rig, fin keel with skeg-hung rudder, and a handsome 1970s sheer line with moderate freeboard, it balances seaworthiness and ease of handling, performing well in varied conditions like San Francisco Bay chop or Great Lakes waves, though it's best suited for protected waters rather than extended bluewater passages without upgrades. Owners highlight its spacious cockpit for two settees, roomy interior with V-berth forward, saloon settees, and quarter berth (sleeping four comfortably), plus forgiving stability and solid fiberglass construction—often called a "tank" for durability—making it a forgiving boat for beginners yet capable for racing in club events. Early models had a full 3/4 skeg, later refined to a partial skeg for better rudder balance, with engine options including the reliable Atomic 4 gas or diesel inboards.
Construction Details
| Designer | Alan Gurney |
|---|---|
| Builder | O'Day Corp. |
| Length | 27.000 ft |
| LOA | 27.000 ft |
| LWL | 22.750 ft |
| Beam | 9.000 ft |
| Displacement | 6700 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 35 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 11.67 ft |
| p | 29.50 ft |
| e | 9.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 ft | 11.67 ft | 29.50 ft | 9.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
O'Day 27 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 29.5 ft - (8992 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.25 ft - (2819 mm) |
| Leech | * 30.43 ft - (9275 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 30.61 ft - (9330 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 140.64 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 29.52 ft - (8998 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 15.56 ft - (4743 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.47 ft - (7763 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 13.42 ft - (4090 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.96 ° |
| Area | * 198.1 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - GENOA
| Luff | 34 ft - (10363 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 19 ft - (5791 mm) |
| Leech | 32 ft - (9754 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150.47 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.56 ft - (5352 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 298.56 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - GENOA
| Luff | 35 ft - (10668 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 16.92 ft - (5157 mm) |
| Leech | 32.83 ft - (10007 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 134.96 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.03 ° |
| Area | * 275.56 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - GENOA
| Luff | * 35.05 ft - (10683 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.94 ft - (5773 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.88 ft - (10022 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150.04 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.51 ft - (5337 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.97 ° |
| Area | * 306.86 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 35.05 ft - (10683 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19.26 ft - (5870 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.25 ft - (9830 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 506 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 20.29 ft - (6184 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 8.82 ft - (2688 mm) |
| Leech | * 15.55 ft - (4740 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 54.58 % |
| Length Perp | * 6.37 ft - (1942 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 25.35 ° |
| Area | * 64.6 ft² |
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O'Day 27 - STORMTRYSAIL
| Luff | * 10.69 ft - (3258 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.83 ft - (2996 mm) |
| Leech | * 8.91 ft - (2716 mm) |
| Length Perp | * 8.91 ft - (2716 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * -25 ° |
| Area | * 41 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.