O'Day 302 Buyer's Guide
The O'Day 302 is a 29-foot-6-inch cruiser designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates and built by O'Day from 1988 to 1989, with a few further hulls finished by Cal Yachts/Pearson Yachts before the molds shifted to an O'Day affiliate in Japan. On the used market it presents as a six-berth coastal cruiser with a wing keel and a masthead sloop rig, attractive to shoppers wanting shallow draft without a swing keel.
Layouts on the Used Market
Production boats share the same core arrangement: sleeping for six across a bow V-berth, two main-cabin settees, and an aft double berth, with the galley to port just forward of the companionway and a head with sink and vanity. The wing keel keeps loaded draft around four feet, and the 18-horsepower Yanmar 2GMF diesel is the standard inboard. Cabins are bright thanks to extensive plexiglas and multiple opening hatches from the original design.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
An autopilot is commonly fitted, making short-handed steering manageable on these boats. Often-seen gear includes spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker packages, hot water, bimini, dodger, and life raft—useful for comfort and safety but worth verifying condition. Less common are gennaker, chartplotter, and short-handed rigging setups, usually added by individual owners rather than factory standard.
What to Inspect
A 1987 review in Motor Boating and Sailing described the winged keel as a patented design claimed to ease motion in a seaway, so check the wing roots and keel-hull junction for impact or repair history. Confirm the Yanmar 2GMF starts cleanly and that the 24-gallon fuel and 30-gallon water tanks are sound. The sail plan is assessed as carrying more canvas than peer boats, so inspect mast, rigging, and the fully-battened mainsail for overload wear. Verify the galley propane system and pressurized water plumbing.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in the United States and United Kingdom. For a shopper, the checklist is simple:
- Confirm documented build origin and any Cal Yachts/Pearson completion
- Inspect wing keel and hull-keel joint
- Test Yanmar 2GMF and tankage
- Verify autopilot and often-fitted safety gear present
- Budget for owner-added chartplotter or gennaker as upgrades, not assumptions
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the O'Day 302. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 1 | $12,500 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $15,000 | +20.0% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $16,985 | +13.2% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $16,985 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 5 | $17,000 | +0.1% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $19,900 | +17.1% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $18,000 | -9.5% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $9,000 | -50.0% |
Where they're listed
O'Day 302 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 9 (81.8%), followed by United Kingdom.
Country view
11 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $17,000 | 9 | 3 | 81.8% |
| United Kingdom | $16,985 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 30.1 | 31.27' | $ 164,950 | 126 | 29 |
| Jeanneau Sun Sun Odyssey 29.2 | 28.87' | $ 36,620 | 44 | 14 |
| Oday 34 | 34' | $ 19,450 | 30 | 7 |
| Oday 272 | 26.92' | $ 9,500 | 25 | 7 |
| ODAY 322 | 32.08' | $ 16,500 | 15 | 1 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 300 | 31' | $ 35,517 | 14 | 3 |
| ODay 30 | 29.92' | $ 15,000 | 13 | 5 |
| Oday 302You are here | — | $ 17,000 | 11 | 3 |