The molds were later sold to Cal Yachts/Pearson Yachts, which completed a few more boats before the tooling moved to an O'Day affiliate in Japan. The design is now out of production.
Design and Construction
The 302 is a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass, with a solid-fiberglass hull and a fixed wing keel. It measures just under 30 feet overall, with a 24-foot-2-inch waterline and a 10-foot-9-inch beam. Displacement is roughly 7,200 pounds, including 2,400 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast ratio of 33 percent. The immersion rate is about 841 pounds per inch, and wetted surface measures roughly 247 square feet.
A 1987 review in Motor Boating and Sailing noted O'Day’s addition of a patented winged keel said to smooth the ride in a seaway. Depending on load, the wing-keel configuration keeps draft between 3.9 and 4.2 feet, allowing the boat to reach shallow marinas.
The hull has a raked stem and reverse transom, along with an internally mounted spade rudder controlled by wheel steering.
Rig and Handling
The 302 carries a masthead sloop rig with a fully battened mainsail. Its mast stands about 41 feet above the waterline.
Database comparisons rate the sail plan as carrying more rig than 100 percent of similar sailboats, framing the 302 as significantly overrigged for its size. Its theoretical displacement-hull speed is about 6.6 knots, setting the upper bound for sustained passage-making under sail.
Accommodations
The 302 sleeps six. There’s a double V-berth forward, two settees in the main cabin, and a double berth in the aft cabin.
The galley is to port, just forward of the companionway ladder. It includes a two-burner propane stove and a sink with pressurized hot and cold water. The head has its own sink and vanity.
A 1987 Motor Boating and Sailing review praised the bright, airy interior created by expansive plexiglas and a half dozen opening hatches and ports. That openness distinguishes the 302 from more enclosed cruisers of its era.
Verdict
The O'Day 302 is a compact cruiser that fits a six-berth layout and a winged keel into a late-1980s O'Day hull. Its overrigged masthead sloop and shallow-draft wing keel suggest a boat intended for accessible coastal cruising rather than offshore passage work. The bright cabin volume was also a deliberate design selling point.
Pros
- Six berths, including a forward V-berth, two main-cabin settees, and a private aft double
- Winged keel keeps draft near four feet for access to shallow marinas
- Generous natural light from plexiglas and numerous hatches, according to a period review
Cons
- Brief two-year domestic production run before O'Day ceased operations
- Sail plan assessed as significantly overrigged compared with peer boats
