O'Day 272 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 272's wing keel and shallow 2.92-foot draft mark it as a descendant of the O'Day 27 reworked for skinny water and trailer-friendly storage rather than for maximum upwind bite. The solid fiberglass hull and 35.9 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio place the lead low in a modest package, and the 9-foot beam gives the hull more interior width than the length alone would suggest. With a displacement-to-length ratio near 199 and a comfort ratio around 18, the boat reads as a small, steady coastal hull rather than a lithe racer. The shallow-draft premise is the through-line of the design: it trades absolute stability for the ability to wander into creeks and shallow harbors that deeper 27-foot contemporaries cannot reach.

Rig and Handling

The 272 carries a masthead sloop rig with a 30.83-foot foretriangle and a 26.08-foot mainsail luff, summing to 299 square feet of sail area — enough to drive the 5,375-pound hull to a theoretical 6.4 knots and, in practice, comfortable passages at 5–6 knots in moderate winds anchor. Owners praise the well-balanced helm and a forgiving motion in chop, and a Great Lakes owner of the later 272LE notes that the balance holds when the mast is tuned correctly, with the boat sailing better to weather and from close-hauled to broad reach than on a dead run, where it can lag seriously anchor. The LE owner also reports over 6 knots on favorable points in a good breeze and an easy 5–5.5 knots when reefed with either a reefed genoa or a reefed main. The outboard rudder with wheel configuration on the LE is called unusual but workable, though the same owner concedes the 272 feels a bit light for Lake Erie's conditions.

Accommodations

Below, the 272 is a roomy interior for its length, with a V-berth forward, saloon settees, and a quarter berth, sleeping up to four or five snugly under 6 feet of headroom anchor. A Great Lakes LE owner describes the folding table as useful and large enough for four, but is candid that the 272 sleeps two to five uncomfortably like most pocket cruisers and that interior comforts are modest, with inadequate ventilation below in stormy weather and five people the absolute cruised maximum anchor. The head, non-pressurized alcohol stove, and ice box are characterized as minimum cruising equipment rather than luxuries, which frames the boat as a weekend coastal camper first.

Known Issues

The most cited weakness is deck hardware integrity and water leakage. The LE owner names the integrity of deck fittings for water leakage as the boat's biggest problem, and the same owner says marks on the fabric ceiling overhead are all but unavoidable anchor. The same report faults the Cruising Design roller reefer as too cheap a piece to hold up for many years, and notes the main-sail winch is underpowered even though the self-tailing winches are a godsend. These are owner-reported wear and equipment points rather than structural defects, but they define the refit agenda for any buyer.

Refits and Ownership

Power on the 272 is typically an outboard auxiliary or an optional Yanmar diesel, while the LE example carries a 10-2 Westerbeke that the owner calls adequate and capable of 6 knots at 3,200 rpm in moderate to flat seas anchor. The practical ownership story is a small, shallow boat whose modest systems reward simplification: a modern roller furler, larger mainsail winch, and dealt-with deck leaks resolve most complaints. Around 100 built means a small but identifiable fleet, and the shallow draft keeps the design relevant for the sheltered waters it was drawn for.

The Verdict

The O'Day 272 is a purpose-built shallow-draft coastal cruiser that trades racing edge for interior room, easy launching, and gunkholing access. Its wing keel and 2.92-foot draft open waters closed to deeper 27-footers, and owners find the helm balanced and the motion forgiving. The compromises are real: modest ventilation, tight berths at maximum headcount, and deck-fitting leaks that demand attention. For the right owner — one who values weekend shelter over ocean passage making — the 272 remains a sensible small cruiser.

Pros